Nov. 13--A registered sex offender already in custody for an attempted sexual assault in August has been charged with trying to assault another woman a month earlier, prosecutors said Thursday.
Lemar Hardy, 25, of the 2700 block of West 37th Place, was ordered held in lieu of $500,000 bail after being charged with the attempted aggravated criminal sexual assault of a woman July 31.
Hardy had previously been ordered held without bail for an Aug. 8 attack, prosecutors said.
At Hardy's bond hearing Thursday, prosecutors said that about 8:55 a.m. July 31, a 22-year-old woman was walking to the CTA train station in the 3600 block of South Oakley.
The woman spotted Hardy walking across the street in her direction, prosecutors said. Hardy made his way to her, then brushed up against the victim, they said.
The woman moved away, but Hardy grabbed her, lifted her dress and started to pull at her underwear, prosecutors said.
Hardy then pushed the woman to the ground, and she screamed for help. Witnesses saw the attack and began yelling and running toward the scene. Harding allegedly was seen pulling up his pants before fleeing.
Hardy was arrested after police determined that the description of the suspect in the August attack matched the suspect in the July attack. Photos of Hardy were positively identified by the earlier victim, and he was charged, prosecutors said.
On Aug. 8, a 22-year-old woman in the city's Brighton Park neighborhood on the Southwest Side was attacked.
The woman was grabbed from behind and tackled to the ground, prosecutors said. Hardy tried to pull off her clothes, put his hand over her mouth and told her to keep quiet or he would kill her, prosecutors said. Two young males scared Hardy off.
Hardy is a registered sex offender. He was convicted of criminal sexual assault in 2006, prosecutors have said.
