EVANSTON, IL — A man living in a Chicago homeless shelter slapped the buttocks of a woman in Evanston, got into the apartment of another Evanston woman and masturbated by her bedside last week, authorities said.
Juan A. Garcia, 39, was spotted the next day in a stolen Northwestern University pickup truck and arrested, according to prosecutors.
Garcia faces felony criminal trespassing to residence and possession of a stolen motor vehicle charges, as well as a misdemeanor charge of battery.
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At the time of last week’s incidents, Garcia was awaiting trial on a separate trespassing charge stemming from an arrest on the Rogers Park campus of Loyola University Chicago, records show.
At a pair of court appearances Thursday and Friday in Skokie, Cook County prosecutors said Garcia has a lengthy criminal record in New York, including multiple convictions for burglary and public indecency.
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Assistant State’s Attorney Nic Attia said a 20-year-old Evanston woman had been asleep in her apartment in the 2200 block of Maple Avenue before 7:30 a.m. on May 8.
“When she awoke she saw a male with black curly hair and a ponytail with khaki shorts, and a black sweatshirt and looking at her,” Attia said.
The man was later identified as Garcia, who was holding his genitals and appeared to be masturbating, the prosecutor said.
Evanston police obtained a still image of the intruder leaving the apartment building and distributed it to patrol officers, who recognized Garcia, who was already in custody for another case by that time.
At some point between 10:30 a.m. and noon on May 9, someone stole a Ford pickup truck after Northwestern University staff left the keys in the ignition while using it to lay mulch at Hutchinson Field, 2215 Campus Drive, according to Assistant State’s Attorney Tristian Minx.
Minx said a community service officer from Northwestern’s private security force spotted Garcia in the stolen truck in a parking lot at 2123 Sheridan Road around 1 p.m.
Garcia walked away but was later spotted hiding under bushes in a courtyard near 600 Haven St., according to the prosecutor.
According to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, cameras from the Wintrust Community Bank at 1740 Sherman Ave. also recorded Garcia slap a woman on the buttocks, leading to the misdemeanor charge.
Garcia’s last known address is the Lincoln Park Community Shelter in Chicago’s Old Town neighborhood, police said.
Assistant Public Defender Vanessa Ficaro said at Thursday’s hearing that Garcia has been staying at a variety of shelters in Evanston for the past year. He has prior experience in restaurants, landscaping and has certificates in masonry and auto body painting, Ficaro said, but he has had trouble obtaining identity documentation.
The assistant public defender who represented Garcia on Friday, Greg Kobus, said that Garcia has been having trouble obtaining documentation from New York correctional officials.
“Speaking to him, he wanted me to put on the record that he’s got a number of issues when it comes to gathering documents back from New York that might relate to this case, from what he informs me, I wanted to put that on record,” Kobus said. “He is a citizen of the United States and he hasn’t been able to have access to those documents.”
The cash portion of Garcia’s bond was set at $500 for the stolen vehicle charge, $5,000 for the battery and $15,000 for the trespassing. He is next due back in court Thursday for bond review.
Garcia was ordered not to have any contact with the residents of the apartment building he is alleged to have entered or the women he allegedly slapped and awakened while apparently masturbating.
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