Aug 28, 2008 8:20 pm US/Central
DNA Helps Convict Aurora Man Of 2002 Rape
ST. CHARLES (STNG) ―
A 25-year-old west suburban man has been convicted of the sexual assault of a woman in west suburban St. Charles, a crime that went unsolved for four years.
Carlos M. Lopez of the 300 block of South 4th Street in Aurora was convicted late Wednesday of one count of criminal sexual assault, according to a release from the Kane County State's Attorney's office.
On Dec. 21, 2002, Lopez approached a woman getting into her car in a parking lot outside her apartment in the 1600 block of Marywood Avenue in St. Charles. Lopez claimed he was a co-worker and needed a ride to work, the release said.
As they approached Batavia on Kirk Road, Lopez pulled out a knife and forced the woman to drive to a St. Charles industrial park, where he made her stop the car and made a sexual advance, the release said.
When the woman refused his advances, Lopez pulled out a handgun and fired it toward her, just missing her face and breaking the driver's side window, the release said.
The woman got out of the car and was sexually assaulted by Lopez, who left the scene in her car, the release said.
The woman got the attention of an employee at a nearby business, who alerted St. Charles police, the release said.
The case went unsolved until 2006, when Lopez's DNA was matched through a national database, the release said.
He was arrested in July 2007 in Aurora on an unrelated charge.
Lopez will appear for sentencing at 9 a.m. Oct. 15 in Kane County Court, where he will face four to 15 years in prison.
(Source: Sun-Times News Group Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2008. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Video: CBS 2's Picks To Click
