Aurora man guilty of sexual assault, faces prison

Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie L. Mosser announced on Monday that Judge David Kliment has found Rene Cano-Rodriguez, 32, of of the 600 block of Gates Street in Aurora, guilty of the offense of criminal sexual assault, a Class 1 felony.

Cano-Rodriguez waived his right to a jury trial.

According to a news release from the state’s attorney, Assistant State’s Attorneys Matthew Rodgers and Hannah Stout presented the following facts in court: During the evening of August 22, 2020, Cano-Rodriguez and the victim were attending a party at a residence in Aurora. Cano-Rodriguez gave the victim multiple shots of tequila to drink and was aware that she was highly intoxicated. Cano-Rodriguez helped to walk the victim to her bedroom and then sexually assaulted her when she was unable to give consent because of her level of intoxication.

Judge Kliment set Cano-Rodriguez’s next court appearance for December 1, 2023 at 1:30 p.m. in Courtroom 305 at the Kane County Judicial Center for motions and sentencing.

He faces a sentence of between 4 and 15 years of imprisonment in the Illinois Department of Corrections. In addition to the prison term, Cano-Rodriguez must register for life as a sexual offender in accordance with the Illinois Sexual Offender Registration Act.

Judge Kliment ordered Cano-Rodriguez taken into custody at the Kane County jail.

Assistant State’s Attorney Rodgers said in the news release, “This defendant took advantage of a situation in which the victim was unable to make her own choices. I’m grateful to this victim/survivor for trusting us and for the courage she showed in confronting the man who assaulted her and telling her story in court. My thanks to ASA Stout, the Aurora Police Department, victim advocate Martha Martinez and Investigator Mark Brictson for their work on the case.”