From the State’s Attorney:
WISCONSIN MAN ACCUSED OF TRAVELING TO HARVARD AND SEXUALLY ASSAULTING A CHILD DENIED PRETRIAL RELEASE
McHenry County State’s Attorney Randi L. Freese announces that the Honorable Judge Cynthia D. Lamb granted the State’s petition to deny pretrial release for Rene Mondragon-Candido, 42, of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
Mondragon-Candido appeared in Initial Appearance Court on September 29, 2026, charged with two counts of Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse, Class 2 felonies, and Traveling to Meet a Child, a Class 3 felony.
Evidence presented in court established that during the early morning hours of September 29, 2026, officers with the Harvard Police Department located Mondragon-Candido inside a parked vehicle with a minor child.
When initially questioned by officers, Mondragon-Candido allegedly falsely claimed that the child was his nephew.
Evidence was presented that Mondragon-Candido later admitted that he had met the child through a social media app.
Further evidence presented in court established that Mondragon-Candido allegedly drove from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, to Harvard, where he picked the child up from the child’s residence.
Mondragon-Candido then allegedly drove the child to Milky Way Park in Harvard, where he engaged in sexual acts with the child.
“This case demonstrates what can be accomplished when law enforcement and prosecutors work together with urgency and a shared commitment to protecting children,” State’s Attorney Freese said.
“We commend the Harvard Police Department and the officers whose vigilance led them to investigate what they encountered and intervene.
“From the moment this investigation began in the early morning hours, Harvard Police worked closely with our office to ensure that the evidence was quickly reviewed, appropriate felony charges were filed, and this man was brought before a judge that same day.
“That kind of immediate coordination is critical when the safety of a child is at stake.”
Mondragon-Candido’s next court appearance is scheduled for November 18, 2026, in Courtroom 302.
Members of the public are reminded that this complaint contains only charges and is not proof of the defendant’s guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the government’s burden to prove his or her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
