Zion man pleads guilty to sexual abuse of Palatine woman

A Zion man pleaded guilty Thursday to aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a 19-year-old woman he met last year in Palatine.

In exchange for pleading guilty to the class 2 felony, Amritpal Chohan, of the 1600 block of W. Russell Road in Zion, received three years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, with credit for 190 days served. As a condition of his plea, he must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

The 43-year-old Chohan met the victim at the Sikh temple in Palatine a little more than a year ago, said Assistant State's Attorney Mike Gerber Thursday in a Rolling Meadows courtroom. He drove the victim from the temple's parking lot to a lot across the street where authorities say he kissed and fondled her.

The woman, who has a mental disability and therefore could not give consent, neither comprehended, nor welcomed Chohan's behavior, Gerber said. After the defendant returned her to the temple, the victim informed her father what happened, but by then Chohan had left scene.

Police arrested Chohan in October after the victim recognized him following another temple event. He subsequently admitted to police the sexual abuse, Gerber said.