A Man with a Troubling Past Accused of Attacking a Woman in Gold Coast Apartment Building
A man with a history of violent crimes and sexual assault allegations is facing new charges after allegedly following a 54-year-old woman home from a restaurant and attacking her inside the stairwell of her Gold Coast apartment building.
John Mays Jr., 31, has been charged with robbery, aggravated battery by strangulation, and unlawful restraint for the incident that took place on July 7. Mays, who was recently released from parole, also had a recent arrest in Kankakee County for attempted criminal sexual assault, although that case was later dismissed.
According to a detention petition, the victim had dinner in the 1100 block of North Clark Street before heading to a nail salon near her apartment building. Mays allegedly began following her after she left the restaurant. After getting her nails done, she used an interior door from the salon to enter her buildingâs lobby.
Despite being denied entry by a worker at the salon, Mays managed to enter the building through the main entrance after the victim let him in, mistaking him for a food delivery driver.
Surveillance footage allegedly shows Mays entering a stairwell and later confronting the woman on the second floor. He proceeded to physically assault her, ordering her to undress and restricting her ability to scream or breathe by forcefully inserting his fingers into her mouth and down her throat.
The victim managed to fight him off, at which point Mays stole her purse and fled the scene. Facial recognition software and witness identification led to Mays being identified as the suspect.
During police questioning, Mays claimed he was frequently under the influence of drugs and had no recollection of the events of July 7. However, he admitted to engaging in erratic behavior while on drugs and mentioned a previous accusation of wrongdoing in Kankakee.
Court records reveal that Mays previously pleaded guilty to armed robbery and aggravated battery causing great bodily harm in 2012, with attempted criminal sexual assault charges being dropped. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the crimes.
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