Tipster gets $700 reward in Arlington Heights
A resident who helped Arlington Heights police catch a suspect charged with sexually assaulting a 97-year-old woman in her home last summer recently received a $700 award.
The award, approved by the Arlington Heights Crime Stoppers Board, stems from a crime that happened on Aug. 20, when someone broke into an elderly woman's home in the area of Central Road and Dwyer Avenue through an unsecured window and sexually assaulted her.
Soon after, a call came in to the Crime Stoppers headquarters that led to a resident working with the police sketch artist on a composite drawing. With the help of the sketch, authorities later identified Mount Prospect resident Frank Mendez, 51, and charged him with the assault, as well as criminal trespass to a residence in a separate incident.
"It was with the assistance of the resident and his willingness to provide a description that provided a vital lead which led to the arrest the (suspect) in both crimes," a news release stated.
Mendez's court case is still pending.