Shorewood Sex Crime In Business Parking Lot: Defendant Regains His Freedom

SHOREWOOD, IL — Edwin Cooper, the 32-year-old man kept in the Will County Jail for two days last week in connection with allegations of sexual abuse and unlawful restraint against a woman at a Shorewood business parking lot on Vertin Boulevard, is no longer in custody.

Jail records show that Cooper spent two days in the jail last week, but now he's free. He will be back at the Will County Courthouse on Oct. 10 for a pretrial hearing in Courtroom 404. According to the court files, "while the defendant is charged with a detainable offense, the state has not filed a petition."

In the meantime, Cooper has been ordered not to leave the state of Illinois without permission from the judge. He was ordered to surrender any guns to the Shorewood Police Department, if he has any. He also was notified to have no contact with the victim in the case until further order from the judge.

On Sept. 25, Joliet Patch broke the news, revealing that the Shorewood Police Department has obtained a warrant to arrest the 32-year-old Plainfield area man in connection with allegations of a sex crime that happened almost a year ago, at the business parking lot of the 300 block of Vertin Boulevard.

The Will County State's Attorney's Office of Jim Glasgow filed charges criminal sexual abuse, unlawful restraint and three crimes of battery against Cooper. All the crimes happened on Oct. 13, 2024, his arrest warrant indicated.

According to the criminal complaint, Cooper is accused of using force or threat of force against a woman, groping her and pressing his body against hers.

The second charge indicates that Cooper knowingly and without legal authority detained the woman at the parking lot in the 300 block of Vertin Boulevard. As for the battery charges, Cooper is accused of grabbing the woman about her body, kissing her about the head and groping her buttocks area.

At the time of the warrant, court files listed Cooper as coming from the 1900 block of Westmore Grove Drive, a Plainfield mailing address in the city of Joliet. However, last week's jail records listed Cooper as being a Lockport resident from the 2200 block of Fairview Avenue.