Antioch Police have charged a man with several Class X felonies for kidnapping a 16-year-old girl at knifepoint from a Walmart parking lot and sexually assaulting her.
Anthony Cerone, whose residence was not released, faces charges of aggravated kidnapping, aggravated armed violence and aggravated criminal sexual assault.
Police say the 16-year-old girl arrived at the Walmart in Antioch around 9 p.m. Tuesday and noticed a man pacing back and forth outside the store entrance.
As she left the store around 9:20 p.m. and returned to her vehicle, the man approached her and displayed his knife, according to police. The man forced her into the passenger side of the vehicle and then into the driver's seat, telling her to drive to the Best Western Regency Inn rear parking lot at 350 W. Rt 173. The sexual assault took place in the parking lot, police said.
The man forced the victim to drive back to the Walmart area around 9:45 p.m. and to a church parking lot across the street, police said. He took the girl's state ID and told the girl he'd kill her if she told anyone what happened
The victim described the man to police as a white male in his 30s with a bald head and a distinctive tattoo, possibly “Dominic” in cursive writing on his neck.
Antioch police reviewed area surveillance cameras as part of an investigation and identified the suspect as Carone. He was arrested on Wednesday and is due in bond court Thursday afternoon..
"This young lady was innocently going about her business when her life was disrupted by a predator," said Police Chief Somerville. "She handled herself with a level of maturity and calm far beyond her years. No one should have to endure this kind of nightmare."
"This was a cold and calculated act," he said.
