Third Lake Man Gets Prison For Raping, Beating Woman

By Sam Borcia, Lake & McHenry County Scanner

A man was sentenced to 16 years in prison Monday after he was convicted of beating and sexually assaulting a woman inside a residence in Third Lake.

Andres Leyva, 31, of 200 block of Windjammer Lane in Third Lake, was charged with aggravated criminal sexual assault causing bodily harm and criminal sexual assault by force.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded on September 19, 2020, to a report of a woman who had been sexually assaulted. Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said at the time that the victim told deputies that Leyva had sexually assaulted her.

During the assault, Leyva also reportedly physically battered the woman, Covelli said. The incident occurred at a residence in Third Lake.

Covelli said that the victim received medical treatment for the attack. Sheriff’s detectives responded to the scene and collected evidence from the incident.

They learned that Leyva was an acquaintance of the victim. Police arrested the man the same day of the attack. A bench trial concluded in the case in late May when Lake County Judge Patricia Fix found Leyva guilty on both charges, which are a Class X felony and Class 1 felony.

Five state witnesses, including medical experts, testified during the trial.

Assistant State’s Attorney John Brown cross-examined Leyva, who admitted that the testimony he gave on the stand was different than the statement he gave to detectives when he was originally questioned in September 2020.

Leyva has been held in the Lake County Jail on a $300,000 bond since his arrest. After the May verdict, Fix revoked his ability to post bond.

During a Monday sentencing hearing, Assistant State’s Attorneys John Brown and Ruth Lofthouse said that Leyva had prior criminal activity and that he was at high risk to re-offend.

Leyva did not speak during the hearing but the victim, who was accompanied by friends and family, read a victim impact statement. Prosecutors said Leyva had not taken responsibility for his actions and that a lengthy sentence was needed to deter others from committing the same crime.

Fix sentenced Leyva, who faced 10-45 years in prison, to 16 years in prison.

The sentence will be served at 85% and the man will receive 709 days of credit for time served in the Lake County Jail.

“This offender will spend a significant amount of time in custody because of the bravery of the survivor, the investigation by the Sheriff’s Department, and the hard work of our prosecutors and victim specialists,” Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said.

Lake and McHenry County Scanner is a local breaking news website covering issues that matter such as shootings, stabbings, house fires, kidnappings, car accidents, and more around Lake County and McHenry County.