Women Sexually Assaulted At Knifepoint In Their Homes: Officials

ROLLING MEADOWS, IL — A Rolling Meadows man is accused of sexually assaulting two women at the apartment complex they lived in, according to the Daily Herald. Miguel A. Gonzalez-Cruz, 35, also is accused of trying to sexually assault another woman in her apartment, the report added. He was ordered held without bail Thursday after he was charged with aggravated criminal sexual assault, attempted aggravated criminal assault, home invasion and burglary in the attacks.

The sexual assault victims were treated at the hospital following the attacks, the report stated. According to prosecutors, Gonzalez-Cruz allegedly wielded a knife during two of the incidents, the report stated.

The attacks happened at the end of December of last year, and in January and June of this year, the report stated. Prosecutors claim Gonzalez-Cruz allegedly waited until men left the women's apartments before he attacked the victims, the report stated.

In the first attack, Gonzalez-Cruz allegedly entered the victim's home via an unlocked window after he had been turned away at the door earlier while asking if someone named Jesus lived there, the report stated. He allegedly covered the sleeping victim's mouth and eyes with his hands, but he fled when she started screaming, the report added.

Gonzalez-Cruz allegedly brandished a knife in the second attack and is accused of demanding money from the victim before sexually assaulting her on her bed, the Herald reports.

According to prosecutors, the victim in the final attack let Gonzalez-Cruz into her home after he told her he was being chased by immigration, the report stated. Once inside, he is accused of sexually assaulting the woman at knifepoint, the report added.

Prosecutors said Gonzaelz-Cruz partially covered his face with a mask or clothing during the attacks, but they claim DNA and other evidence link him to the incidents, the report stated. He was arrested after one of the victims identified him when she saw him at a store, the report added.

During Thursday's hearing, the judge in the case said she refused to set bail for Gonzalez-Cruz — a legal resident but not a U.S. citizen — because she considered him a public safety threat, according to the Herald.

More via the Daily Herald

Miguel A. Gonzalez-Cruz, 35 (Photo via Cook County Sheriff's Office)