A 30-year-old Lincoln Park resident is in custody and facing serious charges following his arrest for his alleged participation in several sexual assaults and robberies, according to local law enforcement. The Illinois man faces more than one felony charge for the two separate incidents. No court date has been set in connection with his case.
According to the police report, all the alleged incidents occurred on Dec. 27 in several different locations. The report says the first woman to be attacked was a 23-year-old who the man allegedly threatened with scissors before raping her in his car and stealing her wallet. Later that day, police say the man attacked a second woman, a 69-year-old, who was also raped before being relieved of her money and ATM card.
Victims say they were driven around by the man, who allegedly picked up other passengers while forcing them to make withdrawals from bank machines. He was later apprehended following a brief chase with detectives. Police say the man “implicated himself” to several other individuals by bragging about the alleged crime, though it is unclear where this information has come from. He faces several charges, two of them felonies, for the alleged assaults, kidnappings, rapes and robberies.
One felony charge in the state of Illinois is already worthy of note, but the number of charges brought against this particular individual is serious indeed. If found guilty of any of the myriad charges filed against him, he could face considerable jail time. However, prosecutors will have to build a case from various witness and alleged victim statements, which may prove difficult to corroborate. The defense may benefit from careful cross-examination of these witnesses to assess and challenge their stories’ veracity.
Source: The Huffington Post, James Whiteside Charged With Raping, Robbing Women In Montclare, Near CTA Orange Line, No author, Dec. 30, 2013