Lawyers are preparing for the Jan. 24 preliminary hearing of the Evanston man accused of sexually assaulting a Northwestern student last May.
The defendant, Darryl Deshawn Preston, was scheduled to appear Jan. 9 before Judge Garritt E. Howard at Circuit Court in Skokie, but failed to appear because of a hearing for a separate incident occurring at the same time.
“It’s a status date,” said Cmdr. James Elliot of the Evanston Police Department. “(The defendant) wants all the prosecutor’s reports.”
Preston, 24, was arrested and charged with burglary, home invasion, unlawful restraint, and criminal and sexual assault in July.
Preston allegedly approached a 22-year-old NU student as she was entering her apartment on the 1200 block of Simpson Street on May 8 at about 11:25 p.m.
According to police, the attacker pushed the student into her apartment, threatening to kill her if she screamed. He then took the woman to her bedroom and raped her, positioning himself to hide his face from her.
If convicted on all charges, Preston could face more than 21 years in prison.
Preston last appeared in court Nov. 17 for a preliminary hearing at which prosecutors turned over police reports to the defendant’s lawyers, Elliot said. He was also ordered to be tested for sexually transmitted diseases.
Preston pleaded not guilty to all charges at his arraignment Aug. 29. He was arrested at his Evanston home July 20 after the Illinois State Police Crime Lab identified him using DNA evidence, according to a police press release. Police were able to locate Preston after receiving information from a pawn shop.
Student safety remains a priority for the university, said Alan Cubbage, NU vice president for university relations .
“Security on and off the campus is always a key concern of the university and one that NU spends a great deal of time and effort on,” he said.
“I think a very encouraging step is one that was approved in December, which was the approval of emergency telephones near campus in Evanston.”
Preston is still being held at the Department of Corrections after his bail was set at $750,000 in July.
“We’re just waiting for the judicial system to proceed with the case,” Elliot said.
Reach Brian Rosenthal at [email protected].
