An Aurora man has been found guilty of sexually assaulting an intoxicated woman in August of 2020.
Rene Cano-Rodriguez, 32, was convicted of criminal sexual assault, Class 1 felony, after a bench trial conducted by Judge David P. Kliment.
Cano-Rodriguez waived his right to a jury trial.
According to prosecutors, during the evening of August 22, 2020, Cano-Rodriguez and the victim were attending a party at a residence in Aurora. Cano-Rodriguez gave the victim multiple shots of tequila to drink and was aware that she was highly intoxicated. Cano-Rodriguez helped to walk the victim to her bedroom and then sexually assaulted her when she was unable to give consent because of her level of intoxication.
“This defendant took advantage of a situation in which the victim was unable to make her own choices, Assistant State’s Attorneys Matthew Rodgers stated after the verdict. “I’m grateful to this victim/survivor for trusting us and for the courage she showed in confronting the man who assaulted her and telling her story in court.”
Cano-Rodriguez will return to court for sentencing on December 1, 2023. He faces a sentence of between 4 and 15 years of imprisonment in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
In addition to the prison term, Cano-Rodriguez must register for life as a sexual offender in accordance with the Illinois Sexual Offender Registration Act.
Judge Kliment ordered Cano-Rodriguez taken into custody at the Kane County jail.
