Markham man accused of sexual assault in Polo in 2022 to undergo evaluation – Shaw Local

OREGON – A Markham man accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl in Polo in December 2022 will undergo a sex offender evaluation.

Armon D. Pearson, 24, and his attorney Brian Erwin appeared before Judge John Redington on Wednesday, requesting the evaluation and asking for an adjournment until the evaluation is completed and received.

“This must be done immediately,” Redington told Pearson, setting the next court hearing for 1 p.m. on October 16.

Assistant District Attorney Matthew Leisten did not object to the adjournment.

Pearson is charged with sexually abusing a girl in Polo on December 13, 2022. He pleaded not guilty on February 14 and requested a jury trial.

An arrest warrant was first issued in July 2023 – when the charges were filed – and Pearson's bail was set at $150,000, meaning he had to post 10%, or $15,000, to be released.

He was arrested on December 22, 2023, and appeared in court on December 26 and again on December 27 while in custody at the Ogle County Jail.

Under the state's SAFE-T Act, Pearson requested to be released from custody without bail while his case proceeds through the courts. The law allows defendants to be released on no-cash bail, but a judge still decides whether a defendant is a flight risk or poses too great a threat to a person or the community to allow release.

At a detention hearing on December 27, Leisten argued that Pearson should not be released from custody because sexual assault is a “criminal offense” punishable by imprisonment.

Leisten said police reports indicate the assault occurred around 10:50 p.m. on the south end of Polo in or near the Village Inn Motel. He said the victim told police Pearson put his hand over her mouth and said he would “kill her” if she made any noise. Leisten said she told police she was raped twice.

Leisten also told the court that the girl was taken to KSB for a sex crimes test and the results were sent to the Illinois State Police crime lab. Motel records showed Pearson had booked a room for one night on Dec. 13, 2022, Leisten said.

When questioned by Chicago Metro Police, Leisten said Pearson denied knowing the girl or having been to or known anything about Polo or Ogle County.

Pearson also told Chicago investigators he had been texting a girl from Polo on the online dating app Plenty of Fish, Leisten said. He said Pearson told police he thought he had “slept with” her and admitted they had sex.

Pearson's criminal record includes an assault charge in Kane County in 2020, Leisten said.

Redington agreed earlier this year to release Pearson on the condition that he not have contact with the alleged victim. He also told Pearson that he was not allowed to be within Polo city limits “under any circumstances” while the case was pending.