‘You forced me to do things I did not want to do’: Quincy man gets 25-year sentence for sexually assaulting 9-year-old daughter

QUINCY — A Quincy man was sentenced to 25 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting his 9-year-old daughter.

Jose Ortiz, 30, pled guilty to two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child before Judge Tad Brenner Tuesday afternoon in Adams County Circuit Court. He received a 12½-year sentence on each count, which will be served consecutively. Two other counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child were dropped as part of plea negotiations.

Ortiz was indicted Dec. 8 by an Adams County grand jury on four counts of predatory criminal sexual assault, a Class X felony punishable for between six and 30 years in the Department of Corrections.

Assistant State’s Attorney Laura Keck said she was prepared to present evidence that Ortiz’s daughter, 9 years old at the time, reported on Oct. 20, 2022 to an employee at her school in Quincy that her father had been raping her since she was 4 years old.

The girl then told an interviewer at the Adams County Child Advocacy Center the next day that her father had been making her give him oral sex, starting around the age of 4 or 5, when they lived in Chicago. The family moved to Quincy when she was approximately 6 years old. The girl claimed the sex acts continued, including her father putting his penis in her anus and vagina.

During the interview, she said the last time her father had committed a sex act with her was on Oct. 20, 2022.

Trisha Hubbard, victim witness coordinator for the Adams County State’s Attorney’s Office, then read a victim impact letter written by Ortiz’s daughter. It read:

Dear Dad,

You should have been more helpful to Mom and Mom’s parents. You should have been more supportive of who I am. You should have helped me learn things and teach me to do things better. You should have let me spend time with my friends. You should have wanted to spend time with us. You gave me a lot of anxiety and trust issues and memories that I don’t like. You forced me to do things I did not want to do. You should have been a better dad through my life.

Bye, Dad.

Ortiz did not react as the letter was read. His back was turned to everybody in the courtroom as he sat next to his attorney, Shelby Hoiness. His daughter and his wife were in attendance.

Given an opportunity for a statement of allocution, Ortiz declined.

Ortiz was given credit for 173 days served in the Adams County Jail. His bond was $750,000.

Illinois’ “Truth in Sentencing” for violent crimes applied to Ortiz’s case. He must serve at least 85 percent of his sentence before he can get out of prison. His prison term will be followed by supervised release for at least three years and up to natural life.