Chicago — A unique tattoo, extensive video footage, and tenacious work by Chicago police detectives have resulted in criminal charges being filed against a man who allegedly attacked and sexually abused a woman as she walked home in the Loop nearly two years ago.
Leslie Borden, 31, was held in lieu of $300,000 bail by Judge Maryam Ahmad on Sunday. He must post 10% of the bail amount to be released on electronic monitoring.
The woman was walking to her apartment from a friend’s nearby home around 1 a.m. on May 21, 2021, when surveillance cameras captured footage of a man following about 100 feet behind her, according to prosecutor Erika Barnes.
The man closed the distance as she prepared to enter her building in the 600 block of South Plymouth, punched her in the back of the head, grabbed her arm, and dragged her to a secluded area in a nearby alley, Barnes said.
He straddled the woman on the ground, lifted her dress, and touched her private areas as she screamed for help and tried to keep her dress down, Barnes continued. The man punched the woman in her right eye and put his hand over her mouth.
But he ran away when a car drove by and scared him, Barnes said. The woman followed him for a distance as he headed to the Harrison Red Line station, then flagged down a passing car for help.
While reviewing security footage from the CTA and other cameras, Chicago police spotted a unique tattoo on the attacker, Barnes said. Detectives identified Borden by running the tattoo — two letters inside a Superman shield — through a law enforcement database.
Barnes said police have tried to arrest Borden several times but finally caught up with him a couple of days ago. He is charged with criminal sexual abuse.
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