Officer Jay Simon allowed to Visit Sons While out on Bond

WAUKEGAN

The Gurnee police officer accused of sexually assaulting two young girls can visit with his sons while out on bond.

With various provisions in place, Jay Simon will be allowed to see his two sons, ruled Associate Judge Theodore Potkonjak.

If an impartial third party is present Simon and his sons can meet at a public place, Potkonjak said Monday. The meeting has been green lit by Simon's ex-wife, who is also the boys' mother.

Another condition of the visit is that Simon cannot talk to the boys about one of the alleged victims, who is known to the boys.

Simon, 36, of Round Lake Beach, was released from the Lake County Jail on Aug. 15, after posting $100,000 bond. He had been jailed since early June on several sexual assault and misconduct charges.

The decorated six-year Gurnee police veteran is accused of fondling and molesting two pre-teen girls in 2006 and 2007. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and has been placed on unpaid administrative leave from his $69,000-a-year job.

Judge Refuses to Lower Bond for Officer charged with Child Sex Crimes

Stating that no one is privileged to special treatment because of their occupation.

A judge Thursday refused to lower the $1.5 million bond for a Gurnee police officer charged with child sex crimes.

Jay Simon, 35, has been in the Lake County jail since his June 6 arrest on charges of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, aggravated criminal sexual abuse and aggravated assault.

Simon is accused of molesting two girls under the age of 13 in thee separate attacks dating to November 2006, and pointing a handgun at a Zion man while threatening him in March.

His attorney, Torrie Newsome of Waukegan, told Associate Judge Daniel Shanes the $150,000 in cash Simon would have to post to get out of jail is beyond his reach.

Newsome asked Shanes to consider Simon's record in his six years as a patrol officer in Gurnee and the 12 years he served in the Navy.

While acknowledging the charges against his client are serious, Newsome contended his client is not a flight risk and is a good candidate for a lower bond.

Newsome suggested a bond that would require Simon to post between $20,000 and $50,000 would be more appropriate.

"There is no reason to believe that he would be a threat to any of the alleged victims," Newsome said.

Lake County Assistant State's Attorney Patricia Fix urged Shanes to let the original bond stand.

"The charges the defendant is facing are extraordinarily serious," Fix said. "They call for mandatory prison sentences, consecutive sentences and are mandated to be served at 85 percent."

Shanes, who set the original bond when he signed the arrest warrant for Simon, said he would not pay special attention to the fact Simon is a police officer.

"Much has been said about the defendant's employment, but the law this court follows applies equally to all who come before it," Shanes said. "Nobody starts out ahead or behind."

Shanes said if Simon is able to post bond, he must arrange for the surrender any firearms he owns to the Lake County sheriff's office prior to his release.

If convicted of predatory sexual assault of a child, Simon faces a mandatory prison sentence of six to 30 years.

Aggravated criminal sexual abuse carries a maximum of seven years in prison. Aggravated assault, a misdemeanor, is punishable by up to a year in the county jail.

Simon has been on administrative leave from the police department since mid-May, when officials were notified he was under investigation.

He is due to appear in court June 23.


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Guess things in lock up arn't as nice as they should be officer Simon, Judge "wha wha wha" lower my bond "wha wha wha."

Simon your a disgrace to all police officers everywhere, "To serve and protect"
didn't mean anything to you, enjoy Prison. People trusted you and your brothers on the job, with your arrest, you have taken some of that trust. I hope you get the max Plus.

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.