Rockford Man Charged With South Loop Rape, Robbery
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Rockford man has been charged with brutally attacking and sexually assaulting a woman in the South Loop in January, before breaking into her home and robbing her husband.
Deontae Latham, 19, is charged with aggravated criminal sexual assault, home invasion, and two counts of armed robbery for a Jan. 9 attack at a home in the 1400 block of South Clark Street.
CBS 2's Susanna Song reports, on Jan. 9, a 56-year-old woman was raped at gunpoint in her car, in the garage of her South Loop home.
Police said Latham allegedly flashed a gun at the victim as she was sitting in her car in the garage, and told her to open the car door, then sexually assaulted her.
Moments later, an alarm went off, and the victim's husband came out to the garage. He saw the gunman and ran in. Police said Latham used the victim's keys to go into the home, robbed the husband, and ordered him into a closet.
After the attack, police issued a community alert with Latham's description, and have been working to solve this case for the past few months.
Latham was charged Monday night, after DNA evidence linked him to the rape.
He was due in bond court Tuesday afternoon.
Neighbors who live near the victims' home credited police for the quick arrest. They said everyone has been more careful at night to keep porch lights on, and to avoid walking alone.
"I feel much better, and I'm really proud of what the police did. I mean, I think they really got the guy pretty quickly, all things considered," Paula McQuade said.
She said she felt uneasy after the attack, because she had left her home a few minutes after the attack, leaving her son and dog inside.
