Crime & Safety
Drifter Accused of Sexually Assaulting Elderly Woman May Be Nearing Trial
A public defender for Dennis Dodson, the homeless man accused of sexually molesting an 83-year-old woman in 2011, said the evidence phase of the case is complete.
Dennis Dodson, the drifter accused in the 2011 sexual assault of an 83-year-old woman, may be nearing a trial date.
A public defender for Dodson said the pre-trial discovery phase of the case is complete, at a hearing in Judge John J. Hynes' Bridgeview courtroom on Wednesday.
Dodson, 35, appeared cleanly shaven in a yellow Department of Corrections jumpsuit with his red hair back in a ponytail. He didn't speak during the brief hearing.
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He has pleaded not guilty to the September 2011 assault and has been in custody since then on a $1.5 million bond. Prosecutors allege that , where he was living at the time. She had offered Dodson food and crackers two days prior, and returned to tell him she was working to find him a shelter, according to reports.
Dodson's rap sheet includes 60 arrests in 15 states and his attorneys have said has a history of mental health issues; however, initial court-appointed testing determined he was mentally fit.
A final status date has been set for Nov. 21.
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