A Series Of Incidents
A recent complaint filed by the Illinois Administrator
On February 5, 2021, a grand jury in the Circuit Court of Cook County issued two indictments against Respondent, docketed as case numbers 21CR0191501 and 21CR021800. In case number 21CR0191501, Respondent was charged with the offenses of home invasion, aggravated kidnapping, residential burglary, robbery, attempted criminal sexual assault, and unlawful restraint. In case number 21CR021800, Respondent was charged with a single count of aggravated battery.
On July 23, 2021, a grand jury in the Circuit Court of Cook County issued a third indictment against Respondent, docketed as case number 21CR0983101. In case number 21CR0983101, Respondent was charged with the offenses of attempted criminal sexual assault and unlawful restraint.
On July 20, 2023, Respondent pled guilty to some of the charges in case numbers 21CR0191501, 21CR021800 and 21CR098310. In case number 21CR019501, Respondent pled guilty to the criminal offense of attempt to commit criminal sexual assault, in violation of Illinois Compiled Statute Chapter 720, Act 5, Section 8-4(11-1.20(a)(1)), and the remaining charges were dismissed. In case number 21CR021800, Respondent pled guilty to the sole criminal offense of aggravated battery, in violation of Illinois Compiled Statute, Chapter 720, Act 5, Section 12- 3.05(d)(5)(i). In case number 21CR098310, Respondent pled guilty to the criminal offense of attempted criminal sexual assault, in violation of Illinois Compiled Statute Chapter 720, Act 5, Section 8-4(11-1.20(a)(1)), and the remaining charge for unlawful restraint was dismissed.
Plea admissions
On July 20, 2023, when Respondent pled guilty to the criminal offense of attempted criminal sexual assault, in violation of Illinois Compiled Statute Chapter 720, Act 5, Section 8- 4(11-1.20(a)(1)), he stipulated to the following facts:
On December 20, 2020, at approximately 10 o’clock P.M. [Respondent] knocked on the victim’s apartment door, the victim opened the door slightly but did not let [Respondent] in. [Respondent] pushed his way into the victim’s apartment and with the intent to commit the offense of criminal sexual assault grabbed that victim’s robe and pushed her onto her bed by force. [Respondent’s] actions constituted a substantial step towards the commission of the offense of criminal sexual assault. The victim was able to get away from [Respondent] and ran into the bathroom to call the police. [Respondent] followed the victim into the bathroom and there was a struggle over her phone. The victim ran out of her apartment and knocked on other neighbor’s doors for help and [Respondent] fled from the apartment building with victim’s phone. The victim was able to call 911 from a neighbor’s phone. When the police arrived, the victim was able to track her phone to a nearby bar. The police made contact with [Respondent] and were able to retrieve the victim’s phone.
In custody
…[O]n January 14, 2021, at approximately 9:14 A.M. [Respondent] was housed at the Cook County Department of Corrections, located near 2700 South California Avenue in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. The victim on this matter is a paramedic employed by the Cook County Sheriff’s office who was assigned to the jail were [Respondent] was an inmate. On that date and time the victim went to take [Respondent’s] vitals, [Respondent] approached the medical counter to get his blood pressure taken, the victim and [Respondent] were separated by a window, however, it was open enough for an individual to stick their arm through to get their blood pressure taken. As the victim turned around to get the blood pressure machine, [Respondent] stuck his arm through the open window and grabbed the victim’s buttocks with his hands. This incident was captured on video and [Respondent] was subsequently arrested for this incident. He did not have the victim’s consent to make contact with her.
And
…[O]n December 23, 2020, at approximately 10:30 P.M., the victim, [Redacted], was at the Holiday Club Bar celebrating her birthday with a friend located near 4000 North Sheridan Road, in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. After paying the bill, the victim went to the bathroom. As she was entering the stall in the bathroom, she turned around to close the door and observed [Respondent] standing inside the stall with her reaching towards her with both hands. The victim pushed [Respondent] away and tried to escape but [Respondent] grabbed the victim’s buttocks and hips with both hands and attempted to pull the victim back towards him into the stall. [Respondent’s] actions were a substantial step towards the commission of the offense of criminal sexual assault. The victim was able to resist [Respondent’s] efforts and escaped back to the restaurant where she alerted the staff about what had happened. [Respondent] came out of the bathroom and made some statements about being in the bathroom. The victim left the bar shortly thereafter, called 911. When the police arrived, [Respondent] was no longer there, however the victim later identified [Respondent] in a photo array and in video surveillance that captured [him] coming out of the bathroom after the victim. [Respondent] was placed in custody subsequently for this incident.
CWB Chicago had details on the various incidents
In December 2020, prosecutors accused Patel of groping five women over several days until his 25-year-old neighbor finally had him arrested for allegedly forcing his way into her home and throwing her on the bed in a violent attack.
Officials said the week-long series of incidents began a week before Christmas when Patel’s neighbor woke up December 18 after a night out and found him inside her apartment on the 4000 block of North Kenmore.
The next day, Patel allegedly pushed his way into the woman’s apartment and started talking with her. Another neighbor helped the woman get him out. And the day after that, Patel was accused of grabbing a woman’s buttocks at a bus stop on the 4000 block of North Sheridan, according to CPD records.
Then, on December 20, Patel “knocked aggressively” on his female neighbor’s door around 10 p.m. When the woman cracked the door slightly, Patel forced his way in, tried to grab her robe, and threw her onto her bed, prosecutors said.
The woman managed to get away and ran into her bathroom to call the police. But Patel followed her and pushed her into the tub, and the two struggled for control of the woman’s phone, according to the initial allegations.
Once again, the woman got away and began knocking on neighbors’ doors to get help. One of them opened their door, yelled at Patel to leave, and then let the woman call police with their phone, officials said.
Chicago police officers arrived and tracked the woman’s phone to a nearby bar, where they allegedly found it in Patel’s possession. Police took a home invasion report, but the woman decided not to have Patel arrested because she feared he would retaliate, prosecutors said.
A few days later, on Christmas Eve, Patel allegedly grabbed the buttocks of three women as they stood in line at a local Walgreens. And on Christmas Day, another woman who lives in Patel’s building reported that he grabbed her buttocks as she walked up to her apartment.
The home invasion subsequently changed her mind about pursuing charges against Patel. Police arrested him on Sunday afternoon.
Between the time of the alleged home invasion and the victim’s decision to pursue charges, Patel tried to sexually assault a woman in the women’s restroom at Holiday Club, 4000 North Sheridan, prosecutors said.
A woman who went to the club to celebrate her 26th birthday with a friend on December 23, 2020, told police that she went to the restroom and was confronted by Patel when she tried to close the stall door. Prosecutors said he grabbed her buttocks and hips with both hands and tried to pull her back into the stall as she pushed him and tried to escape. She broke free and notified staff members, then went home to call the police.
Prosecutors said the bar’s surveillance footage showed Patel following the victim into the women’s room and walking out after she exited.
Two weeks after police arrested Patel, he was charged with grabbing the buttocks of a nurse as she checked his blood pressure in the Cook County jail medical center. Judge Ayala-Gonzalez handed him a third concurrent sentence of 943 days plus 30 months of probation in that case.
Defense attorney Richard Fenbert represented Patel. During one of Patel’s bail hearings, Fenbert said Patel scored a 35 on his ACT, received a physics degree from the University of Nebraska, and graduated from Emery Law School before going to work as a patent attorney. His mental health began deteriorating early in 2020, Fenbert said.
Prosecutors dropped several felony charges in their plea deal with Patel, including home invasion, aggravated kidnapping, robbery, and residential burglary.
Ayala-Gonzalez, the judge, ordered him to register as a sex offender, submit DNA for indexing by law enforcement, and participate in treatment programs as part of his probation.
(Mike Frisch)