Richard Villanueva, 57, of Waukegan, now faces additional felony sex charges. He is being held in Lake County Jail with bail set at $750,000. 

In late August, the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office approved charging Villanueva with four Class X felony counts of predatory criminal sexual assault with a victim under the age of 13, stemming from a disclosure by the victim that he had repeatedly assaulted her over a period of years more than a decade ago. 

He was also charged with criminal sexual assault to a victim under 18 and aggravated criminal sexual abuse to a victim under 18. The most serious charges carry a mandatory range of six to 30 years upon conviction. 

Villanueva now faces four additional felony counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, which were formalized Thursday and are related to the second victim. 

On Aug. 24, the Waukegan Police Department received information from the initial victim, who is now an adult, about repeated occasions of sexual assault over a period of several years when the victim was still a child.  

After the media reported that story, a woman in her 30s reported to Waukegan police that she also was abused by Villanueva for several years as a child. According to police, a relative had mistakenly told the family that the statute of limitations on the crime had run out when she had previously wanted to disclose the incidents. 

A State’s Attorney’s Office review determined that the statute of limitations has not run out on the crimes. 

“Our prosecutors are working hard to learn the truth about the scope of this defendant’s crimes. We encourage any additional victims of Mr. Villanueva to come forward to the Waukegan Police Department. Our prosecutors will review the case, and our professional victim advocates will support you,” said Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart.  

The investigation showed that Villanueva knew both alleged victims, and that the incidents were not random and not connected to his occupation. Prior to his arrest, Villanueva drove a school bus for a company serving the Waukegan School District. 

Villanueva’s next scheduled court appearance is Dec. 9 before Lake County Circuit Judge James Booras, but he may have an earlier date in light of these new charges.