Prosecutors: Man groped woman at Brown Line station on Near North Side

A registered sex offender is accused of groping a woman Tuesday night at a Brown Line station on the Near North Side.

Adrian Balle, 48, of the 5400 block of West Huron, faces one felony count of criminal sexual abuse, according to Chicago Police.

About 9:30 p.m., the 23-year-old woman was on her way up the stairs to the Chicago Brown Line stop in the 300 block of West Chicago when a man ran up behind her and grabbed her buttocks, prosecutors said.

The man continued to follow her, then reached between her legs and groped her again through her clothes, prosecutors said. The woman turned around and pushed the man away from her.

The man smiled at the woman and made a joke, then smacked her hand away, prosecutors said. He walked up back down the stairs, while the woman ran the rest of the way up to the station.

A CTA employee noticed the woman crying and asked her what happened, prosecutors said. The woman told the CTA employee and pointed to the man, who was entering a Dunkin Donuts at the bottom of the stairs.

The CTA employee called police and gave a description of the man, who was arrested in the Dunkin Donuts.

The woman identified Balle in a lineup as the man who groped her, and surveillance videos captured the incident, prosecutors said.

Balle is a registered sex offender with a criminal history dating back to 1986, according to court records.

Judge James Brown ordered Balle held on a $300,000 bond in court Wednesday.