Sauk Village Man At Large After Being Sentenced For Indiana Rape

SAUK VILLAGE, IL — Police are looking for a 29-year-old Sauk Village man who was sentenced in a 2018 rape in an Indiana hotel.

According to officials, a judge sentenced Joshua Lacey to two and a half years in an Indiana prison without Lacey being present for the sentencing. While Lacey pleaded guilty to sexual battery in October, police are now searching for him after he failed to show up to the Monday sentencing.

Police records state officers responded to the call at a Merrillville hotel on May 15, 2018, when they found Lacey rented two rooms at the hotel, including the room where the rape took place.

A woman was visiting a friend in one of the hotel rooms and later left to sleep in the room across the hall, police said in a press release.

"The suspect later entered the room, began touching the victim while she slept and then proceeded to force himself on the victim while she tried to get away from him," the release stated.

The woman later identified Lacey in a photo lineup. Prosecutors said when the woman told Lacey to stop, he said, "When I see something I like, I take it."

Lacey also has two outstanding warrants in Porter County, where he is facing felony firearm charges.