Elgin man gets 12 years for sexually assaulting girl for over a decade

A northwest suburban man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for sexually assaulting a young girl for more than 10 years.

Bruce A. Puchek, 60, pleaded guilty Thursday to criminal sexual assault in exchange for the 12-year sentence, according to the Kane County state’s attorney’s office. Circuit Judge Susan Clancy Boles accepted the plea.

Puchek, of the 2900 block of Shamrock Circle in Elgin, sexually assaulted the girl, whom he knew, between May 2001 and July 2013, prosecutors said. The victim, who was under 18, eventually told her mother, who contacted the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services to make a report.

In addition to the 12-year prison term, Puchek must register for life as a sex offender, prosecutors said. By law, he must serve at least 85 percent of his sentence, and was given credit for 600 days served in the Kane County Jail.