Man Charged With Sexual Assault Of Girl Under 13 In Lake Forest

LAKE FOREST, IL — A Lake Villa man sexually assaulted a girl under 13 years old in Lake Forest last year, according to police and prosecutors. Shawheen Sariri, 23, of the 200 block of Cedar Avenue, was arrested at his home on March 20, according to Lake Forest police.

Detectives began an investigation after getting a report last month from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services that Sariri had abused a girl in Lake Forest, according to Deputy Chief Rob Copeland. Sariri did not speak to police as part of the investigation.

"We went and found him," Copeland said. "After conducting multiple interviews and working with the [Lake County Child] Advocacy Center, we screened the case with the [Lake County] State's Attorney's Office and they gave us an arrest warrant."

Prosecutors charged Sariri with six felonies, including two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a person under the age of 13, three counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault and one count of criminal sexual assault. Court records indicate the abuse began in December 2018. A Lake County grand jury has not yet returned an indictment, which could result in further charges and a more detailed timeline of the allegations.

Sariri appeared at a bond hearing last week before Lake County Associate Judge Paul Novak, who set his bond at $250,000. The terms of Sariri's bail forbid him from any contact with the girl he is accused of raping, those who live with her or anyone under the age of 18, among other things, according to the Lake County State's Attorney's Office. Sariri is also subject to random drug testing and a curfew.

On the same day as his March 21 bond hearing, Sariri posted the $25,000 cash portion of his bond and was released ahead of his next court appearance, a bond review hearing set for April 3, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

According to court records, Sariri's parents formerly owned a home in Lake Forest. Following a June 2016 arrest in Lake Forest on various drug charges, Sariri pleaded guilty in September 2016 to charges of attempted possession of a controlled substance in exchange for prosecutors dropping other charges and sentencing him to 30 days in jail and 18 months of supervision. In 2018, prosecutors filed a petition to revoke his probation, but it was eventually terminated satisfactorily.

Sariri's attorney in both cases, Greg Nikitas, did not immediately provide a comment on his behalf.