Harvard man sentenced to six years in prison for sexually assaulting child

A 28-year-old Harvard man was sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a child.

Cristian Villareal, of the 1300 block of Primrose Lane, was arrested in January 2021 on a single count of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, a Class X felony typically punishable by six to 30 years in prison.

He was subsequently indicted on four counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child younger than age 13, court records show.

Villareal pleaded guilty Wednesday to one of those counts, and in exchange, prosecutors dismissed the other charges.

McHenry County Judge Robert Wilbrandt subsequently sentenced Villareal to six years in prison. He will have to serve at least 85% of that sentence and register as a sex offender once he’s released from custody, according to the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office.

This case was investigated by the Harvard Police Department and prosecuted by Jim Newman of the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office, according to a news release.