Teen In Custody For Attacks On Women In Palos Hills, Hickory Hills
CHICAGO (CBS) – Police believe they have caught a man suspected of a series of robberies and assaults on women in the area.
Two of those attacks were in Palos Hills.
A 17-year-old Palos Hills resident has been charged in a Sept. 9 kidnapping, armed robbery and sexual assault in the southwest suburb, and police say four other cases appear to fit the pattern.
Police said the first incident allegedly involving the teen in custody, took place on Aug. 9 in Chicago.
On Aug. 20 and Sept. 9, crimes were carried out in Palos Hills and on Sept. 13, there were two incidents in Hickory Hills. Police said each case is very similar. CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot reports.
"The offender in both of the Palos Hills cases, grabbed the victims in the same location," said Palos Hills Police Chief Paul Madigan. "Using the same method of operation, sticking a gun in their face, making them drive him to an area, another area of town."
The women were taken to secluded locations. They would be robbed of their purses and cellphones. In one incident, police said the teen sexually assaulted a woman.
Detectives armed with a search warrant Wednesday found the rape victim's purse, blouse and cell phone in the suspect's home.
"We recovered a purse from the victim of the sexual assault along with DNA evidence, parts of her clothing that he had made her take off," Madigan said.
Despite the physical evidence, Madigan said all five women told detectives the attacker covered his face, and the suspect's father told reporters outside of court Thursday that his son was at a baseball game in Joliet that night. Madigan said he has evidence to the contrary. WBBM's Bob Roberts reports.
The teen's attorney said this has to be a case of mistaken identity.
"His family is absolutely sure that he is innocent and this is a case of mistaken identity," said attorney, Frank Davion Edwards.
Police said Thursday that it may be six months or more before they get the results of State Police crime lab tests, but Palos Hills Chief Paul Madigan said each of the five cases was virtually the same, down to the place where the attacker told the women to drop him off. Madigan said police zeroed in on the teen when he allegedly tried to activate the Sept. 9 victim's cell phone.
"We feel fairly confident that the offender in the Palos Hills case is directly related to the offender in the Hickory Hills case," said Hickory Hills Police Chief Alan Vodicka.
The 17-year-old is charged as an adult with aggravated kidnapping, armed robbery and rape, all stemming from the Sept. 9 incident. The police are waiting for DNA evidence for the four other cases. Bond is set at $300,000, and the teen is being held at the
Cook County Jail.