Capron man pleads guilty to sexually abusing child in Woodstock, gets probation, jail time

A 56-year-old Capron man was sentenced to two years of probation Thursday after he pleaded guilty to aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a girl younger than 13.

Curt Anthony Kozar, who had been held in the McHenry County Jail since June 26, also was sentenced to 180 days in jail. However, because he had met his time served while his case was pending, he was released Thursday, according to jail records.

Kozar also must register as a sex offender for life, have no contact with his victim, undergo a sex offender evaluation, abstain from drugs and alcohol and submit to random screenings.

Kozar initially faced more serious charges of multiple Class X predatory criminal sexual assault, which could have landed him in prison for decades, according to court records. The charges of the abuse are dated from 2012 through 2015 and 2021, and they were investigated by the Woodstock Police Department.

The victim’s father was in the courtroom Thursday, and Assistant State’s Attorney Sharyl Eisenstein told Judge Michael Coppedge he wanted to see Kozar receive a stricter sentence.

Before Coppedge announced Kozar’s sentence, the girl’s father stood beside Eisenstein and said his daughter will never recover from this abuse, adding that she has lost her sense of trust.

“There is not much I can say to make you understand the lifelong effect this has had on my daughter,” he said. “I’m saddened by all of this ... what she’s been through, what we all have been through the last 10 years. ... This is going to affect her the rest of her life. There is no sentence strong enough to make him understand.”

Coppedge thanked the man for his comments and said, “As a father, I totally understand.”

“This sentence will have an end date. ... I appreciate the lifelong effect this will have on your daughter,” Coppedge said.

He then turned to Kozar and said, “I hope you give some thought to those comments because this can’t be undone.”