Man pleads guilty to sexually assaulting child, giving victim HIV

Staff Report

ROCKFORD – A Rockford man has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a child and giving the child HIV.

Stephen Grimes, 33, pleaded guilty to predatory criminal sexual assault to a child younger than 13 Tuesday as part of a plea agreement.

Grimes had been charged with multiple counts of sexual assault in connection with a report made in May 2019 that a child had been sexually abused. The victim tested positive for HIV after being treated a local hospital.

Grimes is due back in court Aug. 11. He’s currently lodged in the Winnebago County Jail. He faces 82 years in prison.