Man charged with home invasion, sexual assault

DIXON – A 25-year-old Amboy man was arrested early Friday and charged with breaking into an Amboy home and sexually assaulting a 24-year-old woman.

Daniel M. Garza, 35 N. Mason Ave., is charged with home invasion, aggravated criminal sexual assault and aggravated battery, all felonies, and resisting an officer and possession of marijuana, both misdemeanors.

He was in Lee County jail on $300,000 bond; his preliminary hearing is July 1.

Home invasion and aggravated criminal sexual assault carry 6 to 30 years in prison.

According to police, Garza allegedly broke into the house around 1:30 a.m., although how he got in is not yet known, Amboy Police Sgt. Jeff Blake said.

The woman and her husband were asleep in their bedroom, and she awoke when she felt someone groping her. She recognized Garza, who was using a cigarette lighter to illuminate the room, and he fled, police said in an affidavit in support of the charges.

She woke up her husband and called police.

A short time later, a Lee County sheriff’s deputy spotted Garza a few blocks from the house and chased him. Garza smacked into a tree and was tackled, and as the deputy tried to handcuff him, Garza allegedly elbowed him in the face two or three times.

During the scuffle, a bag of marijuana fell out of Garza’s shorts, police said.

In 2006, Garza pleaded guilty to driving under the influence and was sentenced to 24 months supervision. That same year, he pleaded guilty to possession of marijuana and possession of a controlled substance and received 30 months probation and 24 months probation respectively.

In 2007, probation was revoked in the marijuana case, and he was resentenced to 2 years in prison.