AURORA (IL)
Aurora Beacon-News
October 24, 2017
by Hannah Leone
A Kane County investigator in a former Aurora priest’s sex abuse case may have destroyed some notes while withholding others, according to the former priest’s lawyer, who is seeking information about the investigator’s recent resignation from the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Alfredo Pedraza Arias, 51, is scheduled for a November trial on felony charges he sexually abused and assaulted two young girls between 2012 and 2014 while a priest at Sacred Heart Church in Aurora. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which include multiple counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.
Immigration officials revoked the temporary religious worker visa for Arias, who is from Colombia. His trial has been repeatedly delayed while he faces deportation. Prosecutors have accused Arias of trying to use his deportation to avoid trial.
In a hearing earlier this month, Kane County Circuit Judge Linda Abrahamson said the recent disclosure about the notes was “like an atomic bomb” and that the trial may be affected by whether lawyers have access to the man who investigated the case for the Kane County Child Advocacy Center.
The Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office would not confirm the investigator’s employment status, stating they don’t comment on personnel matters.
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