Winfield bartender charged with sexually assaulting patron
A bartender at a Winfield establishment has been charged with sexually assaulting a patron who authorities say was too drunk to consent.
Timothy R. Ramirez, 43, of West Chicago, is being held on $300,000 bail at the DuPage County jail.
Assistant State's Attorney Bridget Carlson said the woman went to Caliendo's Restaurant and Bar with a friend on Feb. 25 and became intoxicated.
Surveillance video shows her seemingly unconscious at 2 a.m. when Ramirez picked her up, put her over his shoulder, walked through the kitchen and out the back door, and ultimately put her in the back seat of his car. He then drove home.
Authorities said Ramirez put the woman on a bed in his home. Her friend, who had followed in the woman's car, tried unsuccessfully to wake the woman.
Roughly two hours later, the woman reported she woke to find Ramirez performing a sex act on her.
DNA was collected during a sexual-assault examination at a hospital and it matched that of Ramirez, Carlson said.
"It is alleged that Mr. Ramirez took advantage of his victim's condition to satisfy his sexual desires," State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a written statement. "These allegations are extremely disturbing and, if proven true, Mr. Ramirez will find himself behind bars, unable to take advantage of vulnerable women, for a significant amount of time."
The case was investigated by DuPage County sheriff's deputies.
"An atrocity such as this sickens me and if you commit violent crimes in DuPage County, you will be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick said in a statement. "I only hope that this arrest helps the victim find closure and justice."
Ramirez would need to post $30,000 bond to be released before trial. If he does, he will have to wear a GPS monitor.
A public defender, appointed only for Friday's bond hearing, argued for bail to be reduced to $150,000, saying Ramirez is married and has two children, cooperated during the investigation, and is not a flight risk. But Carlson submitted records indicating he fled Texas for five years to avoid going to prison on a 2003 federal charge of trafficking in cocaine there.
His next court date is Nov. 15.