Felon Accused of Fondling Woman's Buttocks Outside Forest Park CTA Station

A Chicago man with a long history of drug-related convictions is back behind bars again, accused this time of fondling a woman's buttocks outside of the CTA Blue Line station on Des Plaines Avenue in Forest Park.

Robert Cobbins was charged with felony aggravated battery on a public way Feb. 9. He is in Cook County Jail in lieu of posting a $30,000 bond. His next court date is Feb. 14.

Here's how the incident came down:

Officers were called to the station at 711 Des Plaines Ave. for a person being threatened with a gun on a CTA bus. When officers arrived on the scene, the victim, a 25-year-old woman, told them she had gotten off the El and was on the escalator going down to the ground level when a man, later identified as Cobbins, came up behind her.

Police said Cobbins reached down with his hand and grabbed her buttocks. The woman turned around and Cobbins stated to her "hey baby what's up?" and "I love you." The victim told police she tried getting away from him but others were in front of her, blocking the path down the escalator.

Police said the victim walked outside the north side doors and entered a Pace bus. No driver was on the bus at this time. She sat down toward the rear of the bus and Cobbins stood outside the windows, staring at her. 

Authorities said Cobbins got on the bus, walked up to her with clenched fists and told her he was going to "beat her ass." Police said the victim began arguing with him and he told her to "shut the **** up, again with clenched fists. Other people were on the bus, according to police, when this began to occur.

Police said Cobbins started walking toward the front of the bus as though he was leaving but came back, looked at her with his hands in his pockets and told her he was going to shoot her. A weapon was implied, although none was seen, police said.

The victim told police she got up and yelled at him when the driver came on to the bus and called police. Cobbins got off the bus and walked towards Van Buren Street when he was picked up by a Forest Park policeman, authorities said.

No weapon was found in Cobbins' possession after his arrest.

An odor of alcohol was detected on Cobbins' breath, police said.

Cobbins has been arrested 46 times, with nine convictions. Five of them have been for drug possession, Forest Park Dep. Chief Tom Aftanas said. 

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Police Blotter information is provided the Forest Park Police Department. Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions taken on a given day, and persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. If you or a family member are charged or cited and the case is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to notify the editor. We will verify and report the outcome.