Rockdale landlord arrested on sex abuse charge

On Jan. 14, Ignacio R. Guzman, 47, of the 800 block of Otis Avenue was charged with using force or the threat of force to knowingly transfer “semen onto the body” of a woman for the purpose of sexual gratification or arousal, according to court records.

Guzman is a landlord in Rockdale who sued many of his tenants over unpaid rent.

About 8:30 p.m. Jan. 16, officers were called to the 7000 block of Pin Oak Drive after receiving a report of an assault that took place at a different location, Joliet police Sgt. Christopher Botzum said in an email.

Officers took a report and forwarded it to the police department’s investigation division.

Detectives were able to determine “that there was probable cause for an issuance of a warrant” for Guzman on a charge of criminal sexual abuse, Botzum said.

Will County judge Ed Burmila signed the warrant, which carried a $100,000 bond.

About 2:30 p.m. Feb. 14, Guzman was arrested at the police department.
He was booked into the Will County about 4 p.m. and released on bond nearly four hours later, according to the county jail log.

On June 8, Guzman sued a tenant over $1,850 in rent and allegedly leaving the apartment on South Midland Avenue in Rockdale without notifying him. Guzman’s lawsuit also claimed the tenant failed and refused to repair damage to the property.

On Sept. 14, Guzman sued another tenant living in an apartment on Midland Avenue over about $1,021.

The case was dismissed without prejudice after the tenant failed to appear in court.

A Will County judge entered a judgment in Guzman’s favor in the amount of $2,300, including $720 in attorney fees and about $230 in costs.

In 2014, a Rockdale man filed a protective order against Guzman for allegedly threatening to remove him from his apartment.

“He said if I do not get out on time he will come over to my apartment, cut the lock on my door and throw all of my things out onto the street,” the man alleged.

The man alleged that when Guzman gets angry with him, he “gets in my face and screams” that he is “stupid, retarded, slow” and other insults.