Palatine man charged with assaulting child

A Palatine man faces up to 30 years in prison on allegations he carried out a sexual relationship with a 12-year-old girl he met at her school bus stop.

Jorge Horijuela, 25, of the 1500 block of North Norway, is being held on $300,000 bond while awaiting trial on two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child.

Cook County Sheriff’s police said Thursday they began investigating Horijuela in late May after the victim’s mother complained about harassing phone calls. When a patrol officer arrived at the girl’s home, he noticed what appeared to be bruising on her neck, which she told him were actually “hickeys” given by Horijuela, sheriff’s police said.

Police located Horijuela and placed him under arrest May 29, charging him at that time with battery and harassment by telephone.

Shortly after the arrest, the girl told her school social worker that Horijuela had been sexually assaulting her.

According to police, Horijuela befriended the victim and obtained her phone number after they initially met because her school bus dropped her off in front of his apartment building.

Horijuela eventually convinced her to meet him in a stairwell of the building after her parents were asleep. Between April and late May, the two met regularly at that location and Horijuela became increasingly intimate with the victim, eventually sexually assaulting her.

Horijuela’s next court date is July 13 at the Cook County courthouse in Rolling Meadows.

Authorities said Horijuela has a number of aliases, including Jose Rodriguez, Jorge Origuela and Roberto Rodriguez, and are investigating whether he had sexual contact with other children.

Anyone with information is asked to contact detectives at (708) 865-4896.