Men get prison terms in gang rape

The second and third of four suspects accused of raping a Round Lake Beach woman were sentenced to 32 months in prison Friday after admitting their roles in the crime.

Marco Ortiz-Garcia, 31, Round Lake Beach, and Bruno Vargas-Rios, 35, of Park City, received the same term as their co-defendant, Salvador Elias, 22, of Round Lake Beach, accepted last month.

Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Scott Hoffert said those three and Miguel Godinez-Garcia, 29, of Round Lake Beach, were all charged with criminal sexual assault after the Aug. 9, 2009 attack.

Police said Ortiz-Garcia, of the 1400 block of Park Avenue, and Godinez-Garcia, of the 300 block of Meadowgreen Lane, drove the woman from a Round Lake Beach tavern to a party near where Godinez-Garcia lives.

Once at the party, police said, both men raped the woman and she called 911 and screamed for help before the phone was taken from her.

Elias, of the 1600 block of Channel Drive, and Vargas-Rios, of the 3400 block of Michael Avenue, then took the woman from the party to her home where both of those men raped her.

Hoffert agreed to reduce the charge criminal sexual abuse in exchange for the pleas of the three men.

Godinez-Garcia has pleaded not guilty to the original charge against him and is scheduled to appear in court Feb. 22.