Kane County Judge D.J. Tegeler has rejected a bid by Noel Buhay — the Sugar Grove man convicted of sexually assaulting his foster son a decade ago — to have his 45-year prison sentence reconsidered.
Buhay, 50, claimed in a recent motion that the lengthy punishment was “excessive” and failed to consider his otherwise “law-abiding life” before being charged with predatory criminal sexual assault in 2014.
A jury convicted Buhay after Kane County prosecutors at a March trial outlined months of sexual abuse and assaults while the then-pre-teen boy was in the care of Buhay and his wife in Aurora in early 2004. A lawsuit against Buhay tied to that victim is currently pending with a September court date scheduled.
On Thursday, Tegeler set a February trial date for Buhay on dozens of similar charges filed in 2013 relating to a second foster child who prosecutors accuse Buhay of sexually assaulting. Authorities allege Buhay committed sexual acts between February 2004 and April 2005 with the child, who was approximately 11 years old at the time.
Buhay, who has pleaded not guilty to the multi-count indictment, returns to court in October for a pre-trial hearing on those charges.
Dan Campana is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News