Matteson man sentenced to 34 years in prison for predatory criminal sexual assault

A Matteson man was sentenced to 34 years in prison and must register for life as a sexual predator after he pleaded guilty to predatory criminal sexual assault of a female child.

Joseph Stozek, 39, of Matteson, pleaded guilty to the crime Wednesday in front of Judge Vincent Cornelius, according to a news release from Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow’s office. Matteson is a village in Cook County that is about 25 miles east of Joliet.

Cornelius then sentenced Stozek to serve 85% of a 34-year prison sentence and receive credit for 576 days already served in jail.

Stozek’s charges stemmed from sexual acts with a girl younger than 13 in Steger, according to Glasgow’s office.

The girl described experiencing abuse over a three-year period when she was 8 to 10 years old. The victim and her caretaker gave victim impact statements at the sentencing hearing.

“The depravity that would lead an individual to violate the innocence of a little girl who has not even reached puberty is simply incomprehensible,” Glasgow said in a statement.

Glasgow said that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused before they reach the age of 17. About 1 million children are sexually abused in the nation each year, he said.

“This is a critical public health issue of epidemic proportions,” Glasgow said.

Glasgow commended the work of Will County Assistant State’s Attorney Jeff Brown, victim/witness advocate Danette Pasdertz and the Steger Police Department for their “dedication and commitment in this case.”

Glasgow also thanked the staff at the Will County Children’s Advocacy Center, such as Jaclyn Lundquist, senior family advocate Sara Ruzevich Innocenti and senior trauma therapist Lorraine Guerrero Neumayer.

In Glasgow’s news release, he also noted the important role played by the center’s therapy dog, Kiwi, who sat with the victim during her forensic interview and in court.