Urbana man charged with sexually assaulting 9-year-old
Jan. 24—URBANA — An Urbana man was charged Tuesday with sexually assaulting a 9-year-old.
Dante Freeman, 31, was charged with four counts of committing predatory criminal sexual assault to a person under 13 years old.
Champaign County State's Attorney Julia Rietz said that a 9-year-old reported to a family member earlier this month that Freeman had allegedly committed a variety of sex acts on them using objects.
The 9-year-old was interviewed at the Children's Advocacy Center in Champaign. Based on information provided, police obtained a search warrant of the defendant's residence and found objects consistent with those described, Rietz said.
Freeman was on probation for a previous conviction of public indecency. Rietz said that Freeman was found to have stood naked in a window when a 13-year-old girl walked by on her way to her bus stop in 2022.
Freeman had also received a notice to appear in court on Feb. 7 after police received a report that he had allegedly walked around in an Urbana Dollar General on Dec. 27 with his genitals exposed.
A detention hearing will take place Jan. 26 on whether Freeman can await his trial outside of jail. He faces between six and 30 years in prison on each of the predatory criminal sexual assault charges, a Class X felony.
