A Portage man accused of molesting three boys was convicted Wednesday after a three-day trial.
Michael Langford, 47, faced three counts of sexual misconduct with a minor and two counts of child seduction. Jurors deliberated for about three hours.
His sentencing hearing is March 19.
Deputy Prosecutor Arturo Balcazar argued in closing arguments that Langford “knew what he was doing to these boys.”
The victims didn’t decide “to make up a story” for almost eight years, he said.
Defense lawyer Herb Shaps told jurors he believed the victims made it up. There was no “medical” or “forensic” evidence corroborating the accounts, he said.
Court documents allege the youngest victim — who experienced the most sexual abuse — told relatives what happened on an August 2019 camping trip. Investigators wrote Langford molested the victims between March 2018 and July 2019.
He told police that he was sexually abused starting at age 5 or 6. He was molested at least “five hundred times,” including 50 times in Crown Point, court records allege.
Post-Tribune archives contributed.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/14/portage-man-convicted-in-child-sexual-misconduct-trial/
