Man Charged with 14 Counts of Sexual Abuse and Assault Held on $500,000 Bail

A Cook County Judge will allow a man accused of sexually exploiting a teenage girl in both Palos Hills and Orland Park to post bond, even though two of the man’s guns are missing.

Kevin Skaritka, 34, of Orland Park, charged with six counts of criminal sexual assault, six counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and two counts of criminal sexual abuse, is accused of molesting his girlfriend’s teenage daughter and exposing himself to her between 2009 and May 2011.

The girl told detectives that during those years Skaritka repeatedly exposed himself, showed her pornography and woke her in the middle of the night by getting on top of her. On at least two occasions she fought Skaritka off in her basement bedroom but didn’t tell her mother and grandmother about it until May 19, according to an Orland Park police report, which shows that they met with detectives on May 20.

Orland Park police said Skaritka was the main source of income for the family and moved with them from Palos Hills to Orland Park in January 2010.

The girl didn’t come forward sooner for fear of breaking up her family, she told Orland Park police. Due to the lapse in time, authorities were unable to gather physical evidence.

Bail was set at $500,000 in May on the condition that Skaritka turn over his passport, FOID card and weapons. Skaritka and attorneys were in court Wednesday to discuss the whereabouts of his shotgun and AR-15 rifle, which were missing from his home when police came to collect them.

Skaritka told Judge John J. Hynes that his girlfriend had taken the weapons to her uncle’s house in Sauk Village for safekeeping on the day before Skaritka was arrested.

Clyde May, the girlfriend's uncle, testified that he had seen a military bag, about 2 feet in length, in his home that morning before leaving for work but never looked inside. When he returned that evening, the bag was gone, he said.

May, a former Marine, told prosecutors that he couldn’t see how two 36-inch guns could fit inside a 24-inch bag. Skaritka claimed the bag was about 8 inches deep, and his attorney argued that the guns must have been placed on an angle in order to fit into a space shorter than its length.

Both Skaritka and May told the court that they had a conversation on the phone that morning about the bag of weapons in May’s possession. May said Skaritka asked to come by and pick up the guns, but the uncle told Skaritka he wasn’t comfortable doing that unless both Skaritka and May’s niece were present.

“He has absolutely no reason not to turn (the guns) in, if he knew where they were,” Robert Callahan, Skaritka’s defense attorney, said.

“Obviously there’s something fishy going on,” Hynes said, noting that whoever has the guns or knows of their whereabouts is risking criminal charges by not coming forward.

Skaritka told Hynes his parents would help raise the $50,000 bond. If so, Skaritka will be released from prison with an electronic monitor and permitted to travel to work and court only.

Skaritka said he worked as a diesel mechanic before his arrest.

“He just wants to go back to work while the case is pending,” Callahan said.

The lead prosecutor on the case denied comment.

The next hearing is scheduled for Sept. 12 in Bridgeview.