Man Pleads Not Guilty In Warehouse Sex Assault Case

LAKE BARRINGTON, IL — A 20-year-old Palatine man accused of tying up a young woman inside a warehouse and sexually assaulting her has entered not guilty pleas to multiple felony charges.

Ryan Storm, of the 500 block of West Gilbert Road in Palatine, is charged with aggravated kidnapping, aggravated criminal sexual assault, criminal sexual assault, aggravated battery-strangulation, aggravated criminal sexual abuse and unlawful restraint in connection with the May 18 attack. On Wednesday, he entered not guilty pleas in the case.

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Meanwhile, authorities have credited an observant acquaintance of Storm's for saving the woman, who was hospitalized following the incident.

Police say it started when the acquaintance received a strange call from Storm around 2 a.m. on May 18. The call prompted the acquaintance to go to check on Storm's well-being at a business in the 28000 block of Commercial Avenue, Lake Barrington, which is where Storm works, according to authorities.

When the person went inside, Storm ran out the door. Inside, the person found a woman bound to a piece of heavy equipment. She'd been held against her will, tied down, beaten and sexually assaulted, authorities said.

“I firmly believe that the victim’s life was saved because of the gut feeling the caller had, and the caller taking the further step of checking on the situation in the middle of the night," said Lake County Sheriff John D. Idleburg. "That, in conjunction with terrific law-enforcement collaboration, saved the victim’s life and allowed us to take the offender into custody.”

The Lake and McHenry County Sheriff's office launched a search for Storm, and K-9s and deputies from both departments spent several hours looking for him, police said. Shortly after 8 a.m., a Fox River Grove Police Department officer spotted Storm running the 900 block of Ski Hill Road.

The officer chased Storm and was able to arrest him, authorities said. Storm remains behind bars at the Lake County Jail on a $3 million bail.

He is next expected in court on Aug. 6.