Sexual Assault By Force Defendant From Joliet Regains Freedom From Will County Judge John Pavich

JOLIET, IL — Against the wishes of the Will County State's Attorney's Office, Will County Associate Judge John Pavich this week rejected a petition to deny pretrial release for a 42-year-old Joliet man charged with criminal sexual assault. The Will County Sheriff's Office made the arrest on Tuesday of Norlan Rosales-Vanegas, who resides in the Preston Heights area of Joliet Township.

According to the criminal complaint, Rosales is charged with one count of sexual assault and three counts of domestic battery. He inserted his fingers into the woman's body "by the use of force or the threat of force," the complaint noted.

As for the domestic battery charges, the complaint alleges Rosales touched the woman's body, pushed her body and held her down.

The Will County State's Attorney's Office petition to deny pretrial release indicated that on Tuesday, the sheriff's deputies responded to Bradford Road in Joliet and spoke with a 16-year-old girl who told them her mother was the victim. Because the victim spoke Spanish, a sheriff's deputy on the scene handled the language translation.

The victim said she returned home late from work because she was getting gas. When she returned, Rosales confronted her, accusing her of cheating on him, despite the two not dating, prosecutors informed Judge Pavich.

The victim told sheriff's deputies that following a brief argument, Rosales pushed her to the couch in the living room, forcibly held her down, pulled her pants and underwear to mid-thigh, and assaulted her. He then sniffed his fingers and went upstairs, the prosecutors noted. The woman told sheriff's deputies the contact was unwelcome, that they are not in a romantic relationship and she has no interest in any physical contact with Rosales, court documents show.

As for Rosales, he told the sheriff's deputies that the woman arrived home later than normal from work, and he confronted her about that. Rosales said he accused her of cheating on him "due to time differences as well as messages received from an unknown third party," court files indicate.

Rosales told sheriff's deputies he grabbed the woman, threw her on the couch and "he touched (her) how she liked to be touched," prosecutors outlined in the petition. The deputies saw several scratches to Rosales' neck; he indicated the woman scratched him after he pushed her on the couch, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors noted that three minor children were inside the house but it was not clear if they witnessed anything.

Rosales' prior criminal history is from San Francisco and other major cities in California, including Oakland. He was sentenced in 2012 for a battery, and has additional previous charges including a 2016 battery, a 2017 exhibiting a deadly weapon charge, a 2018 battery and a 2020 discharge of a BB device.

In issuing his decision, Judge Pavich ruled that while "the defendant is charged with a detention-eligible offense, the court denied the state's petition for the following reasons: no history in Illinois, time since priors in California."

On Wednesday, Judge Pavich ordered Rosales' release from the Will County Jail and set his next hearing for March 12 in Courtroom 405. Pavich ordered Rosales to have no contact with the victim, and he must stay away from the house on Bradford Road.

As for Pavich, he has numerous campaign signs displayed throughout the Joliet area in preparation for the March 17 Illinois primary.

Pavich is running as a Democrat for a judge seat on the Illinois Appellate Court.

"On the Illinois Appellate Court, Judge John Pavich will work tirelessly to protect our rights, many of which are under threat from the federal government. The Illinois Constitution protects a woman's right to make decisions about her own body, the right to love who you love, and even the fundamental right to due process in our legal system," his political website proclaims.