A Northwest Side man with a long history of arrests has been charged with the brutal rape of a teenage girl who remains in critical condition nearly a month after the attack, authorities said. <\/p>\n
Detectives were led to Luis Alberto Pantoja, 25, through DNA collected from a condom wrapper found near the Belmont Cragin backyard where the girl was assaulted just before dawn Dec. 17, according to a law enforcement source. <\/p>\n
Pantoja was arrested at his home on Friday without incident, police said in a statement, saying additional physical evidence was recovered then. <\/p>\n
Pantoja, of the 5500 block of West Wrightwood Avenue, is charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated criminal sexual assault, aggravated battery and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon. He was ordered held without bail during a hearing today. <\/p>\n
Authorities asked for a sign language interpreter during the hearing. Pantoja is hearing-impaired, according to a police report. <\/p>\n
Pantoja was found with a .32-caliber revolver but it was unclear if he had it during the attack, authorities said. <\/p>\n
The attack happened in 2400 block of North Long Avenue about 5:25 a.m., police said. The girl was found by a neighbor about two hours later, half-clothed and bleeding from the head. <\/p>\n
At a Sunday afternoon news conference, Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy congratulated Area North detectives and officers from the Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force on the arrest. <\/p>\n
He said the investigation found the girl was attacked an hour earlier than detectives originally thought. The was on her way to catch a bus so she could meet her father, who was to give her a ride to school, McCarthy said. <\/p>\n
He said the girl would usually leave a little later in the morning, which is why police thought the attack occurred not long after 6 a.m. <\/p>\n
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Read the original: A Northwest Side man with a long history of arrests has been charged with the brutal rape of a teenage girl who remains in critical condition nearly a month after the attack, authorities said. Detectives were led to Luis Alberto Pantoja, 25, through DNA collected from a condom wrapper found near the Belmont Cragin backyard where the girl was assaulted just before dawn Dec. 17, according to a law enforcement source. Continue reading
\nPolice: DNA led to arrest in attack of girl, 15<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"