:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/XRWXQPPIVZHHRASJLTQJAHWWH4.jpg)
Bond was set last week at $5 million for an Arizona man charged with the 2001 sexual assault of a woman at a West Chicago apartment complex, authorities said.
Alberto Gomez, 51, of Florence, Ariz., was charged with three counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, three counts of criminal sexual assault, one count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and one count of criminal sexual abuse, according to a DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office news release.
In late 2022, the West Chicago Police Department learned of a DNA hit from a sexual assault kit collected from a November, 2001 sexual assault at a West Chicago apartment complex.
DNA swabs recovered from the victim following the assault allegedly were found to be consistent with Gomez’s DNA, which was submitted after Gomez was detained for illegal re-entry into the U.S., according to the release.
On Nov. 25, 2001, the victim was alone in her apartment when she awoke to a man, later identified as Gomez, allegedly standing in her bedroom. Gomez pushed the victim down on the bed, put his hand over her mouth, struck her multiple times and then sexually assaulted her, according to the report.
Gomez allegedly fled the apartment at which time the victim immediately contacted West Chicago police. Gomez allegedly lived in the West Chicago/Warrenville area at the time of the assault, according to the release.
“The identification of a man suspected in a more than two-decade-old sexual assault sends the message that in DuPage County, we will never give up on a case or a victim,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in the release. “While a case this old may have gone cold, it remained active, and I commend the West Chicago Police Department for their efforts that allowed us to charge Mr. Gomez with the sexual assault of a defenseless woman.”
“I want to thank Detective Dan Herbert for his professionalism and determination in investigating this case,” West Chicago Chief of Police Colin Fleury said in the release. “Our detectives will follow the evidence and every available lead to bring a case to a conclusion
Gomez has been in federal custody since his arrest on the illegal re-entry charges last November. He was transferred to the DuPage County Jail last week where he currently remains.
Anyone with information regarding this case or Gomez is asked to contact the West Chicago Police Department at 630-293-2222. His next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 16 for status.