A male suspect from Palatine man, who allegedly kidnapped a young woman and drove her to a Barrington area warehouse, where she was seriously beaten and sexually assaulted, pleaded not guilty to several major felonies Wednesday morning, June 16, 2021.
Ryan Storm, 20, was indicted by a Lake County Grand Jury earlier this month on several charges, including eight counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, three counts of aggravated kidnapping and aggravated battery.
His defense attorney, Dan Hodgkinson, formally entered the pleas before Lake County Circuit Judge Daniel Shanes. Hodgkinson, a private attorney, told Shanes he had been retained in place of the Lake County Public Defender’s Office.
Prosecuting the case is veteran Assistant State’s Attorney Mary Stanton. Lake County State’s Attorney, Eric Rinehart, stated, “We are making sure that every appropriate resource we have in terms of personnel, computer technology, and time are devoted to this case. We will ensure that the victim receives justice in this difficult matter.”
Aggravated criminal sexual assault and aggravated kidnapping are Class X felonies, carrying a mandatory sentencing range on conviction of between six and 30 years in prison.
According to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, on the night of May 18, Storm kidnapped the woman from a parking lot in Palatine, and then forcefully drove her to Lake Barrington and to a warehouse, where he is charged with sexually assaulting and beating the victim.
Storm, who had been identified, was arrested the next morning after he was located traveling on foot on along a road in Fox River Grove.
His next court appearance is scheduled Aug. 6, 2021.
Get updates from The Cardinal ALL NEWS FEEDS on Facebook. Just ‘LIKE’ the ‘Arlington Cardinal Page (become a fan of our page). See all of The Cardinal Facebook fan pages at Arlingtoncardinal.com/about/facebook …
Help fund The Cardinal Arlingtoncardinal.com/sponsor