SEX OFFENDER ACCUSED OF BREAKING INTO HOME OF DISABLED WOMAN, HOLDING HER AT GUNPOINT
When officers stopped Adiso Sefer for riding a bicycle on a North Side sidewalk, they soon learned that he was wanted for failing to register as a sex offender, authorities said.
But during the arrest, they believed he matched the description of a man who robbed a disabled woman at gunpoint, so they brought the victim in — and she allegedly identified him as the person that broke into her West Rogers Park home in November.
Now Adiso Sefer, 57, faces charges of home invasion as well as failing to register, a felony. He was denied bail at a hearing this week at the Cook County Leighton Criminal Courthouse.
Sefer was arrested Monday after Chicago cops stopped him for riding a bicycle on a sidewalk in the 6400 block of North Mozart Street, according to police records.
During the stop, officers learned Sefer was wanted after he didn’t appear at a hearing for failing to register as a sex offender, Cook County prosecutors said. Sefer is required to register as a sexual predator due to a 2009 conviction for aggravated criminal sexual assault; he also has previous convictions for robbery, unlawful restraint and burglary, records show.
Sefer was found with pliers, a screwdriver and a drywall knife in his possession, which police called “items commonly used as burglary tools,” according to his arrest report. Sefer was also found with a pipe that contained cocaine residue, the documents show. Police said he initially gave them a fake name.
Officers believed he matched the description of the person involved in a Nov. 11 home invasion in West Rogers Park.
About 11:30 a.m. that morning, someone knocked on the door of an apartment in the 2500 block of West Devon Avenue. The 23-yearold woman who lived there opened the door, and the man pointed a gun at her. The woman, who prosecutors said has a physical disability, was then held at gunpoint for about 15 minutes while the man stole cash and a gold ring.
The woman called her parents after the man left and also provided a description of him to police.
After Sefer’s arrest this week, they brought in the victim from the home invasion — who identified him as her attacker, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors asked Judge Susana Ortiz to hold Sefer without bail, noting he had failed to appear for court hearings on at least eight other times, leading to warrants being issued for his arrest.
An assistant public defender for Sefer said he worked at a tire shop, which could explain the tools Sefer had on him when he was arrested, and said prosecutors had provided no fingerprint or DNA evidence that linked him to the home invasion.
Calling Sefer “a clear and present danger” to the community, Judge Ortiz denied him bail and set his next court date for Jan. 27.