Pretrial release was denied Nov. 14 for a DuPage County man accused of breaking into a woman’s apartment and beating her.
Abelardo Zapata, 33, of the 16W500 block of 91st Street, appeared at First Appearance Court, charged with one count of home invasion, one count of robbery–victim 60 years or older and one count of aggravated battery great bodily harm–victim 60 years or older, according to a DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office news release.
About 8:03 a.m. Nov. 12, Willowbrook police responded to the victim’s apartment for a call of a man, later identified as Zapata, who allegedly broke into the woman’s residence and beat her, according to the release.
Police found the victim, who is more than 60 years old, with visible red marks and blood on her face. She was transported to a local hospital for medical attention where she received eight stitches to the top of her head. An investigation found Zapata allegedly was at the apartment complex walking with another tenant to her apartment when he kicked in the door to the victim’s apartment and entered, according to the release.
Once inside the victim’s residence, Zapata allegedly attacked the woman, striking her in the face. After striking her, Zapata allegedly grabbed the woman’s head and slammed it against a cabinet. He allegedly took her cellphone and fled the scene, according to the report.
After Zapata fled, the victim called 911 from another phone. Police arrested Zapata without incident a short time later at a McDonalds about one block away.
“The allegations that for no apparent reason Mr. Zapata kicked in the front door of an innocent woman’s apartment and then severely beat her are shocking,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in the release. “A person’s home is their sanctuary and people have every right to feel safe in their homes. Mr. Zapata’s alleged actions destroyed this victim’s feeling of safety and security. I sincerely hope that the victim in this case has a speedy recovery from her physical injuries and I wish her the best as she is now forced to cope with the psychological harm allegedly caused by Mr. Zapata.”
“In DuPage County, we have absolutely no tolerance for the type of violent crime alleged in this case,” DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick said in the release.
Zapata’s next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 11 for arraignment.