Man charged with sexually assaulting Roosevelt University student

UPDATE: Alvin Perez pleaded guilty to a count of battery on Feb. 8, 2021 and all other charges were dropped, according to court records. Judge Carol Howard sentenced Perez to two years of probation with conditions, including drug and alcohol treatment, and 40 hours of community service.

Bail was set at $10,000 Friday for a former Roosevelt University student charged with sexually assaulting a fellow student three years ago at an off-campus party.

Cook County prosecutors said Alvin Perez, then 20, and his roommate hosted a party Aug. 27, 2017, at their Lake View home that was attended by a 19-year-old woman who had previously dated Perez’s roommate.

During the party, Perez’s roommate and the woman got into an argument and the roommate told the woman to leave the party. The woman began crying, prosecutors said, and Perez began to console her and brought her to his room.

After shutting the door, prosecutors said Perez sat on the bed with the woman and began to kiss and grope her. The woman told Perez to stop, but he continued to touch her and then allegedly sexually assaulted her with his mouth.

The woman was able to stop Perez and asked for her clothes, prosecutors said. Perez groped her again as she was dressing, she told him to stop again and he apologized and left the room, prosecutors said.

Chicago police

The woman told her mother and two other people about what happened the next morning, then filed a report with Chicago police and went to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where a sexual assault kit was performed.

Via text messages, Perez apologized for his actions to the woman and to his roommate, prosecutors said.

The next month, Perez was expelled from Roosevelt University following a Title IX investigation, according to prosecutors. He was taken into custody by Chicago police in connection with the alleged assault in November that year but was released without charges.

DNA test results came back from the sex assault kit in July 2019, and DNA was taken from Perez when he was taken into custody on Thursday at his home in west suburban Romeoville and charged with criminal sexual assault, according to court records.

Perez, 23, maintains his interactions with the woman were consensual, his attorney Frank Cece Jr. said in court. He had no other criminal background and had not interacted with the woman since, Cece said.

Cece said relatives of Perez who attended the hearing declined to comment.

His next court date was set for March 19.