Suburban man charged after allegedly kidnapping, beating and sexually assaulting woman
LAKE COUNTY, Ill. - A 20-year-old suburban man has been charged after allegedly kidnapping a woman, tying her down and sexually assaulting her in Lake Barrington Wednesday morning.
Ryan Storm of Palatine faces charges of aggravated kidnapping, three counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, criminal sexual assault, aggravated battery - strangulation, aggravated sexual abuse and unlawful restraint.
At about 2 a.m. Wednesday, Lake County deputies responded to the 28000 block of Commercial Avenue for a possible assault in progress.
A 911 caller reported that he wanted to check the well-being of Storm due to a strange call he received from the suspect.
"The individual who called us, one of his family members, received a telephone call from Storm. Storm concocted a story that he had just been pulled over by a local police department and detained for several hours and his vehicle was destroyed in the process and he needed to go to his repair shop to begin repairs on it," said Chris Covelli, Lake County Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant.
The story didn't add up so that person and their family went to Storm's workplace to check on him.
When he went inside the business, Storm fled out the door.
The caller then observed a nude woman bound to a piece of heavy equipment, officials said.
The woman, 20, had been battered and was the victim of a sexual assault.
"We think he convinced the victim to meet with him. We think that sometime shortly after the meeting that he strangled the victim to the point where she became unconscious, and we believe he transported the victim to that facility to sexually assault her," said Covelli.
The victim was transported to the hospital and is recovering.
Deputies spent several hours searching for Storm, authorities said.
Just after 8 a.m., information indicated that Storm was in Fox River Grove, attempting to avoid apprehension.
A Fox River Grove Police Officer observed Storm running in the 900 block of Ski Hill Road.
The officer pursued Storm on foot and the officer was able to take Storm into custody, authorities said.
"I firmly believe that the victim’s life was saved because of the gut feeling the caller had, and the caller taking the further step of checking on the situation in the middle of the night," Sheriff John D. Idleburg said. "That, in conjunction with terrific law-enforcement collaboration, saved the victim’s life and allowed us to take the offender into custody."
Storm's bond was set at $3 million Thursday with a preliminary hearing scheduled for June 15.