Jan. 17--A Washington Heights man has been charged in the sexual assault of a friend's family member from 1999 to 2002 after the victim reported the allegations of abuse to Chicago police last fall.
Kenneth Mitchell, 40, appeared in Cook County bond court and was ordered held in lieu of $300,000 bail Saturday on charges of predatory criminal sexual assault of a victim younger than 13. The girl was 8 years old when the attacks started, Assistant State's Attorney April Gonzales said.
The man allegedly assaulted the friend's family member about twice a week for more than three years, ending when the victim reached puberty, prosecutors said.
Mitchell regularly visited the victim's bedroom and molested her, prosecutors said. He also offered to braid her hair, then put pornography on the television and would fondle her after telling her she could use his computer.
The victim told a Planned Parenthood counselor of the assaults at some point in 2006 or 2007, Gonzales said. Prosecutors and court record information did not indicate whether the counselor reported the incidents to authorities.
The victim called police in October to report the assaults, which eventually led to the charges.
Mitchell has worked for the past eight years as a stocker for Discount Dollar Plus, according to court records.
