Harvard man sentenced to six years for sexual assault of teenager, attempted possession of child porn

Francisco Hernandez-Ramos

A 47-year-old Harvard man was sentenced to six years after pleading guilty last week to aggravated criminal sexual assault and attempted possession of child pornography.

Francisco Hernandez-Ramos was arrested after the child reported the abuse to the Harvard Police Department in August 2021, the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office said in a news release.

The child told police that the assaults began when she was 10 years old and had continued, with the most recent time the day before she went to police, the release states.

The investigation – which included Hernandez-Ramos admitting the sexual assaults to officers – determined that the assaults occurred in multiple states over a seven-year period, according to the release. A search of his cellphone also found he attempted to possess images of child pornography.

Hernandez-Ramos ultimately was charged with three counts of sexually assaulting a child older than 13 but younger than 18 years old and possession of child pornography, according to the criminal indictment.

The additional counts of criminal sexual assault were dismissed as part of the plea deal, court records show. The possession of child pornography charge also was downgraded to attempted possession, taking it from a class 2 to a class 3 felony.

McHenry County Judge Michael Coppedge sentenced Hernandez-Ramos to four years for the sexual assault and two years for the attempted possession of child pornography, court records show.

Criminal sexual assault is a class 1 felony, which carries a possible sentence of four to 15 years in prison. Probation is not an option for this charge and he must undergo testing for sexually transmitted diseases, according to the indictment.

Hernandez-Ramos must serve at least 85% of the four-year prison sentence and at least 50% of the two years. He will also receive credit for the 492 days he’s spent in custody, the sentencing order shows.