Trial to begin for former cop charged with assaulting woman in Villa Park
The trial of a former Maywood police officer accused of picking up a woman while on duty and later sexually assaulting her at a Villa Park hotel will begin Wednesday.
DuPage County Judge George Bakalis will preside over the bench trial of Deon Sams, 40, of Bolingbrook.
The decorated 17-year police veteran is charged with two felony counts of criminal sexual assault and one felony count of official misconduct in connection with the March 2012 attack.
Prosecutors say Sams was on patrol in a Maywood police car in the early morning hours of March 24, 2012, when he saw the victim walking along the street in Maywood.
Sams asked the 36-year-old woman if she needed assistance. He then returned to the police station with the woman, dropped off his police car and left with the woman in his personal vehicle, officials said.
Prosecutors allege Sams took the woman to a hotel in the 0-10 block of West Roosevelt Road in Villa Park, rented a room and escorted her to the room. Once inside, Sams forced the victim to have sex with him, prosecutors said.
According to court documents, Sams was arrested and charged on Dec. 13, 2012. He posted $20,000 bail and was released on Dec. 18, 2012.
The trial is expected to continue through the week in courtroom 4006.