A 16-year-old Dixmoor boy was ordered held in lieu of $1 million bail Saturday in the brutal sex assault of a 16-year-old girl in Chicago’s West Pullman neighborhood.
Stephon Harshaw is charged as an adult with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery, aggravated criminal sexual assault and aggravated kidnapping in the Aug. 26 incident in the 100 block of East 117th Place.
More Top Picks Best Sunrise Alarm Clocks Under 100
Harshaw approached the girl at around 7:30 p.m. on the street and struck up a conversation with her, according to Assistant State’s Attorney Mary Hain.
When he learned that her boyfriend had her cell phone, he told her that he knew her boyfriend’s grandmother and would help her find her phone. He then led the girl to an abandoned home, where he assaulted her and choked her, causing her to lose consciousness, Hain said.
Harshaw continued to assault her, and she regained consciousness when he began cutting her neck with a knife, Hain said. The girl screamed out when he stabbed her multiple times in the chest before she lost consciousness again, and he left the house, Hain said.
Later a witness at a bus stop called police when the witness saw the girl walking on the street covered in blood, Hain said in court.
The girl was taken first to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn and then UIC Medical Center, where she was treated for four knife wounds to the chest, one of which punctured her lung. She also suffered slash wounds across her neck from ear to ear, Hain said.
A knife and the girl’s clothing were collected from the scene and a sexual assault kit led police to Harshaw, who was arrested Thursday at his home in the 14000 block of South Paulina Street in Dixmoor. He made admissions in custody, Hain said. The victim also identified Harshaw in a photo array, Hain said.
Judge Laura Marie Sullivan ordered Harshaw held on $1 million bail.