Authorities: Elmhurst teen may have been high on LSD when assaulting classmate
A 17-year-old Elmhurst youth accused of sexually assaulting a classmate at a party Saturday night may have been high on LSD at the time, authorities said.
DuPage County Circuit Court Judge Robert Anderson decided Tuesday that the teen will remain in custody until at least Friday so he can be evaluated by a court psychiatrist.
He also wants the teen's parents to present a specific plan about how they will handle the teen's schooling, should he be released from custody.
The teen's attorney, John Callahan, told Anderson the attack was out of character for his client.
"He was just out of his mind that night," Callahan said, because he had "experimented" with a hallucinogenic drug.
Assistant State's Attorney Nick Catizone said the teen told Elmhurst police he had taken LSD.
Callahan told Anderson the teen, who is a senior, was about to become an Eagle Scout, has a grade-point average of 4.9 on a 4-point scale, and had a summer job working for the school district that he attends.
If the teen is released, he will not be allowed to attend his school, because the victim also is a student there. His mother testified that he is an independent learner and she will look into home-schooling options.
The attack occurred at the victim's house. The girl's parents were not home.
Catizone said other people at the party thought the teen was behaving oddly when he arrived and made him leave. He then allegedly kicked in a rear door, told the victim he was going to have sex with her and kill her, and then assaulted her.
He then took off all his clothes. Other partygoers pushed him outside, and he either jumped or fell off a deck.
Catizone said the teen told Elmhurst police that when he was on the ground, he felt like he was part of the Earth, or part of the grass, and that he heard voices telling him to kill himself.
The teen's next court hearing is at 9 a.m. Friday.