Jury acquits Wauconda man in 2007 sex case

A Lake County jury has found a Wauconda man not guilty of sex charges.

Two years ago, Zachary Carlson, 19, of 400 N. Main St., was charged with two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, a Class X felony, and two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, a Class 2 felony.

"We are very happy with the results," Carlson's attorney, Stephen Simonian, said Friday after the verdict. "We felt there was not enough evidence against Zachary."

Carlson was working as a counselor at Messiah Evangelical Lutheran Church, 25225 W. Ivanhoe Road, Wauconda, in August 2007 when he was accused of having sex on multiple occasions with an 8-year-old girl and a 7-year-old girl. Carlson was arrested on a warrant in December 2007 at Wauconda High School.

Had he been convicted of the Class X felony, Carlson could have been sentenced to up to 60 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Carlson is expected to appear in court Nov. 20 for a status hearing on additional sex charges stemming from the case.