Man pleads guilty to 2019 sexual assault, armed robbery of area college student

A man who had been staying in the Chicago area entered a guilty plea Wednesday to the sexual assault and armed robbery of a 21-year-old female college student in March 2019.

Justin Dalcollo, 36, with a last known address in Nicholasville, Ky., entered his guilty plea in DuPage County Court.

In all, Dalcollo entered a plea of guilty to one count of aggravated criminal sexual assault and one count of armed robbery. In exchange for his guilty plea, the state has agreed to cap its sentencing recommendation at 75 years in prison, according to a DuPage County State's Attorney's Office news release.

On March 22 at approximately 3:30 p.m., the victim, who was home from college on spring break, was getting into her car in the parking lot at Bloomingdale Court Mall, 344 W. Army Trail Road, when Dalcollo approached her and forced his way into her car at gunpoint, the release stated.

Dalcollo ordered the woman to drive to a bank in Glendale Heights and forced her to withdraw $300 from her debit card. He then forced her to drive to numerous locations in Hanover Park and Bartlett before driving to a parking garage at the Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin where Dalcollo sexually assaulted her.

Following the sexual assault, Dalcollo ordered the victim to drive to a convenience store in Elgin and accompany him as he went inside. He ordered the woman to call a cab for him from her cell phone and drive him to the Elgin train station, where the cab picked him up.

The victim went to a hospital where she reported the sexual assault. An investigation led by the Bloomingdale Police Department, with assistance from other agencies, led to Dalcollo, who was taken into custody the following day in Chicago.

Bond was denied, and Dalcollo has been held in custody at the DuPage County Jail since that time.

“This morning, Mr. Dalcollo took responsibility for the incredibly violent and terrorizing ordeal he inflicted upon an innocent young woman last year,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement. “While the memories of that horrible afternoon may stay with the victim for many years to come, it is my hope that today’s proceedings serve as an important first step in perhaps providing the victim some measure of closure.”

Mr. Dalcollo is a dangerous and erratic man who poses a significant threat to the community,” Kane County State’s Attorney Joseph McMahon said in a statement. “His capture was made possible by the collaborative work of multiple law-enforcement agencies in three counties.”