MOUNT GREENWOOD — Daniel Vorberg — who has been accused of masturbating in front of children — has been acquitted of his latest public indecency charge, court records show.
Judge Kerry Kennedy ruled May 3 that DNA evidence collected from Vorberg's car was "inconclusive," according to a report on Patch.com. Vorberg, 33, of Oak Lawn, was arrested June 18 in the 5000 block of West 95th Street in Oak Lawn, court documents show.
"We all know what Vorberg is. We all know what Vorberg will continue to be," Ald. Matt O'Shea (19th) said Tuesday.
O'Shea was disheartened by the decision but not surprised. He and the prosecutor in the case had been in close contact. O'Shea said the attorney struggled to sleep while on the case.
"Unfortunately, in this instance, there were no eyewitnesses," O'Shea said.
According to prosecutors, Vorberg was seen masturbating inside his car within 500 feet of the Papoose Children's Center, a school in the near south suburb.
The Patch.com report also stated that Vorberg was arrested for the alleged incident while out on parole for a similar offense.
That incident occurred about 4 p.m. on April 30, 2013, in Mount Greenwood. In that case, two parents witnessed Vorberg masturbating while watching a group of school children, court records show.
Vorberg was seen inside his light blue 2004 BMW holding both himself and his cell phone at the intersection of 112th Place and Spaulding Avenue — less than 500 feet from George F. Cassell Fine Arts School, according to court records.
He was arrested days later on a warrant in May 2013 in Chicago. Witnesses provided a description of Vorberg and his vehicle to police. Nearly a year later on April 9, 2014, a jury convicted him of public indecency, according to court records.
He was given three years in prison and credited for the 409 days he sat in county jail awaiting trial, court records show.
In the latest incident, an Oak Lawn police officer said Vorberg was spotted masturbating while parked behind a doctor’s office and daycare center playground.
Sandy Vorberg, the mother of the accused, told Patch.com that her son was innocent of all charges and that he's been unfairly targeted by the suburban police department.
"The last eight years have been a living hell,” she said.
Vorberg has three other convictions on his record as well. In 2011, he was found guilty of theft and battery. In 2006, Vorberg was found guilty of retail theft, and he was found guilty of criminal damages to a vehicle and driving under the influence of alcohol in 2004.
All of these prior convictions resulted in court supervision. He also had to perform community service in 2004 and complete five days in a work program after the 2011 conviction, court records show.
Vorberg was found not guilty of public indecency in 2010 from an incident that occurred a year earlier. A jury also found him not guilty in the 2009 case of three counts of attempted abduction of children under the age of 16, according to court filings.
Forced to accept the latest verdict, O'Shea said he believed city and suburban police would remain vigilant for any suspicious activity from Vorberg.
"In this case, it's the word that we hate the most in the court system, 'circumstantial,'" he said.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
