Trial opens for West Chicago man charged as child predator
A hide-and-seek "cheater" may have saved a Lisle girl from being victimized by a West Chicago man whom authorities describe as "obsessed with kids," according to testimony in the opening day of the man's trial.
Giuseppe Ressa, 35, of the 300 block of Post Oak Circle, is charged with multiple counts of aggravated kidnapping, aggravated criminal sexual abuse and child abduction.
Assistant State's Attorney Cathy DeLaMar said Ressa approached a group of children, ages 3 through 7, on the evening of May 27, 2015, at a playground in Lisle's Arboretum Village apartment complex and suggested they play hide-and-seek.
The girl, now 9, testified that Ressa grabbed her wrist and attempted to pull her into an apartment vestibule while the other children hid and another child had his back to them while counting to 30.
But the boy, now 8, testified that he turned around after only counting to five and saw Ressa grab the girl.
When asked by prosecutors how he was able to see what happened behind him when he was supposed to be counting to 30, the boy said, "I was cheating."
Ressa then followed the girl back to the playground, where he touched her as she played on a slide, prosecutors said. He left the scene when one of the children's parents arrived.
The parent said he followed Ressa around the complex and saw him enter a maroon SUV and leave.
The children's parents immediately reported the case to Lisle police who, through the course of their investigation, identified Ressa as a possible suspect, officials said.
DeLaMar said Lisle detectives were following Ressa on June 1, 2015, when they saw him talking to three children outside an Addison apartment building. Ressa gave the children candy and told them he would give them more if they accompanied him to another building, authorities said.
Two of the children - a 4-year-old boy and a 6-year-old girl - followed him into a vestibule in an apartment building. While talking to the children inside the building, Ressa rubbed the girl's thigh, officials said.
At that point, detectives entered the building and asked Ressa what he was doing. He gave numerous reasons why he was there but admitted he gave the children candy, officials said.
He has been held without bail since.
When police searched his car and home, which he shares with his parents, prosecutors said they found children's clothes, toys and numerous writings and drawings. Prosecutors said many of the writings refer to plans to have sex with children and Ressa's "obsession" with youngsters.
Authorities said Ressa has had numerous encounters involving children since 2001, some of which resulted from his employment at a YMCA and at a bank.
Ressa's attorney, Richard Kayne, said he will not be contesting "a large part" of evidence in the case but said he believes Judge Robert Miller will find it was "overcharged."
Prosecutors expect the trial to last through the week.