• 2025-08-14 00:23:55
• Gun Violence

JOLIET, IL — John Claude Novak, the 30-year-old man from Crest Hill who has victimized multiple pregnant women inside Joliet's retail stores by rubbing their bellies to satisfy his desires, has pleaded guilty to his latest crime, an incident that happened inside the Joliet Walmart on West Jefferson Street.

Novak's latest plea bargain with the Will County State's Attorney's Office of Jim Glasgow happened Tuesday at the Will County Courthouse. It resulted in a felony aggravated battery conviction for Novak, who was 27 at the time of his Joliet police arrest from three years ago.

According to his criminal complaint, Novak visited the Joliet Walmart on West Jefferson Street on Oct. 23, 2022, and approached the pregnant woman and "said defendant kneeled down in front of (her), who was visibly pregnant, and rubbed her belly with both of his hands and he moaned as if experiencing pleasure."

Glasgow's office charged Novak with two counts of aggravated battery and one crime of disorderly conduct. As part of this week's plea bargain with Novak and his private criminal defense counsel, JohnPaul Ivec of Plainfield, Novak pleaded guilty to his first count of aggravated battery and his other charges were dismissed.

According to court records, Novak received two years of probation as a result of his felony aggravated battery conviction. He must pay $904 in court costs and $1,200 in probation fees. There was no jail time ordered as part of the sentence and Novak did not spent any time incarcerated with his crime, his court records from the sentencing reflect.

Novak has been ordered as part of his sentence that he must away from the woman he was responsible for victimizing. Novak's probation will be in effect until Aug. 10, 2027.

Tuesday's sentencing was handled by one of the newer judges, Amy Christiansen, a former longtime Will County Public Defender, who is now the presiding judge of Courtroom 402. Assistant Will County State's Attorney Ashely Kwasneski handled the plea bargain for Glasgow's Office.

This marks Novak's second conviction resulting from a Joliet police arrest surrounding the touching of bellies of pregnant women who are out shopping at Joliet's department stores.

As Joliet Patch has previously reported, on June 25, 2015, Novak pleaded guilty to the crime of disorderly conduct and Novak was given two years of court supervision by Will County Judge Art Smigielski, plus $425 in court fines. The judge ordered Novak, then 20, to have no future contact with the victim. Novak was also ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation and comply with its recommendations. As part of the plea agreement with the Will County State's Attorney Office, Novak's charge of battery got dropped.

According to Joliet Police Detective Shawn Filipiak's criminal complaint, Novak knowingly touched the stomach of the pregnant woman "in such an unreasonable manner as to alarm and disturb" her on Jan. 5, 2015 at the Kohl's store, 2510 Route 59.

As for Novak, he resides near Plainfield Road and Gaylord Road over in the 2300 block of Green Street in Crest Hill, court files show.

Back in May, Novak learned that he did not qualify for Will County's specialty court program. As a result, his criminal case was transferred back to Judge Christiansen for further proceedings, court files show.

Related Joliet Patch coverage of John Claude Novak: