Elgin man charged with raping teen at knifepoint

A 22-year-old Elgin man was charged over the weekend with raping a teenager at knifepoint, police said Monday.

Luis A. Silva-Lopez was arrested Thursday after a 17-year-old woman told police she escaped his residence on the 700 block of South Street and called her mother from a nearby intersection, police said. Elgin Detective Chris Hughes said Silva-Lopez assaulted her after she refused his sexual advances.

"They were friends hanging out," Hughes said. "He wanted to be more than friends. He forced the issue."

Police said Silva-Lopez threatened the woman with a knife and choked her, both of which caused minor physical injuries.

Formal charges including aggravated criminal sexual assault with a deadly weapon and unlawful restraint were filed Saturday against Silva-Lopez, whose bond was set at $750,000.

Court records show Silva-Lopez was convicted of domestic battery in July for striking an Elgin girl in the back of the head with a set of car keys in his hand, and was sentenced to 60 days in jail and 18 months of probation. He was out after having been credit for time served at the time of his sentencing.

No attorney was listed in court records for Silva-Lopez. His next court date is Sept. 12.