An Avondale man was ordered held on $200,000 bail Saturday after he was charged with having a sexual relationship with an underage relative of his new wife.

Bradley Pence, 49, had at least three recent sexual encounters with the 16-year-old girl, prosecutors said. Police showed up at his home in the 2800 block of West Nelson Street on Wednesday after his wife learned that the young relative was not at school, and Pence did not answer his phone.

When police and his wife arrived, Pence denied knowing where the girl was, or that he’d spoken with her, but the officers soon found the girl hiding in a bedroom closet, Assistant State's Attorney Craig Taczy said in court.

Pence “lied to the police about knowing the whereabouts of the victim,” Taczy said before Judge Laura Sullivan at the Leighton Criminal Court Building.

Pence was arrested after taking his bedsheets and putting them into a washing machine, but he had not been able to turn it on before police took him into custody. He was later charged with aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

Pence, dressed in a green hoodie with the Chicago city flag on the front, shook his head as prosecutors spoke Saturday.

Prosecutors said the girl gave a videotape statement regarding her relationship with Pence.

wlee@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @MidNoirCowboy

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