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After police arrested a Tamaroa man Wednesday in connection with three Perry County assaults, the Williamson County Sheriff's Department is asking for help in the alleged battery and sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl in Herrin.
According to the department, the girl said she was attacked Saturday by a white man who was armed with a knife. She said she was assaulted between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. while she walking in a wooded area east of Fifth and Van Buren streets.
The victim described the suspect as a white male in his 30s or 40s who is between 5-foot-10 and six feet tall and weighs between 150 pounds and 170 pounds with a thin build. She told police he has a scar on his face, a slight tan, a dark mustache and short, very dark black hair.
According to police reports, the victim said her attacker was wearing blue jeans, white shoes and a multi-colored jacket at the time of the assault.
The girl said she fought with the suspect during the attack, and he may also have fresh scratches on his face and arms.
Police reports did not indicate whether the girl knew the suspect.
Because the victim is a juvenile, police are restricted by federal law to release any medical information involving the girl.
According to the Williamson County Sheriff's Department, police are treating the incident as an aggravated battery and aggravated criminal sexual assault.
Since the accusation of aggravated battery comes from a 12-year-old girl, the suspect could be charged with aggravated battery of a child, which is a Class X felony.
Aggravated criminal sexual assault is also a Class X felony.
If convicted of a Class X felony charge in Illinois, a person could face a six-to-30-year sentence in an Illinois correctional facility and up to a $500,000 fine.
Tamaroa resident James E. Joseph, 32, was charged Friday in Perry County with four Class X felonies, including aggravated criminal sexual assault and predatory criminal sexual assault, and one Class 2 felony in connection with three October assaults involving four females between the ages of 10 and 20.
Anyone with information regarding the assault can call the Williamson County Sheriff's Department at 997-6541 or the Williamson County Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 1-800-414-8477.
