Joliet Township Sexual Assault: Relative Arrested 7 Months Later

Joliet IL

16 November, 2021

3:44 PM

Description

JOLIET, IL — The Will County Sheriff's Office announced Tuesday that a seven-month-long sexual assault investigation has led to several criminal charges for Earl Pugh, a 28-year-old Fort Wayne, Indiana native. Pugh was booked into the Will County Jail around 1:30 p.m. and his bail has been set at $1 million. Pugh is charged with predatory criminal sexual abuse of a child, attempted aggravated criminal sexual assault, unlawful grooming, solicitation to meet a child and two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child. Authorities say the victim's mother notified Will County sheriff's deputies in April that her juvenile daughter was the victim of a sexual assault involving Pugh, who is a relative. The investigation has been ongoing during the past several months. On Tuesday morning, Will County sheriff's deputies arrested Pugh in Fort Wayne and "he was transported to the sheriff's investigations division where he was interviewed and made statements implicating himself in these crimes," Will County police announced.