West Chicago man accused of sexually abusing 5-year-old girl

A motion to deny pretrial release was granted Jan. 22 for a West Chicago man accused of sexually abusing a 5-year-old girl.

The 20-year-old offender, of the 500 block of Carriage Drive, is charged with one count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse – victim under 13, according to a DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office news release.

About 7:20 p.m. Jan. 21, the offender was at a Dollar General store in West Chicago when he allegedly exposed himself to a 5-year-old girl. After exposing himself, he allegedly forced the girl to touch his penis. Upon leaving the store, the victim told her mother what allegedly had happened in the store. The victim’s mother contacted West Chicago police who arrested the offender later that evening, according to the release.

“The allegations that a grown man exposed himself to a 5-year-old girl and then sexually abused her are extremely disturbing and will be met with the full force of the law,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in the release.

The offender’s next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 13 for arraignment.