Bail stays at $500,000

In 2001, Thomas Siebert entered the women's washroom at a Florida restaurant and punched a woman in the face.

That attack earned him a battery conviction, which was cited by a judge on Monday as one reason Siebert's bail should remain at $500,000.

"There is a danger to the public," said Kane County Judge Allen Anderson.

Siebert, a 53-year-old from Elgin, is accused in an Aug. 20 beating and attempted abduction of a student in the Elgin Community College parking lot.

He faces charges of unlawful restraint, attempted kidnapping and aggravated battery.

The most serious charge carries a maximum prison term of two to five years.

He is not eligible for probation.

Siebert has been in the Kane County jail since early September and Assistant State's Attorney Alice Tracy on Monday outlined reasons to keep him there until his trial.

In 1991, he was convicted of attempted robbery in Florida, was sentenced to five years in prison and later had his probation revoked. He also was convicted of aggravated battery in Florida, said.

In the 1970s, Siebert had convictions for public indecency, battery and theft.

Tracy said the victim, a 21-year-old Aurora woman who didn't know Siebert, has dropped out of school since the attack.

"This has had a severe impact on her. She is fearful of going back to that campus," Tracy said.

The victim's parents attended the hearing. They declined comment afterward.

Public defender Eun Yoon asked that Siebert's bond be reduced so he could work and care for his 72-year-old mother.

"He has some mental health issues," Yoon said, noting Siebert was now taking lithium, which is used to treat manic depression.

According to police reports, the victim said she saw Siebert about 20 minutes before the attack.

He was walking on Spartan Drive at ECC and she had to drive around him.

When she returned to her car, the man walked toward her and she asked him if he needed help.

The woman was punched three times and fell to the ground. She was being dragged toward a vehicle when a witness started shouting and her attacker fled.