By Tisha Lewis, FOX 32 News reporter - bio | email
CHICAGO (FOX 32 News) -
**UPDATE: Sheriff's police announced that the woman lied about being
sexually assaulted by a man posing as a law enforcement officer Tuesday
night in rural Kendall County.
She told police the man ordered her out the car and walked her to the
cornfield just off the road, where he battered and sexually assaulted
her, police said.
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Kendall County authorities are looking for the cop impersonator who pulled a woman over, and sexually assaulted and beat her.
At 6:47 p.m. on Tuesday, the sun was still out and plenty of commuters were passing by when police say a 33-year-old woman pulled over for what she thought was a routine traffic stop in Plano.
Despite the activated emergency lights, it turns out there was nothing normal about it.
Once stopped on the two-way roadway, an impersonator pulled a mask over his face and pulled out a gun before raping the victim in a cornfield.
"Whoever did it is not from around here," Yorkville resident Natalie Cooper said, "and doesn't realize that that's a pretty busy road, so I don't know it's pretty scary."
Cooper lives in Yorkville, the town next to Plano and says what's most frightening is her feeling that the attack was unavoidable.
"If you get pulled over you're flustered already, you're just going to do whatever the person tells you to do," Cooper said, "because... hopefully it's a police officer pulling you over."
The victim describes the attacker as wearing a police, fire or security uniform. She said he ordered her at gunpoint into the cornfield. Moments after the attack a passerby spotted her and called police.
Kendall County authorities said the suspect is described as a 30-year-old white male with a tan or possibly light skinned Hispanic male, approximately 5'8 tall, 180 pound with average build.
Detective Sgt. Joe Jasnosz says investigators are combing through video from nearby surveillance cameras searching for any sign's of the suspect's dark blue Ford Crown Victoria.
It's all concerning for Deb Cihlia who plans to warn her daughters.
"I'm going to tell them to be careful and just remind them that even though we're out in the middle of God's country," Cihlia said, "things still happen."
Police advise commuters who feel concerned when stopped to get on the phone and call 9-1-1.
Tell the dispatcher what is occurring, where the person is, what they're seeing, and continue to go ahead and drive the speed limit, obey the traffic laws and go and get to an area where there are a lot of people.
Thursday, May 23 2013 2:22 PM EDT2013-05-23 18:22:23 GMT
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Thursday, May 23 2013 2:18 PM EDT2013-05-23 18:18:06 GMT
Illinois legislation allowing public possession of concealed guns has passed the House Judiciary Committee. It was a compromise backed by Speaker Michael Madigan.
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Thursday, May 23 2013 2:14 PM EDT2013-05-23 18:14:36 GMT
Jurors are set to deliberate a second day at a civil trial where an 87-year-old woman alleges Donald Trump cheated her in a condominium deal.
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Thursday, May 23 2013 2:07 PM EDT2013-05-23 18:07:37 GMT
A 25-year-old man has been cited for driving the wrong way on the Chicago Skyway after a head-on crash with a pickup truck Thursday morning that sent four people to hospitals.
A 25-year-old man has been cited for driving the wrong way on the Chicago Skyway after a head-on crash with a pickup truck Thursday morning that sent four people to hospitals.
Thursday, May 23 2013 2:00 PM EDT2013-05-23 18:00:59 GMT
Mayor Emanuel spoke out for the first time since Chicago's historic school vote on Thursday, in a one-on-one interview with FOX 32 Political Editor Mike Flannery. The district voted to close 50 schools.
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Thursday, May 23 2013 11:16 AM EDT2013-05-23 15:16:31 GMT
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