Romeoville man charged with predatory criminal sexual assault of child

A Romeoville man has been arrested on a charge of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and he will remain in jail under the SAFE-T Act.

About 6:45 p.m. on Monday, Hector Cruz, 48, was taken to the Will County jail following an investigation by the Romeoville Police Department.

Romeoville Deputy Police Chief Chris Burne said officers responded to a report of a sexual assault, conducted an investigation and developed probable cause for Cruz’s arrest.

Cruz’s booking photo at the jail shows a severe bruise on one of his eyes.

Burne said Cruz was treated at a hospital for “injuries sustained prior to our arrival,” Burne said.

Cruz was “treated and released from the hospital” before he was taken to jail, Burne said.

At a court hearing on Tuesday, Cruz’s attorneys requested he receive pretrial release because he works as a dump truck driver, he’s the sole provider of his family and he has an alternate residence in Chicago.

Cruz’s attorneys said he could stay confined to his home and leave only for work purposes. They also recommended electronic monitoring.

Will County Judge Derek Ewanic found there were no conditions that could mitigate Cruz’s danger to the alleged victim in the case.

Ewanic said Cruz was also a flight risk as a detective on the case testified to learning Cruz allegedly attempted to obtain a fraudulent passport using a fictitious name in 1998.