St. Clair County sheriff charges man with multiple counts of sexually assaulting a child
.jpg "St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department car")
A 41-year-old man was charged Wednesday with multiple counts of sexual assault and abuse of a girl in St. Clair County, and authorities said other victims have come forward during the investigation.
Richard H. Hay was charged on Wednesday with four counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child less than 13 years old; two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a child older than 5; and one count of predatory criminal sexual assault, according to St. Clair County court records. His address was not listed.
The St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department said Wednesday it began the investigation on Monday after a deputy responded to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in O’Fallon in reference to a criminal sexual assault of a girl.
The deputy “spoke with the victim’s parents, who stated their daughter had possibly been sexually assaulted,” according to a news release from the sheriff’s department.
“While the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department Investigators were investigating the incident, there were several other victims that came forward about this subject,” the department said in the news release.
Hay was being held in the St. Clair County Jail on Wednesday and has a detention hearing scheduled for Thursday.
Court records do not list a defense attorney for Hay.
If you have information about a possible victim in this case, call Investigator Ben Vise at 618-825-5309.
This story was originally published July 31, 2024 at 5:55 PM.
