Convicted Sex Predator Accused of Failing to Register

Photo: Efren Gonzalez, 37 | Cook County Sheriff

A Justice man was arrested Monday after he failed to register as a sex offender with the Illinois State Police, prosecutors said in court on Tuesday.

Cook County Judge Peter Felice revoked a conditional release for Efren Gonzalez, 37, a sexual predator, who appeared for a bond hearing in Bridgeview.

Prosecutors said that Gonzalez had a conditional release from a similar charge in 2014 requiring him to register with the state as a sex offender as required by law.

“I can’t fathom someone not going out of their way to register,” the judge said.

The assistant public defender told the judge that there are indications that Gonzalez, a married father of a child and two stepchildren, had been registered in Justice.

The Illinois Sex Offender Registry lists Gonzalez’s residence in an apartment building in Justice, but Judge Felice said that according to the criminal charges, Gonzalez had been staying at a Bridgeview economy motel.

Gonzalez was convicted of two counts criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse in 2008. State records say that he was 29 at the time of the offense, and the victim was 15.

The judge set bail at $30,000, with ten percent to apply. Gonzalez is due back in court on August 21.