Crystal Lake man accused of sexual assault of a child from 2017 to 2019, police say

A Crystal Lake man is accused of sexually assaulting a child over an 18-month period between 2017 and 2019 and threatening the child should they tell anyone, according to a criminal complaint filed by police in McHenry County court and a judge’s order detaining him pretrial.

Richard Rowland, 59, of the 1400 block of Trailwood Drive, is charged with three counts of predatory criminal sexual assault, Class X felonies, according to the criminal complaint. Should Rowland be convicted, he could be sentenced between six and 60 years in prison on each count, according to Illinois statute.

Rowland is accused of sexually assaulting a child younger than 13, allegedly multiple times between June 1, 2017, and Feb. 1, 2019, according to the criminal complaint on file. He was arrested Friday and ordered detained in the county jail pretrial at a detention hearing held Saturday, court records show. In ordering Rowland be detained pretrial, Judge Mark Facchini wrote in a court order that the defendant is accused of sexually assaulting a child “on numerous occasions,” is “a real and present threat to the safety of” the child and the community, and “has threatened harm” to the child if the child “told anyone of the sexual assaults.”

Rowland, due in court Wednesday, is being represented by a private attorney who did not return a call for comment on Monday.