Teen Pregnancy In Joliet Leads To Honda Civic Forfeiture: Prosecutor

JOLIET — A Joliet citizen in his mid-20s now faces the prospect of losing his 2009 Honda Civic that has been seized by the Joliet police stemming from a criminal investigation into allegations of aggravated criminal sexual assault involving a pregnant teenager.

It turns out that two felony criminal charges of aggravated criminal sexual abuse were filed against Franklin Quinonez-Cortez in February, however, his last name is spelled differently in the forfeiture case. "The facts meet the elements of aggravated criminal sexual assault in that Franklin Quinones-Cortez is over the age of 17 and that the victim was under the age of 17 and defendant was more than five years older than victim at the time of the sexual conduct," the Will County State's Attorney Office civil forfeiture outlined.

According to the forfeiture complaint involving the Joliet resident, Joliet police officers James and Scallate responded to a house in the 100 block of Iowa Street for a disturbance involving two parents upset that their 15-year-old daughter was in the house with a 25-year-old man.

The female homeowner told Joliet police that "her husband owned the residence and that they rented out a room to her friend, Franklin Quinonez-Cortez."

Joliet police met with the 15-year-old girl, and she was removed from the house once the officers realized she was a minor. As for Quinones, he confirmed he "was approximately 25 years of age. Franklin was asked if he knew how old (the) minor was at which time he stated that he did ... that she was 16 years old. Franklin was advised that it is illegal to be in any form of a relationship with a minor. Franklin stated he understood," the forfeiture noted.

Two months later, the complaint indicated, a Spanish speaking woman came to the Joliet police station to report that her daughter was pregnant from an adult man. The woman advised that her minor daughter was the same minor that the Joliet police investigated back in December 2023, and that now she "was pregnant with the child of Franklin Quinonez-Cortez," the court files show.

Court records note that on Feb. 22, 2024, a warrant was signed by Will County Judge Art Smigielski and Joliet police went to the 1200 block of Eagle Street in Joliet, where officers made a traffic stop of Quinonez-Cortez's Honda Civic, and the vehicle was seized by the police.

At the Joliet police station, "Franklin stated he had an intimate relationship for several months with (the) minor and that he was aware that (the) minor was underage at the time. Franklin stated that on one occasion he remembers having sex with minor at Pilcher Park in his 2009 Honda Civic," the forfeiture filing revealed.