West Chicago man charged with child abduction, abuse has ties to towns across DuPage County (with video)

A West Chicago man who may have worked at area park districts, churches and YMCAs as recently as May is being held without bond after allegedly attempting to abduct and abuse young children on multiple occasions.

Giuseppe "Joe" Ressa, 34, of the 300 block of Post Oak Circle, appeared in DuPage County court for a bond hearing June 4 and is charged with three counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and three counts of child abduction.

Ressa has a history of police complaints dating back to at least 2001, according to prosecutors.

He came to the attention of law enforcement after allegedly approaching two siblings, ages 5 and 7, on May 27 as they were playing in a playground at the apartment complex where they lived on Dogwood Drive in Lisle, prosecutors said.

Ressa allegedly made aggressive physical contact with the older sibling and offered the younger toys if he agreed to go into Ressa's vehicle. A third sibling then called the two home and the children's parents contacted the Lisle Police Department.

Upon further investigation, the department found the incident was hardly a first for Ressa. He had a history of parent complaints – at least 10, State's Attorney Robert Berlin said, dating back to 2001, and some as early as this year – in Wheaton, Carol Stream, West Chicago, Warrenville and Glen Ellyn, among other communities, according to prosecutors.

That history included allegedly telling a girl he interacted with he had "special powers from God" that allowed him to hear things and promising to teach her if she didn't tell anyone, prosecutors said.

He also pleaded guilty to a charge of disorderly conduct in 2004 for inappropriate contact and statements made to a 10-year-old Glen Ellyn girl and was placed under court supervision.

Ressa was arrested June 1 after Lisle detectives conducting surveillance on him as a suspect in the May 27 incident observed him allegedly interacting with and giving candy to three children, ages 4, 6 and 7, at their apartment building in Addison, after he visited several other apartment buildings across DuPage, according to prosecutors

Two of the children followed Ressa to another apartment building after the promise of more candy while the third left to tell her mother. Ressa then allegedly rubbed the upper leg of the 7-year-old, prosecutors said, and detectives intervened and placed him into custody.

When asked in court about his most recent job by Judge Karen Wilson, Ressa said he worked with children and was employed at the Woodridge Park District working at an after-school program as recently as May 29. Ressa has also previously worked with children at the B.R. Ryall YMCA in Glen Ellyn, according to Berlin, in addition to other area churches and organizations, prosecutors said.

After his arrest, detectives obtained warrants and searched Ressa's Chevy Equinox and his room in his parents' house.

There they found what prosecutors identified as "hundreds" of pieces of paper. Included were: drawings by children; the personal information of customers he obtained while employed at a bank from 2006 to 2010, often with lewd and specific handwritten notes about their children; prayers that included the names of children across the country who had been abducted; prayers for children to be his wives in Heaven; a book about grooming children for pedophilia; and several notes depicting erotic scenarios with children.

Ressa also had a calendar with several notes on it, according to prosecutors, including a Dec. 9 note – Ressa's birthday – labeling the day as "real Christmas" and a note Dec. 25 stating history would "apologize for getting it wrong."

Additionally, detectives found a toddler's bike helmet, a soccer ball, a wristband and other children's items. Prosecutors said Ressa is single with no children.

Berlin said the investigation is still ongoing and declined to comment on whether investigators had found any digital images on any seized computers. He also asked members of the public with complaints against Ressa to come forward.

Berlin said the case should serve as a notice for parents to remind children of the danger of strangers.

"Clearly the actions of the defendant indicate that he is a pedophile and that he is a danger to children," Berlin said. "He poses a real and present threat to the safety of the community."

Lisle Police Chief Dave Anderson said he breathed a sigh of relief when Wilson ordered Ressa be held without bond.

"All of us in law enforcement got in it to stop these type of people," he said. "That's why we're here."

Ressa also appeared in court June 5, when prosecutors' offered the option for him to undergo a psychiatric evaluation, according to a spokesman for the State's Attorney's Office. He will next appear in court to accept or decline the offer June 15.

Note to readers: A previous version of this story stated Ressa had worked at the Westmont Park District. Ressa is not a former employee of the Westmont Park District.