A DuPage County judge on Wednesday ordered the family of a Lombard teenager charged with sexual assault to hire a private defense lawyer to represent the youth.
Judge Michael Burke issued the ruling after a representative for the DuPage County Public Defender said the family earned too much money to be represented by that office.
Assistant Public Defender John Elias told Burke that the family’s annual income was a little more than $15,000, or about $2,000 higher than the maximum income needed to qualify for free legal assistance.
The juvenile defendant was arrested this month and charged with sexually assaulting five adult women over a 10-month period.
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He was charged with home invasion, aggravated criminal sexual assault and unlawful restraint.
Prosecutors are seeking to have the teenager tried as an adult.