DNA hit leads to charges in 2001 sexual assault in West Chicago

An Arizona man has been charged with sexually assaulting a woman in her West Chicago apartment more than two decades ago.

Alberto Gomez, 51, faces three felony counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, three felony counts of criminal sexual assault, one felony count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and one felony count of criminal sexual abuse.

DuPage County Judge Daniel Guerin set his bail at $5 million. Gomez, of Florence, Arizona, would have to post $500,000 to be released from custody.

A DNA hit led to his arrest, prosecutors said. DNA swabs recovered from the victim following the November 2001 assault were found to be consistent with Gomez's DNA, which was submitted after Gomez was arrested on charges of illegally re-entering the United States last November, prosecutors said.

The woman was alone in her apartment when she awoke to a man, later identified as Gomez, standing in her bedroom, prosecutors said. Gomez pushed the woman down on the bed, put his hand over her mouth, struck her multiple times and then sexually assaulted her, prosecutors said.

After Gomez fled the apartment, the victim immediately contacted West Chicago police. Gomez lived in the West Chicago or Warrenville area at the time of the assault, prosecutors said.

"While a case this old may have gone cold, it remained active, and I commend the West Chicago Police Department for their efforts that allowed us to charge Mr. Gomez with the sexual assault of a defenseless woman," DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement Monday.

Gomez had been in federal custody since his arrest last November. He was transferred to the DuPage County jail last week, where he remains. Anyone with information regarding the sexual assault case or Gomez is asked to contact West Chicago police at (630) 293-2222. His next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 16.