In a case involving authorities both locally and in North Carolina, a Huntley man is accused of sexually abusing a child, and police said they have “identified other potential juvenile victims.”

Robert Scott Henze, 58, is charged with predatory criminal sexual assault of a child younger than 13, a Class X felony, as well as aggravated criminal sex abuse of a child younger than 18, according to the criminal complaint in McHenry County court.

Henze was arrested Thursday and made a first court appearance Friday, with Judge Michael Feetterer denying Henze’s pretrial release from the county jail.

Feetterer referred to a probable cause statement written by Huntley police that said the sexual abuse occurred in Henze’s Huntley home between 2018 and 2023 and involved three children who were living with him at the time. The children have since moved with their mother to North Carolina, where one of the children told her about the alleged abuse, authorities said.

The investigation began in May, when the mother said she found her 7-year-old son taking naked pictures of himself with his tablet. She then found images depicting child sexual abuse on his tablet, authorities said. When the mother asked him what he was doing, the child replied that Henze took nude pictures of him, showed him pornography and sexually assaulted his two siblings when they lived in Henze’s Huntley home, Feetterer said.

After the woman reported to police what her son said, “detectives immediately began investigating the allegations and identified other potential juvenile victims whom the suspect had access to,” according to a news release from Huntley police.

Authorities said the children were interviewed by personnel from child advocacy centers both in McHenry County and in Moore County, North Carolina, with the assistance of the Moore County Sheriff’s Office.

When interviewed, one of the siblings said Henze sexually abused them between the ages of 6½ and 9, until they moved out of his home, authorities said.

The judge said “what strikes” him is the language the children use in making their allegations – terms they “ordinarily would not know unless exposed” to the alleged abuse.

But Assistant Public Defender David Giesinger argued for Henze’s pretrial release from the county jail, saying that Henze denies all the allegations, has no criminal history and has ties to the community.

He scored a zero on a dangerousness evaluation and took a lie detector test administered by Homeland Security, which he passed, Giesinger said.

Giesinger added that because Henze’s accusers live in North Carolina with their mother, who has since taken out an order of protection against Henze, they are safe from him having any contact with them.

In making his decision to detain Henze, the judge noted a phone call in September that police were listening in on between Henze and a woman who lives in Minnesota.

During the call, authorities said, Henze was heard apologizing for sexually abusing the woman 40 years ago when she was between 7 and 10 years old.

“I am sorry for doing that stuff to you,” Assistant State’s Attorney Zachariah Sitkiewicz said in relaying what Henze was heard saying.

Henze, who would have been in high school at the time, admitted to Huntley police that he had sexually abused the woman, Sitkiewicz said.

In the release, police said that a search warrant was served on Henze’s home Aug. 1, and “several electronic devices” were examined and analyzed. Police did not say if they found any images. However, in court Friday, Giesinger said no image depicting child sexual abuse was found on his devices.

Huntley police detectives and Illinois Attorney General’s Office investigators, with the assistance of Illinois State Police, served the warrant and worked together in the investigation, leading to Henze’s arrest Thursday.

Investigators “utilized a victim-centered, trauma-informed approach throughout this case” due to the sensitivity of the allegations, police said.

“Disclosures of abuse are often a process rather than a single event, and investigators worked at a pace guided by the comfort and needs of the victims and their family. The family was kept informed throughout the investigation,” police said.

Henze is due back in court Jan. 28. If convicted on the most serious Class X felony charge, he faces six to 60 years in prison.

Authorities said their investigation remains active, and they encouraged anyone with information to call the Huntley Police Department at 847-515-5311. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling the Huntley police tip line at 847-515-5333.