Plano man found guilty of sexually assaulting teen

SYCAMORE – A Plano man has been found guilty of criminal sexual assault to a teenager after a four-day trial this month.

Pedro Guzman, of Plano, was convicted by a DeKalb County jury of his peers after a trial that started May 4, DeKalb County court records show. Court officials used Spanish language interpreters throughout the trial for both the state and defense.

“I am very proud of my staff and our law-enforcement community in their ability to get justice for victims,” DeKalb County State’s Attorney Riley Oncken said in a statement.

Guzman faces between four to 15 years in prison, and would be required to serve 85% of his sentence.

The jury deliberated for about six hours and returned a guilty verdict on May 8, records show. The trial was presided over by Circuit Court Judge Marcy Buick. Prosecutors Brooks Locke and Daniel Regna with the DeKalb State’s Attorney’s Office presented witnesses, as did Guzman’s defense attorney Daniel Collins.

Guzman was 47 at the time of the assault. He was originally charged on May 14, 2020, records show. The victim was not from the U.S., Oncken said.

During trial, prosecutors presented evidence to show that Guzman knew the victim and that DNA evidence proved he’d sexually assaulted her, according to the state’s attorney’s office. Oncken’s office reported that Guzman told the jury at trial “I’m human. I allowed myself to go along with it.”

“What Pedro Guzman did was despicable,” Oncken said. “Not only did he sexually assault a teenager ... but he attempted to blame her after the DNA tied him to the assault. Instead of taking responsibility for what he did, he put on a charade and made the survivor relive her experience in court. His version of events was so unbelievable I am thankful that the jury saw through the lies and found him guilty.”

Guzman was taken into the custody of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office, records show. He is expected to be sentenced at 1:30 p.m. on July 2.