Norridge police say a 17-year-old was sexually assaulted by a man in the Target parking lot of the Harlem Irving Plaza Shopping Mall. The suspect is a Chicago police officer who has since been relieved of his powers.
David Deleon, 30, is charged with one count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and aggravated battery in connection with the incident. He appeared in court Friday where a Cook County judge ordered him held on a $10,000 D bond and told him to have no contact with the alleged victim.
“We learned this incident happened on March 25, in our jurisdiction,” said Chief Brian Goss of the Norridge Police Department. “So we took the investigation from there.” Goss said the alleged offender was known to the juvenile to be a Chicago police officer
According to court documents, Deleon “punched the victim with a closed fist in the head, causing the victim’s head to hit the seat belt buckle holder.” “The defendant then grabbed the victim by the front of his neck and tried to climb on top of the victim.”
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Deleon was taken into custody with the help of the Chicago Police Department’s Bureau of Internal Affairs.
Chief Goss said the incident proves how important it is for parents to know who their children are associating with. “Know who your child is hanging out with; know who their friends are and know what the ages of those friends are,” he said. “When you have a 30-year-old hanging out with juveniles, you have to question that sometimes.”
He said this incident was tough because every department wants to have positive relations with young people.
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“But when those interactions are happening outside the scope of the law enforcement officer’s job, you have to question a little bit and you have to wonder a bit…are there any ulterior motives that the officer has or any adult for that matter,” the Chief said.
Goss said he wants the public to understand that his department will investigate every case to the fullest and go where the facts lead them, no matter who the offender may be.
Norridge police said their investigation is ongoing. They are looking for additional information and other potential victims. The Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) is conducting its own investigation.
