Gurnee Officer Accused of Sexually Abusing 2 Children

Bond was set at $1.5 million Friday for a decorated Gurnee Police Department officer who was arrested and charged with three counts of sexually abusing and assaulting two children.

Lake County Sheriff's deputies arrested Officer Jay Simon, 36, of Round Lake Park, at 12:25 p.m. Friday at the Gurnee Police station.

According to the arrest warrant, Simon, the father of three, is charged with predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, a Class X felony; aggravated criminal sexual abuse, a Class 2 felony, and misdemeanor aggravated assault.

Simon faces six to 30 years in prison if convicted of the Class X felony; three to seven years if convicted of the Class 2 felony, and jail for up to a year with a $2,500 fine if convicted of the misdemeanor.

Lake County State's Attorney Michael Waller said the sexual assaults involved a girl under age 13 that began between March and September 2007. Another girl under 13 was allegedly sexually abused in November 2006.

Waller said a 35-year-old adult male was assaulted by Simon in March 2007. That case was not related to the sexual assault cases.

Gurnee authorities said they were informed of the investigation of Simon in April. He was immediately placed on administrative leave, and remains on leave.

Simon was praised at a Village Board meeting last month for making 47 driving-under-the-influence arrests in 2007, giving him a career total of 397 DUI arrests. He was honored in 2005, 2006 and 2007 as the village's "top cop" and cited by the Illinois Department of Transportation for his number of DUI arrests.