A Bensensville man was found not guilty Wednesday of attempted sexual assault and home invasion after his accuser had difficulty identifying him in police photographs.
Sandro Caban, 32, of the 100 block of Bernice Drive, remained in custody awaiting another trial on charges from a 2006 police chase in which an officer was injured after flipping a squad car.
A Cook County jury of 10 women and two men deliberated for five hours after closing arguments Wednesday in which prosecutors said Caban beat the woman with a vase and left her with broken teeth and cheekbones.
Assistant State's Attys. Karen Crothers and Mike Gerber showed pictures, saying the woman, 24, was "beaten to a pulp." The evidence against him consisted primarily of the woman's testimony.
Defense attorneys argued that the woman was unable to positively identify the man from a photo lineup and, in court, could not identify him from the same photos.
Attorney Loren Blumenfeld said there was no physical evidence linking Caban to the crime.
Caban was arrested in October after another Schiller Park woman reported seeing a man outside her window. With a description, police spotted Caban driving his van on Irving Park Road and a pursuit began, authorities said.
Caban tried to flee, driving wildly and striking five squad cars, one of which flipped over, injuring a police officer. The chase led to the Northwest Side of Chicago where Caban ran and was subdued with a stun gun, authorities said. Investigators later linked him to the 2005 attack. Both incidents occurred on the same street in Schiller Park.
Caban is on parole for a 2005 burglary conviction.
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