Chicago man jailed in Will County on predatory sexual assault of child charge

A Chicago man was jailed in Will County on a predatory sexual assault of a child charge about four months after a retired judge dismissed a domestic battery charge against him because the alleged victim failed to appear in court.

On Tuesday, Paris O’Bryant, 41, was charged with predatory criminal sexual assault of a girl younger than 13, according to a criminal complaint.

The offense allegedly occurred Nov. 30 in Steger, which is more than 30 miles east of Joliet.

O’Bryant was booked into jail the same day. Judge Fred Harvey set his bond at $1 million and ordered him to have no contact with the alleged victim or any children.

O’Bryant was last in the Will County jail between May 1 and July 21. He was in jail on felony domestic battery charges.

He later was indicted on the same offenses. The indictment said O’Bryant had been convicted of aggravated battery to a child in a 2003 case in Winnebago County, which is in northern Illinois and next to the Wisconsin border.

The case was scheduled for a bench trial in July, but prosecutors requested more time because they received an affidavit from O’Bryant’s attorneys that was purportedly from the alleged victim, court records show.

Prosecutors said in a June 30 motion that the alleged victim apparently recanted the allegations that led to the charges.

“[The state] is requesting additional time to determine the validity of this affidavit, as well as to investigate whether – if it is determined that this was written by the named victim – the defendant coerced the named victim to write the affidavit,” according to the motion.

However, on July 20, the case came up for a bench trial before retired Judge Ed Burmila, and the alleged victim in the case did not appear, court records show.

“Complaining victim, having been notified of this trial date, fails to appear,” Burmila’s court order said.

Prosecutors motioned to continue the case, but Burmila denied that motion.

Burmila then ordered the case dismissed.