Man, 71, Faces Third Charge of Sexually Abusing Girls
By Steve Schmadeke
A 71-year-old Chicago man charged with sexually abusing two young girls at a church last month was accused today of previously sexually abusing an 8-year-old girl who was shopping with her mom in Uptown. Prosecutors say Loreto Gaspar, who is retired and lives with his wife in the 1700 block of West Balmoral Avenue, has a habit of chatting up mothers out in public with their daughters and then touching their children while their mom is distracted. Gaspar has been jailed since Aug. 25 after he violated his probation in a 2010 case in which he was accused of sexually abusing a 9-year-old girl who was shopping with her mother at a Target store. He was arrested last month after allegedly fondling two girls — ages 9 and 6 — on Aug. 21 while they were at church after befriending their mother, Assistant State's Atty. John Dillon said today. Prosecutors have now charged Gaspar with aggravated criminal sexual abuse for an earlier incident that allegedly happened at the Viet Hoa grocery store, 1051 W. Argyle St., on Aug. 6. Gaspar allegedly touched an 8-year-old girl repeatedly while her mother shopped and then ran from the store after the girl's mother confronted him, Kent said. Gaspar had previously met the two in the store. A store employee saw the abuse and recorded a video of part of it on a cellphone, Kent said. Gaspar was arrested Aug. 25 on the church abuse case and ordered held on $300,000 bail. On Friday, Judge Adam Bourgeois, Jr. set bail at $300,000 cash for the most recent charge. In 2012, Gaspar pleaded guilty to lesser charges of aggravated public battery after allegedly fondling a girl at a Target store when her mother briefly walked away. He was sentenced to two years of probation by Judge Charles Burns. Contact: sschmadeke@tribune.com
|
.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.