Lee County judge allows pretrial release of Rock Falls man charged with a felony sex crime against a minor

DIXON – A Lee County judge decided Wednesday to permit the pretrial release of a Rock Falls man accused of a felony sex crime against a minor.

Daniel J. Berkeley, 41, of Rock Falls is charged with one count of indecent solicitation of a child, a Class 3 felony. Berkeley was taken into custody May 8, in Winnebago County and transferred to the Lee County Jail. He appeared before Lee County Judge Jacquelyn D. Ackert at 1 p.m., Wednesday, for a detention hearing via video call.

Ackert denied the Lee County State’s Attorney Offices petition to detain. Instead, she allowed his release with conditions that include electronic monitoring and home confinement, according to court documents.

She also ordered Berkeley to have “no contact of any kind” with the victim and “no contact with any unsupervised minor,” according to court documents.

The charge against Berkeley stems from an investigation by the Dixon Police Department that began Feb. 17 after a minor reported they had been solicited for sex, according to a news release. Detectives conducted a forensic interview with a child and follow-up interviews, which resulted in an arrest warrant being obtained for Berkeley, according to a May 14 news release from the Dixon police.

“The charges are merely an allegation and all parties are presumed innocent until proven guilty,” according to the release.

Dixon police were assisted in their investigation by the Lee County State’s Attorney’s Office and Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center.

Berkeley’s next court appearance is 8:30 a.m. June 11 for a preliminary hearing, which will determine if there is enough evidence to bring the case to trial.