Man gets 6 years for attacks on women on consecutive days – CWB Chicago
A man who pleaded guilty to charges stemming from attacks on two women on consecutive days in May 2024 has been sentenced to six years in prison. Police had released him without filing charges less than two weeks earlier after three women reported that he grabbed them in separate incidents at Marquette Park, according to police reports.
Jermaine Fowlkes, 38, pleaded guilty to attempted criminal sexual assault in one case, aggravated battery by strangulation in another, and a felony resisting charge, court records show. He was supposed to be on electronic monitoring while awaiting trial in the resisting case when the attacks occurred, according to court records. The sentences will run concurrently.
On May 22, 2024, Fowlkes allegedly put a 43-year-old woman in a bear hug, pressed his groin against her buttocks, and tried to drag her into an alley after she got out of her car to go to work in the 2600 block of West 71st Street, prosecutors said. One of the woman’s co-workers, a 45-year-old woman, heard the victim screaming and pushed Fowlkes away, officials said. The co-worker also photographed the alleged attacker and gave the picture to police.
Around 6:10 a.m. the next day, one block away, Fowlkes allegedly grabbed a 62-year-old woman by the arm as she took out the garbage and tried to pull her to the ground. As she screamed for help, Fowlkes pulled up her shirt and down her pants, prosecutors said. A passing motorist got out of their car, yelled at Fowlkes, and followed him as he left, officials said.
About 20 minutes later, Fowlkes allegedly grabbed another woman by the arm as she left a gas station in the 7100 block of South California Avenue, according to a Chicago Police Department report. The woman broke free and photographed him, then gave the picture to police.
Police arrested Fowlkes at his home about 90 minutes later after his mother called 911 to report that she believed he was wanted in connection with recent incidents in the area, a police report said.
A CWB Chicago review of police records found that officers had encountered Fowlkes on May 11, less than two weeks before the attacks, after three women reported that he grabbed them in separate encounters as they walked inside Marquette Park, 6743 S. Kedzie Ave. In each case, Fowlkes allegedly grabbed a woman’s arm around 7:30 a.m., according to the reports. A Chicago Park District security guard took Fowlkes to the ground and detained him until Chicago police arrived. But officers did not take him into custody at the direction of a sergeant, the report said.
At the time, Fowlkes was awaiting trial on a felony charge of resisting or obstructing a peace officer causing injury and was supposed to be wearing a GPS monitoring device, according to court records.
Judge Michael Pattarozzi sentenced Fowlkes to six years for attempted aggravated criminal sexual assault during the commission of another felony, court records show. The sentence will run concurrently with a five-year sentence for aggravated battery and a one-year sentence for resisting or obstructing a peace officer.
With credit for time served and the standard 50% reduction for good conduct, Fowlkes is scheduled for release on May 10, 2027, according to the projected release date.
