Feb. 14--A Lansing teenager spent his 17th birthday behind bars after he was accused of sexually assaulting a woman he met on social media late last year.
The teen, Leonard Johnson, who turned 17 on Thursday, was arrested in connection with an attack that allegedly happened in Riverdale on Dec. 9, according to court documents. He was charged as an adult.
Johnson and the 18-year-old victim met last year on Facebook but later had conversations on the Snapchat messenging app and arranged to meet, prosecutors said Saturday during a bond hearing at the Leighton Criminal Courts Building.
When the pair met, Johnson grabbed the woman by her arm and forced her into an abandoned home in the 13700 block of Parnell Avenue. Once inside, he forced her into a bedroom where he sexually assaulted her several times, said Assistant Cook County State's Attorney Shawn Abraham.
After the attacks, the victim was able to catch the attention of two passersby, who let her use their phone to dial 911, authorities said. The trio then walked over to the nearby Riverdale police station, where she reported the attack and provided police with detailed information about her attacker, Abraham said.
Authorities later recovered several of Johnson's personal items from the home, including a sleeping bag with Johnson's name on it, Abraham said,
The victim eventually picked Johnson's photo out of a police photo array and he was arrested Thursday, court records show. He was later charged with kidnapping and aggravated criminal sexual assault.
Associate Judge Peggy Chiampas ordered Johnson held on $150,000 bail and he was ordered not to contact the victim.
wlee@tribpub.com
