A Lake in the Hills man who is accused of sexually assaulting a child younger than 13 was detained Wednesday in McHenry County jail, where he said he’s worked in the past mentoring inmates.

Charles Sprague, 69, who told Judge Cynthia Lamb on Wednesday that he works as an adjunct professor at Judson University in Elgin, is charged with three counts of predatory criminal sex assault of a child younger than 13, Class X felonies, as well as criminal sexual assault and aggravated sexual abuse, Lamb said during the man’s initial court appearance.

Assistant State’s Attorney Daniel Conroy argued that Sprague poses “exceptional dangerousness.” There are no conditions to protect the community, specifically the accuser and children, Conroy said.

Lamb agreed and denied Sprague’s pretrial release from the county jail, where he has worked as a mentor, according to the New Life Transitions of Northern Illinois website. Sprague is founder and chairman of the organization, which provides “transitional services to formerly incarcerated individuals who are motivated to make a new start for themselves,” according to its website.

Sprague “has been a part of the Celebrate Recovery Inside team that visited inmates in McHenry County Jail. Inspired by God, he started a mission to help those who leave jail and prison,” according to the website.

Sprague teaches and mentors at Judson University, and as of Wednesday afternoon, he was listed as an adjunct faculty on the school’s website and under the faculty members listed for the Psychology and Sociology Department. A Judson representative could not be reached for comment.

In arguing that Sprague should be detained, Conroy read from a proffer detailing what the woman Sprague is accused of sexually assaulting as a child told police. Now an adult living in Florida, the woman told authorities that Sprague assaulted her several times weekly from the age of 8 until she was 13, between 2004 and 2010, the prosecutor said.

The accuser told investigators that Sprague began with touching her inappropriately when she was 8, and that his behavior escalated and became more sexual. Conroy said Sprague admitted to the assaults in text messages with the woman and in a phone conversation in which police were listening. He apologized, but manipulated and gaslighted her, Conroy said. Sprague told the woman that she needed to pray to God and ask for forgiveness for the sexual assaults, the prosecutor said.

Sprague texted that he was “so sorry” he let his weakness take over and that he loves her but “not in the sick way” in which he had showed her, the prosecutor contended in court, adding that Sprague also texted that he is “selfish, thoughtless, depressed and hollow.”

Assistant Public Defender Gene Wilson, appointed to represent Sprague at his initial hearing only, said there are conditions such as court monitoring, GPS tracking and a no-contact order to ensure Sprague would not be a threat if released. Wilson said the court could order that Sprague not be allowed to leave the state, and since the alleged victim now lives in Florida, there is no threat of them having contact in person.

Wilson also noted the delay in reporting the alleged assaults. There have been no more allegations since 2010 by the accuser or anyone else, and Sprague has no criminal history, Wilson said.

In detaining Sprague, Lamb cited assertions in the proffer that the alleged assaults happened in the shower, in Sprague’s bed and on camping trips. He would take her shopping as a way of apologizing to her, Lamb said the woman told police, and he was comfortable assaulting her even when others were near and told her not to tell her mother because she would kill herself, officials contended.

The judge said Sprague “spent years working on this child” to be comfortable with him assaulting her. “He treated this child as his lover,” Lamb said.

Sprague is due back in court Sept. 5.