A Villa Park man will remain in jail after Elmhurst police arrested him for allegedly groping a woman on the Illinois Prairie Path near South York Street.
Mario Ronces Ocampo, 39, of the 300 block of Maple Avenue in Villa Park, faces one count of aggravated battery in a public place and one count of criminal sexual abuse, according to a DuPage County State's Attorney's Office news release reported by Shaw Local. A DuPage County judge granted a motion to detain him pre-trial on Thursday, Aug. 27.
The attack happened about 9:02 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 20. The victim was running on the Prairie Path and had stopped to search for lost keys using her phone's flashlight, according to the state's attorney's release. Ronces Ocampo allegedly drove an electric scooter toward her, collided with her, touched her genitals and tried to hug her before fleeing westbound on the path.
About 10 minutes later, he allegedly approached the same woman from behind on his scooter, grabbed her buttocks and fled again.
Elmhurst police released surveillance photos and a detailed suspect description in the days after the attack, Patch reported. Investigators said the suspect had been seen at a nearby business before the incident and left westbound on Vallette Street on a black Segway-style scooter.
Officers located Ronces Ocampo on Tuesday, Aug. 25, in Melrose Park and arrested him without incident. The investigation took five days.
Elmhurst Police Chief Michael McLean called the case a serious and disturbing incident in the department's news release. He said investigators worked around the clock to identify, locate and arrest the suspect. Users of public paths should be able to exercise without fear of assault, McLean said.
DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in the same release that the allegation against Ronces Ocampo is very disturbing and will not be tolerated in DuPage County.
Ronces Ocampo's next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 21.
