Evanston teenager arrested for sex offence after undercover sting operation
A juvenile suspect was arrested in Chicago following an undercover operation linked to two reported sex offences in South Evanston on 5 October.
Evanston teenager charged after undercover detective operation
A teenager has been arrested and charged in connection with a reported sex offence in South Evanston, fox32chicago.com reports, following an investigation that involved an undercover detective and surveillance footage from an earlier incident.
Members of the Evanston Police Department's Special Operations Group identified the juvenile after spotting someone matching the suspect's description and wearing clothing consistent with surveillance video from a 5 October incident. Officers and detectives from the Investigations Division then followed the teenager as he rode a bicycle through south Evanston and into Chicago.
An undercover detective was assigned to walk near Wolcott and Estes avenues in Chicago. The teenager rode his bicycle past her several times before approaching her and grabbing her buttocks. He then fled on foot and was taken into custody after a foot chase.
The Cook County State's Attorney's Office reviewed the case and approved two felony charges: one count of criminal sexual abuse and one count of aggravated battery to a police officer. Following juvenile detention screening, detectives were advised the teenager would be released to a parent pending a juvenile court appearance. His identity is being withheld because he is a juvenile.
The arrest is linked to two separate sex offences reported in Evanston on 5 October.
The first occurred shortly after midnight near Custer Avenue and Brummell Street. A woman told police she was walking north when a man on a black mountain-style bicycle approached her and grabbed her buttocks before riding away. That suspect was described as an African American man approximately 5 feet 5 inches tall, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, black jeans and a black ski mask.
Around 9 p.m. the same evening, officers responded to a second reported sex offence near Sherman Avenue and South Boulevard. A woman said a man approached her with his trousers down and exposed himself. She ran to her apartment and called 911. Police said she was not touched or injured. The second suspect was described as an African American man approximately 6 feet tall with a thin build, dressed in all-black clothing and a black ski mask.
While officers were at the scene of the second incident, the woman from the first case reported seeing someone she believed to be her attacker near Custer Street and Howard Street. Officers searched the area but did not locate him.
Police have not determined whether the two 5 October incidents are connected.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Evanston Police Department at 847-866-5000. Tips can also be submitted by texting "CRIMES" to 275637, beginning the message with "EPDTIP."
Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)