Incident was one of three similar summer attacks

The 25-year-old Chicago man charged with the sexual assault of a 21-year-old Carbondale woman on Aug. 7 is not a suspect in similar cases that occurred during the summer, police said.

Paul L. Robinson is charged in Jackson County with criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual abuse and unlawful restraint for allegedly overpowering and sexually assaulting the woman at 1:15 a.m. on the 800 block of East College Street.

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Robinson was unarmed at the time. Dan Reed, community resource officer for the Carbondale Police Department, said the location of the attack was only a couple blocks away from the police department.

“She was heading home,” Reed said. “This was one of those cases where it’s not like she was walking though a shortcut through the woods or something that you would think would be a dangerous place. She was walking down a street and walking right by the police station.”

The woman, who lived in the area, contacted the police department immediately following the attack, Reed said.

“That’s what really helped this case out so much is she was able to give such a detailed description,” he said. “And when it was so quick that they put it out and officers started looking.”

Robinson, who gave his address as the homeless shelter and soup kitchen Good Samaritan House, was found near the location of the attack on the 400 block of East College Street, Reed said. Police could not indicate whether there was alcohol in his system.

Susan Metcalf, executive director of the Good Samaritan House, said Robinson stayed from July 21 through July 24 but would not work at the house to earn a train ticket home.

“We didn’t have to ask him to leave. He was demanding to leave all the time,” she said. “We just broke down and bought him a ticket and put him on the train.”

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Metcalf said he returned a few days later but was not allowed to stay because of his earlier behavior. Jackson County State’s Attorney Michael Wepseic said Robinson was being held at $2,500 but, because there is a hold on his name, would not be released.

Robinson was on parole for prior convictions until Sept. 9. The preliminary hearing is at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 19.

There were two similar attacks during July. At 3:20 a.m. July 8, a 22-year-old female victim was reportedly robbed and sexually assaulted in her home on the 500 block of South Graham Avenue. A black male, approximately 30-years-old, 5-foot-6 and 115 pounds, entered the house armed with a handgun. Police said he was last seen wearing a blue shirt, dark jeans, black gym shoes and had alcohol on his breath.

A man allegedly attempted to sexually assault a 20-year-old female at 3:40 a.m. July 30 on the 500 block of South Forest Street. The suspect was armed with a knife and is described by police as a black male, medium complexion, around 22-25 years old, 5-foot-7 and weighing 170 pounds.

Reporter Lindsey J. Mastis can be reached at [email protected]