Mom's Photos Of Man Accused Of Touching 6-Year-Old At Bus Stop Led To His Arrest: Police

CHICAGO—A Chicago man accused of sexually assaulting a 6-year-old girl at a Chatham bus stop in the presence of her mother was ordered detained pending trial at Cook County Jail.

James Spencer, 41, deemed a sexual predator on the Illinois Sex Offender Registry, appeared before Cook County Judge John Hock on a felony charge of aggravated criminal sexual assault of a victim under 13.

Last Saturday, June 20, around 7:41 p.m., the 6-year-old girl was waiting with her mother and 8-month-old brother, who was in a stroller, at a CTA bus stop at 15 W. 87th St.

While the bus was approaching, the prosecutor said a stranger, later identified as Spencer, approached the child from behind, placed his hand on the girl's skirt, and squeezed her buttock. The mother, noticing the stranger getting closer to her 6-year-old, told him not to touch her child, according to court documents.

The bus arrived shortly after. The prosecutor said Spencer pretended to fall and started yelling. Spencer is said to have walked toward the bus, boarded, and then abruptly turned around and fled.

Mother and daughter boarded the bus along with the baby. The 6-year-old was visibly shaken. When her mother asked her what just happened, the prosecutor said the child told her mom that Spencer grabbed her “part.”

The mother took her children and got off the bus. She looked for Spencer and saw him coming from the direction of a nearby store. The prosecutor said Spencer tried to avoid the mother, who got in close enough to take his picture with her phone.

The mother called her husband, who came to her aid. Once her husband arrived, they went to the 006th Police District, where the parents reported the assault.

Security video recovered from Food4Less, 112 W. 87th St., showed Spencer wearing a blue shirt, baseball cap, light pants and black shoes, driving a silver vehicle and parking in the supermarket parking lot. The prosecutor said Spencer appeared on camera getting out of his vehicle and walking straight to where the 6-year-old was standing with her mother and brother at the bus stop.

According to the complaint, further video footage showed Spencer bending down multiple times, getting close to the child. At that point, the 6-year-old, and her mother got on the bus along with her baby brother. Spencer is shown entering the bus and then immediately exiting when the prosecutor said he started working back toward his vehicle in the Food4Less parking lot.

Spencer also appears entering the supermarket and making a purchase. The surveillance video further showed Spencer walking towards 87th Street as the mother and her children exited the bus to confront him, the prosecutor said.

Surveillance video from Wingstop, located at 120 W. 87th Street, which the prosecutor said showed the mother confronting Spencer.

The prosecutor said the 6-year-old participated in a forensic interview, where she once again disclosed how the stranger squeezed her buttocks at the bus stop. The child was also able to reportedly provide a detailed description of the suspect.

On June 21, Chicago police sent out a community alert. The next day, the prosecutor said an anonymous caller identified Spencer, who is a registered sex offender. Police put together a photo array, but the mother was unable to positively identify Spencer. She also participated in a video recorded interview with police.

Spencer was arrested last Wednesday, near his home in the 6600 block of South Perry.

He allegedly admitted to being at the bus stop and being the person involved in the incident. The prosecutor said Spencer denied his interaction with the 6-year-old was sexual in nature. Spencer reportedly stated that any contact between himself and the child was the result of both him and the girl “stumbling.”

The child also participated in a photo array, where the prosecutor said she positively identified Spencer.

Spencer is a registered sex offender after he was convicted of aggravated criminal sexual assault and robbery in 2007. He was said to have dragged a 40-year-old woman into a North Side alley as she walked home from 7-Eleven and sexually assaulted her.

He is currently being held in Cook County Jail while his case is pending. Spencer is due back in court on July 15 at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse.