Dec. 07--A convicted sex offender who had failed to register was charged with touching a woman's neck and hair while they rode a Metra train earlier this week, officials said Saturday.
Michael G. Russo, 55, who prosecutors said was homeless, was ordered held in lieu of $200,000 bail Saturday by Cook County Judge James Brown. Russo was charged with two Class 3 felonies, including failing to register as a sex offender and aggravated battery of a transit passenger.
Russo was touching the neck and hair of a 27-year-old woman who had fallen asleep Thursday on an inbound Milwaukee District Metra train, according to Assistant Cook County State's Attorney Bob Groebner and court documents.
According to a police report, the woman woke up to find Russo with "his body pressed against hers" and his arm around her shoulder, playing with her hair.
According to the report, Russo said to her, "Oh you're tired. I'm tired too. We can go to sleep together." She began pushing him away, and another passenger on the train told him to get away from her, according to the report.
Russo was taken into custody at Union Station, according to a police report.
Russo, who was previously incarcerated for aggravated criminal sexual assault, was supposed to re-register as a sex offender Tuesday and failed to do so, according to court documents and Groebner.
