High School Student Charged in Palos Hills Sex Assault; Dad Says Son Has Alibi

PALOS HILLS, IL — The father of a teen accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a Palos Hills woman says his son has an alibi on the day the alleged assault took place in September and his boy is the subject of a police “racial witch hunt.”

The 17-year-old boy, who is still in high school, appeared before Cook County Judge Peter Felice on Class X felony charges of aggravated kidnapping, aggravated criminal sexual assault with a weapon and armed robbery. Juveniles who are 15 to 17 years old accused of violent crimes are automatically charged as adults, the prosecutor said.

The teen is alleged to have kidnapped a woman as she parked her car around 5 p.m. Sept. 9 in front of her home in the 10000 block of South Walnut Terrace, Palos Hills. The prosecutor said the teen entered the back of the woman’s vehicle then held a 9 mm Glock to her head.

• Palos Hills Police Arrest Teen in Sexual Assault Case

Making verbal threats and using the gun to instruct her where to drive, he made the woman drive them to a secluded area near 99th Street and 84th Avenue. Before the sexual assault began, he asked the woman if she had any napkins, the prosecutor said.

According to the charges, the teen used the woman’s shirt to sit on and told her not to touch his penis. He then forced her into giving him oral sex with the gun close by. After fifteen minutes or so, he instructed her to drive him to a grassy area.

The prosecutor said the teen told the woman he was taking her purse but he would leave her keys outside the car. When she was sure he was gone, she found her keys and drove to a gas station for help. Asking to borrow the business’s phone, the woman called a family member and then the police.

The teen has no prior criminal background. His attorney, Frank Davion Edwards, argued the state has no physical evidence against his client.

“I believe this is a case of mistaken identity,” Edwards said. “The description of the suspect does not even fit my client.”

Judge Felice set bail at $300,000. The high schooler, who turns 18 later this month, is due back in court Dec. 15 in Bridgeview.

After the bond hearing, the youth’s father said that Palos Hills police trashed his house early Wednesday morning in the 9900 block of South 82nd Court, Palos Hills. The father said his son was home alone, and he was at work when police came knocking. Police allegedly recovered a wallet and purse belonging to one of the victims. The boy’s father accused police of engaging in a “racial witch hunt.”

“From the way the detective was talking to us, he knows that my son doesn’t fit the profile but might have an idea the kid is,” the father said. “[The police] have an idea who the kid is and that my kid knows who he is.”

The father said that his son was playing in a baseball game in Joliet during the time frame of the alleged sexual assault.

The teen’s attorney said he hasn’t seen the Palos Hills police reports or have knowledge of any other physical evidence.

“The state didn’t mention semen, skin or hair, therefore, I have to believe [the police] have it,” the teen’s attorney said. “My client is a good student and son. His family absolutely believes he’s innocent.”

“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,” Palos Hills Police Chief Paul Madigan told reporters earlier Thursday.

Police believe the high schooler may be tied to other similar crimes that happened in the area, including another woman who was grabbed at gunpoint from the same location in Palos Hills on Aug. 20. The woman was made to drive to a secluded spot where she was robbed of her purse and cell phone, reports said.

The high schooler is also under investigation for two separate incidents that occurred within minutes of each other in Hickory Hills on Sept. 13 — an attempted carjacking and an aggravated kidnapping. Both crimes involved women who were in or near their cars.

The suspect was then described as a black male, around 5-foot-6, between 16–19 years old and 120 pounds. He was wearing a gray hoodie and blue jeans, police said.