Judge orders pre-trial detention for Hanover Park man accused of assault and kidnapping
Judge Timothy McJoynt granted the State’s motion on June 27 to detain Jose Rojas-Alcocer, a 32-year-old Hanover Park resident, before trial on charges including aggravated criminal sexual assault, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated domestic battery, and aggravated battery. The announcement was made by DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin and Hanover Park Chief of Police Andrew Johnson.
Authorities said that on June 14, Hanover Park police responded to a 911 call from a woman who reported that her boyfriend had physically and sexually abused her and threatened to kill her. Officers found the victim outside their shared residence with multiple lacerations and bruises. Investigators allege that Rojas-Alcocer confined the victim to a bedroom under surveillance cameras after becoming suspicious she was seeing other men. From May 10 through June 14, he allegedly refused to let her leave the house and repeatedly abused her physically and sexually. Allegations include cutting the victim with a kitchen knife, hitting her with a wrench, choking her, burning her with cigarettes, and forcing her to drown a cat under threat of death.
Rojas-Alcocer was apprehended by United States Marshals at a Motel 6 in East Syracuse, New York on June 17 after leaving his home for work allowed the victim an opportunity to contact authorities.
"The psychological, emotional and physical pain Jose Rojas-Alcocer allegedly inflicted upon his girlfriend is inconceivable," Berlin said. "It is alleged that for more than a month, Rojas-Alcocer systematically and repeatedly sexually assaulted the survivor in this case and held her captive in a bedroom, which he had under twenty-four-hour surveillance. This psychological abuse, coupled with the torturous, repeated physical assaults allegedly administered by the defendant, are among the worst I’ve seen in my thirty-eight years as a prosecutor. I commend the Hanover Park Police Department for their exceptional work on this case which ultimately led to the apprehension of the defendant in New York. I thank the United States Marshals Service for their assistance in taking Mr. Rojas-Alcocer into custody. Most importantly, I thank the survivor for her courage in contacting authorities which allowed us to file these extremely serious charges against Mr. Rojas-Alcocer. I also thank Assistant State’s Attorneys Jennifer Lindt and Alysa Feld for their outstanding efforts in securing charges against the defendant in this very disturbing case.”
Johnson said, “I would like to thank State’s Attorney Bob Berlin and his team for their dedication and partnership with us to ensure that justice is served in this incredibly heinous crime. Our officers and investigators worked tirelessly to build this case with the cooperation of the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Marshals. The message must be sent that this type of horrendous crime will be met with a swift response to the fullest extent of law.”
Rojas-Alcocer's next court appearance is scheduled for July 20 before Judge Mia McPherson.
Members of the public are reminded that these are only charges; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The average student-to-teacher ratio across DuPage County schools was approximately thirteen-to-one during recent years; total county enrollment reached over one hundred forty thousand students taught by more than ten thousand full-time faculty members, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.