PAROLEE CHARGED IN RAPE OF 13 YEAR OLD WALKING ON TRAIL

Andre Epps, a 29 year old Carol Stream man, approached a 13 year old girl on the Great Western Trail near Carol Stream and asked her to help him look for a friend of his.  After the girl agreed to help, he led her to a wooded area off the trail and sexually assaulted and beat her.  Epps has a long criminal history and was just paroled this month after serving time in the Menard State Correctional Center on a burglary charge.  He has been arrested 21 times in his life for a variety of offenses, including burglary, drug possession ant theft but he had never been charged with a sexual offense.  He is being held at the DuPage County jail on $1 million bond.  He has been charged with two counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault and faces up to 60 years in prison.  Because the girl was a minor, the sentence could be more severe.  According to the Daily Herald, earlier this month, a 14 year old girl fended off an attempted sexual assault on the Riverwalk near downtown Naperville but officials do not believe the two incidents are related.