A 33-year-old North Riverside man is being held without bond at Cook County Jail, charged with attempting to rape a 20-year-old woman in a North Riverside alley on July 30.
Vincent Botello is accused of throwing the woman to the ground, getting on top of her and trying forcefully to remove her pants after the woman reportedly refused his sexual advances as they drank alcohol together in his SUV.
North Riverside police reported that Botello and the alleged victim knew one another and lived near one another in the 7700 block of 26th Street.
At 10:45 p.m. on July 29, Botello texted “lots of beer, I’m in front” to the woman, who met him inside his SUV on Westover Avenue. The two drank alcohol for more than two hours. At about 1:40 a.m. on July 30, Botello reportedly began suggesting they have sex, but the woman refused.
After the woman left the vehicle, Botello followed her through an alley. He allegedly grabbed the woman’s shoulders from behind twice. The second time, the 107-pound woman punched the 227-pound Botello in the face, at which time he threw her to the ground, got on top of her and tried to pull down her shorts.
A neighbor who heard the altercation in the alley came outside and shouted at Botello to stop. At that time, Botello reportedly ran away westbound through the alley and his SUV was later seen driving northbound on Westover Avenue.
Police apprehended Botello at his apartment about 3 a.m. The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office charged Botello with one count of attempted criminal sexual assault. At the time of his arrest, Botello was also wanted by Cook County Sheriff’s Police on a warrant in connection to a previous arrest for driving on a suspended license.
Drug operation shut down
Police from Riverside and the West Suburban Enhanced Drug/Gang Enforcement (WEDGE) task force say they’ve shut down a cannabis distribution operation run by a teenage boy out of an apartment building directly across the street from the Riverside Police Department.
Police executed a search warrant at an apartment at 48 Lawton Road on Aug. 3 and arrested a 17-year-old boy who they say has been supplying marijuana to students at Riverside-Brookfield High School and possibly to junior high students in Riverside for months.
Riverside Police Chief Thomas Weitzel said police got a break in the case within the past two weeks and began doing surveillance and setting up controlled buys in order to gather enough evidence to seek a search warrant for the apartment.
Police reportedly observed numerous drug transactions between the boy and his customers. Inside the apartment, police reported recovering cannabis, drug paraphernalia and tools for preparing and cutting cannabis for sale on the street.
“There’s no question he was supplying Riverside-Brookfield High School students and maybe younger students, and it was consistent over a long period of time,” said Weitzel.
Weitzel said police had the boy on their radar since April, based on citizen complaints, but had not been able to gather enough evidence for a search warrant until recently.
“Information came from area residents, but sometimes it can’t happen overnight,” said Weitzel.
“In order to get a search warrant, it takes more than one buy.”
The boy was petitioned to Cook County juvenile authorities and charged with manufacture/delivery of cannabis, possession of cannabis and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was released to his mother and awaits a hearing before juvenile authorities, Weitzel said.
Jogger slapped on the buttocks
A 16-year-old Brookfield girl reported to police on Aug. 1 that at about 8 p.m. she was jogging in the 3000 block of Prairie Avenue when a man on a bicycle rode up from behind and slapped her on the buttocks before riding away eastbound on 30th Street.
The girl told police that she first noticed the man, who was wearing a black tank top and tan shorts and riding a mountain bike, in the vicinity of Washington and Prairie avenues.
The man followed her northbound on Prairie from Washington and got off his bike a few times along the way. Reaching the 3000 block of Prairie Avenue, the girl slowed to a walk. At that time, the man on the bike reportedly sped up, passed her and slapped her on the buttocks.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield police departments, July 30-Aug. 5, and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Unless otherwise indicated, anybody named in these reports has only been charged with a crime. These cases have not been adjudicated.
-Compiled by Bob Uphues
