LAKE COUNTY, Ill. — A former officer with the Park City Police Department was found guilty of sexually abusing a woman during two traffic stops.
A jury convicted 29-year-old Patrick Cacho of 20 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, criminal sexual abuse, aggravated battery and official misconduct on Oct. 21.
During the trial, the victim described nonconsensual sexual contact during separate traffic stops initiated by Cacho in December 2025 and January 2026. Investigators say Cacho never turned on his body camera, never called into dispatch or documented the stops, and threatened the victim with criminal charges before assaulting her.
“By sexually abusing someone he had pulled over, this officer failed the public and his fellow police officers in every way possible,” Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said after the verdict. “He intimidated and abused a member of our community when we were trusting him to protect people.”
The investigation began when a friend of the victim reported the incidents to the Park City Police Department in late January 2026. Cacho was then charged in April 2026 following an investigation by the Illinois State Police.
“Because of this courageous victim, this offender will now face the strong prospect of years in prison,” Rinehart said.
Cacho denied the allegations and “attempted to discredit the victim and her account of what occurred” during his testimony, according to the state’s attorney’s office.
Cacho faces up to seven years in prison and must register as a sex offender for life. His next court date is scheduled for Dec. 17.
