On Thursday afternoon, a 35-year-old Pekin man, Ryan N. Chounard, found himself back in custody, this time at the Tazewell County Jail, on charges of sexual abuse and vehicular invasion, according to centralillinoisproud.com. The arrest followed a disturbing incident in a Planet Fitness parking lot in East Peoria, where Chounard is accused of assaulting a 26-year-old woman.
Wednesday's harrowing episode began when the woman, situated within her car, was approached by Chounard who allegedly struck up a conversation and then proceeded to unlock and enter her vehicle, he then exposed himself and attempted to coerce the victim into sexual acts; this was conveyed to the East Peoria Police by the victim herself. Notably, amid this trauma, observant witnesses were able to capture an image of the vehicle Chounard is said to have used to flee the unsettling scene, as per reports by 25newsnow.com.
Chounard is no stranger to law enforcement or the judicial system; his disturbing past unfurled in court records going as far back as 2018, when he faced charges including indecent solicitation of a child. After pleading guilty to aggravated criminal sexual abuse, Chounard was sentenced to five years in prison. His latest arrest is a stark reminder of his continuing threat, duly noted by his place on the Illinois State Police Sex Offender Registry as a lifetime registrant and designated sexual predator.
Further proceedings and details are expected to unfold as the case against Chounard continues.
