Jurors picked in McHenry County trial of man arrested in Canada, charged with sexual abuse of 2 children

A panel of 12 jurors and two alternates was selected Monday at the start of a trial of a man who was on McHenry County’s most wanted list when arrested in Canada in 2017 on charges alleging he sexually abused two young children.

Robert J. Gould, 56, had twice this year been set for trial. In July, a prosecutor on the case asked for a continuance because she had come in close contact with someone infected with COVID-19. Earlier this year, the trial was postponed because Gould had been diagnosed with the virus.

Gould is charged with three counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a child younger than 13, a Class 2 felony; eight counts of criminal sexual assault, a Class 1 felony; and 10 counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, a Class X felony, according to the criminal indictment filed in the McHenry County courthouse.

Class X felonies typically carry sentences of six to 30 years and are not probational. If convicted on all charges, Gould faces life in prison.

The jury is made up of seven men and five women. The two alternate jurors are both men.

During the day-long jury selection potential jurors were told of the charges Gould was facing. McHenry County Judge Michael Coppedge, defense attorney Dominic Buttitta Jr. and assistant state’s attorneys Tyler Mikan and Sharyl Eisenstein peppered potential jurors with a series of questions.

They were asked such questions as whether they or anyone they knew were victims of a sex crime and whether they knew of anyone accused of a sex crime. They also were asked what type of television they watched, where they got their news from and if they would be able to give Gould a fair trial.

Gould has been out of jail after posting 10% of a $500,000 pre-trial bond, required to wear an ankle monitor and living with family in McHenry County.

He is accused of abusing the children beginning in 2001.

At the time of his arrest, Gould was considered a fugitive while living in Higginsville, Nova Scotia, where he was detained by Canadian authorities Sept. 1, 2017.

The charges against Gould allege he committed the crimes in Island Lake and an unincorporated area near Woodstock, the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office said at the time of his arrest.

Buttitta said his defense will include testimony by a false memory expert. Prosecutors’ witnesses will include an expert psychotherapist to speak to repressed memories.

In past court hearings, Buttitta referred to the allegations, which are based on memory recovery that emerged during counseling sessions in Canada, as coming from “junk science.”

Eisenstein refuted that claim, saying the alleged victims had undergone scientifically reliable cognitive behavior therapy.