Thursday, August 10, 2006 1:27 PM CDT
Grand jury indicts Pelo on rape charges
By Brett Nauman
[email protected]
UPDATE: BLOOMINGTON -- A Bloomington police sergeant has been indicted on charges accusing him of raping four women between December 2002 and January of 2005.
Sgt. Jeff Pelo, 41, faces up to 45 years in prison on the most serious of 35 charges against him in the violent sexual attacks. The indictments were released to the public Thursday morning in McLean County Circuit Court.
A grand jury indicted Pelo late Wednesday afternoon, but the indictments weren't made public until they arrived in the Circuit Clerk's Office this morning.
Prosecutors say Pelo attacked the four women - all single and in their 20s - at their homes in Bloomington over the three-year period.
Pelo is currently jailed on $2 million bond and will be arraigned on the sexual assault charges Friday before Judge Ronald Dozier.
Steve Skelton, Pelo's attorney, said there was no surprise with the number of indictments and that he believes in his client's innocence.
"The prosecution has made up their mind. They're going to go forward. That's their prerogative," Skelton said. "We'll do everything we can to make sure this is quickly and appropriately resolved."
Pelo has been on paid administrative leave since his arrest in June for attempted residential burglary. Police said they found him lurking outside a Bloomington woman's shortly after she called 911, saying someone was trying to break in. The sergeant was later charged with stalking the woman.
The indictments published Thursday against Pelo indicate there was an escalation of violence leading up to the final attack on Jan. 26, 2005.
Pelo is accused of being armed with a knife and a gun when he broke into the final victim's home, according to the indictment.
While in the woman's home, Pelo is accused of raping the woman in several different ways, including the use of multiple objects.
He is charged with 18 counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, two counts of home invasion, residential burglary, aggravated unlawful restraint and intimidation in the Jan. 26, 2005 attack.
According to the indictments, the intimidation charge stems from a threat Pelo made against the woman's family if she were to call police after he left her home.
In each of the first two attacks, Pelo is charged with four counts of criminal sexual assault. Those attacks occurred Dec. 18, 2002 and April 4, 2003.
In the third attack, which occurred Jan. 4, 2005, Pelo faces one count each of aggravated criminal sexual assault, home invasion, residential burglary and unlawful restraint.
The indictments accuse Pelo of being armed with either a knife or firearm in each of the first three sexual attacks.
http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2006/08/10/news/doc44db4f4b94080893728534.txt
Grand jury indicts Pelo on rape charges
By Brett Nauman
[email protected]
UPDATE: BLOOMINGTON -- A Bloomington police sergeant has been indicted on charges accusing him of raping four women between December 2002 and January of 2005.
Sgt. Jeff Pelo, 41, faces up to 45 years in prison on the most serious of 35 charges against him in the violent sexual attacks. The indictments were released to the public Thursday morning in McLean County Circuit Court.
A grand jury indicted Pelo late Wednesday afternoon, but the indictments weren't made public until they arrived in the Circuit Clerk's Office this morning.
Prosecutors say Pelo attacked the four women - all single and in their 20s - at their homes in Bloomington over the three-year period.
Pelo is currently jailed on $2 million bond and will be arraigned on the sexual assault charges Friday before Judge Ronald Dozier.
Steve Skelton, Pelo's attorney, said there was no surprise with the number of indictments and that he believes in his client's innocence.
"The prosecution has made up their mind. They're going to go forward. That's their prerogative," Skelton said. "We'll do everything we can to make sure this is quickly and appropriately resolved."
Pelo has been on paid administrative leave since his arrest in June for attempted residential burglary. Police said they found him lurking outside a Bloomington woman's shortly after she called 911, saying someone was trying to break in. The sergeant was later charged with stalking the woman.
The indictments published Thursday against Pelo indicate there was an escalation of violence leading up to the final attack on Jan. 26, 2005.
Pelo is accused of being armed with a knife and a gun when he broke into the final victim's home, according to the indictment.
While in the woman's home, Pelo is accused of raping the woman in several different ways, including the use of multiple objects.
He is charged with 18 counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, two counts of home invasion, residential burglary, aggravated unlawful restraint and intimidation in the Jan. 26, 2005 attack.
According to the indictments, the intimidation charge stems from a threat Pelo made against the woman's family if she were to call police after he left her home.
In each of the first two attacks, Pelo is charged with four counts of criminal sexual assault. Those attacks occurred Dec. 18, 2002 and April 4, 2003.
In the third attack, which occurred Jan. 4, 2005, Pelo faces one count each of aggravated criminal sexual assault, home invasion, residential burglary and unlawful restraint.
The indictments accuse Pelo of being armed with either a knife or firearm in each of the first three sexual attacks.
http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2006/08/10/news/doc44db4f4b94080893728534.txt
This is the land of the sheeple, home of the meek. There will never be CCW here untill Chicago burns to the ground again, and it had better take most of the 'burbs with it. Where is that damn cow when you REALLY need a lamp kicked over anyway!
