Ex-Con Charged With Attempted Child Abductions, Sexual Assault
(STMW) -- Felony charges were filed Thursday against a man accused of attempting to abduct two teenage girls Wednesday in the western suburbs.
Shawn M. Stubblefield, 28, also faces multiple felony charges related to the sexual assault of a girl in the West Side Austin neighborhood on Monday, Pioneer Press is reporting.
Stubblefield, of the 1800 block of South 4th Avenue in Maywood, was charged with one count of kidnapping and one count of child abduction for the Oak Park incidents. He was also charged with two counts of kidnapping, one count of criminal sexual assault and one count of aggravated criminal sexual assault in connection with the Monday incident on the 400 block of North Parkside.
Stubblefield has numerous arrests on his record, dating back to 2001, and four criminal convictions, including prison sentences for theft and burglary. He is scheduled for a bond hearing Friday in Chicago.
On Tuesday afternoon, an Oak Park River Forest High School student was followed as she walked home on Ridgeland Avenue, District 200 spokesperson Karin Sullivan said. When she noticed a man following, she ran to Julian Middle School, where a staff member noticed she was being followed and called police.
Around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, a 16-year-old student walking on the 100 block of South Taylor to OPRF High was grabbed around the neck by a man who tried to pull her, according to police. She screamed and bit his finger, and fled when a passing motorist pulled over.
In the third reported incident, a 13-year-old Brooks Middle School girl was walking to school on the 700 block of South Home Avenue around 8:40 a.m., when she was grabbed from behind by a man who placed his hand over her mouth, police said. The girl screamed and was able to break free, then ran to a passing motorist, who called police.
The suspect got into a car and fled, police said, but officers relayed a description of the man and his vehicle. River Forest police ultimately stopped that car over on Madison Street after receiving a call from an off-duty Maywood officer of a car driving erratically.
Oak Park Police Chief Rick Tanksley praised the young victims for their poise and intelligence.
"The details of the descriptions of the suspect were key to our ability to get the word out quickly and find the suspect before he could get very far," he said. "These were brave young girls who met adversity with strength and poise. Their actions helped to take a dangerous predator off the streets."
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2012. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
