Jury Finds Man Guilty Of Lake Forest Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault

WAUKEGAN, IL — A Lake County man faces up to 67 years in state prison after a jury convicted him of sex offenses, prosecutors said.

Shawheen Sariri, 26, was first arrested in March 2019 and charged with the sexual assault of a child in Lake Forest the prior December, records show.

Police and investigated a report of child sexual abuse from the Illinois Department with help from the Lake County Children's Advocacy Center, which led to Sariri's arrest.

Prosecutors initially charged him with six felonies: three counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a victim under 18, two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a victim under 13, and one count of criminal sexual assault of a family member under 18.

Sariri was released from jail after he posted the $25,000 cash portion of his bond, according to prosecutor.

While out on bail, he was arrested again and charged aggravated criminal sexual assault, criminal sexual assault and attempted criminal sexual assault in connection with a September 2019 incident at an industrial building in unincorporated Lake Bluff where he had been living, authorities said.

At a bond hearing following the new charges, a judge ruled Sariri would need post at least $300,000 as cash bail on the new charges. Prosecutors said his cash bond was revoked on the existing charges.

Sariri was also charged in December 2021 with aggravated domestic battery with strangulation and aggravated battery with strangulation in connection with a January 2020 incident, records show. Prosecutors said the incident involved a different victim than the person who reported being sexually assaulted by Sariri while he was out on bond.

Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart suggested Sariri's case presents a strong justification for eliminating cash bail — a provision of the Pretrial Fairness Act provisions of the 2021 SAFE-T Act currently on hold while the Illinois Supreme Court considers an appeal.

“Sariri’s history of offending after posting so much cash further demonstrates how wealth-based detention systems do not make us safer," Rinehart said in a statement.

In addition to the guilty verdicts returned by jurors Friday, Sariri was also found not guilty on three counts — one each of predatory criminal sexual assault of a victim under 13, criminal sexual assault of a family member under 18 and aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a family member under 18, according to court records.

Records indicate Sariri is still awaiting trial on the charges connected to allegations after his initial arrest.

Related:

• Man Charged With Sexual Assault Of Girl Under 13 In Lake Forest
• Bond Raised For Man Charged With Sexual Assault While On Bail
• Lake County State's Attorney Responds To SAFE-T Act 'Disinformation'