Cook County Court: Suburban man gets 17 years for Loop parking garage assault

Garland Benton, a 45-year-old resident of Crystal Lake, received a 17-year prison sentence last week for an attempted sexual assault in Chicago's Loop district. The conviction follows his guilty plea to attempted aggravated criminal sexual assault and aggravated battery in a public place.

The court granted Benton credit for the 211 days he has already served in custody. He will serve the remainder of his 17-year term in state prison.

The incident occurred in March at approximately 6:30 a.m. inside a parking garage at 30 N. Michigan Ave. near Millennium Park. Prosecutors stated that Benton grabbed the victim, a 20-year-old woman, immediately after she parked her vehicle. He threw her to the ground, struck her in the face, and removed some of her clothing while licking her upper body.

The attack drew the attention of the victim's coworker, who had also just arrived at the garage. Prosecutors said Benton knocked the coworker to the ground, injuring her. At least three other witnesses attempted to intervene. According to prosecutors, some witnesses hit Benton with objects. He fled the scene after witnesses captured photographs of him.

Police tracked Benton in real time using surveillance cameras. They observed him at the Monroe CTA station, where he allegedly donned a hat, scarf, and jacket to obscure his appearance before boarding a Red Line train. Officers located him at the Halsted Orange Line stop and made the arrest that same day. Prosecutors noted that Benton possessed a one-way train ticket to Kansas City at the time of his capture.

The victim was transported to a hospital in good condition. Benton has a criminal history dating to 1998 that includes convictions and prison time in Illinois and other states. Those records include charges for aggravated battery and assault in unprovoked attacks against women.