A South Side man is accused of beating and sexually assaulting a woman he had met online, according to prosecutors.
Shawn Cowan, 26, first contacted the 27-year-old woman after she placed an ad online looking for an auto mechanic, prosecutors said in court Friday. The two texted each other for about three months and agreed to meet July 8 near the 9500 block of South Merrill Avenue, they said.
While sitting in Cowan’s car, Cowan indicated he had a gun and forced the woman into the back seat, where he punched her, broke her glasses and assaulted her, prosecutors said.
Cowan would not let her leave until she promised not to call police, they said. She reported the incident an hour later at Jackson Park Hospital.
Cowan was charged with aggravated criminal sexual assault after the woman identified him. He was ordered held on $50,000 bail.
