Patient at Chicago area mental health facility repeatedly raped by black employee, lawsuit says

[It's Africoon Month Again!]

LEMONT, Ill. (CBS) – A patient at a women's mental health facility in southwest suburban Lemont was repeatedly raped by an employee while undergoing treatment, a new lawsuit alleges.

The 24-year-old, listed as Jane Doe, sought treatment for bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, and suicidal thoughts, according to the lawsuit filed by firms Meyers & Flowers and Clark Frost Zucchi. She was a patient at Timberline Knolls, a nationally recognized residential treatment center for women and adolescent girls over 12 with eating disorders, trauma, substance abuse disorders and other mental health issues.

"She thought she could get help there, be in a safe environment, and be with licensed therapists," attorney Pete Flower said.

Doe checked into Timberline Knolls in May 2024. Within days, an employee named Erick Hampton, who was in charge of transporting her and other patients around the facility, took advantage of that role and sexually assaulted her on three different occasions, according to the lawsuit.

Hampton would isolate her and told Doe to go into a private room where patients use telecommunication devices to contact loved ones and raped her, according to the suit. That same day, he forced her and attacked her again.

Doe said she told her roommate about the attacks, who reported it to a staff member, who failed to act on that report promptly, said Flowers.

The lawsuit also alleged that a Timberline Knolls staff member woke Doe up in the middle of the night and accused her of having a "secret affair" with a staff member and that it was captured on security cameras.

Doe checked out of Timberline Knolls a few days later out of fear, according to the lawsuit. She was at the treatment center for less than two weeks.

Flowers said Doe is worse off now than before seeking treatment at Timberline and that the alleged assaults left her damaged.

On their website, Timberline Knolls claims that staff are trained to have a "trauma-informed approach" and use "an approach to care that addresses deeply rooted experiences that may have prevented you from healing."

"The trauma associated with this
it's going to take years of therapy for her to ever trust anymore," Flowers said. "She didn't get the treatment she needed for issues that existed before, and now she has a whole new set of issues."

Doe is now receiving treatment elsewhere.

"The state needs to intervene and figure out what's going on there," Flowers said.

A record of 911 calls for service to the facility obtained by the CBS News Chicago Investigators showed dozens of calls related to criminal sexual abuse or sexual assault since 2018.

On at least eight occasions since 2020, the Lemont Police Department received reports from patients saying they had been sexually assaulted or abused, many of which involved juveniles.

It's not just allegations. In 2019, Timberline Knolls counselor Mike Jacksa was charged with sexually abusing six different women at Timberline Knolls. He's required to register as a sex offender.

Back in 2019, Timberline Knolls said the Mike Jacksa cases were isolated.

"This is a systemic issue at Timberline. It shows when private equity money gets in to healthcare, all they're really concerned about is making money," Flowers said.

Hampton has not been charged criminally.

More victims have come forward since the lawsuit, according to Flowers.

Neither Timberline Knolls or its parent company, Acadia Healthcare, responded to our multiple requests for comment on this story.

https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/mental-health-facility-rape-lawsuit/

[It's Africoon Month Again!]

This piece of shit should never see another day of freedom in his life.

Chicago — Nearly five years after an 18-year-old woman was brutally beaten and raped after leaving the Chicago Blue Line station, her attacker is going to prison.

Rufus Carson, 42, pleaded guilty to attempted murder, aggravated kidnapping, and two counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault before Judge Sophia Atcherson last Friday. She sentenced him to seven years on each count, to be served consecutively.

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Prosecutors said CTA video showed Carson hurrying along the platform to catch up with the woman as she exited the station on the morning of August 27, 2018.

Carson continued to follow the woman and eventually attacked her from behind in the 1200 block of West Ohio. Video allegedly showed her putting a hand over the woman’s face before he dragged her into a construction area.

There, Carson raped the woman and beat her so violently that she suffered a concussion and a traumatic brain injury, prosecutors alleged. A construction worker found her about an hour after the attack.

Prosecutors said a security system recorded audio of the attack, in which Carson allegedly slammed the woman’s head against concrete as she screamed for several minutes. At one point, Carson stepped out of the construction area, then returned to attack the woman again.

Block Club Chicago reported in 2019 that the woman spent months in rehab, learning how to walk and talk again.

Chicago police released surveillance images of a suspect later that day and arrested Carson within three hours.

Carson initially rejected a plea deal three years ago, a decision that could have forced the victim, who lives in Poland, to return to Chicago for trial.

At the time of the attack, Carson was on bond for a pending case in McHenry County that accused him of exposing his penis to his girlfriend’s young daughter. He had five previous felony convictions for burglary, possessing a stolen motor vehicle, and narcotics.

He has not been transferred to the Illinois Department of Corrections custody as of Saturday evening, so his anticipated parole date is unavailable.

https://cwbchicago.com/2023/03/chicago-blue-line-sexual-assault-attempted-murder-sentence.html

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CHICAGO — A 28-year-old man has been charged with two felonies in connection to a rape in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood on March 21, according to police.

Antoine Jackson, 28, of the 2300 block of South Western Avenue was identified as the perpetrator that sexually assaulted a 29-year-old woman in the 3200 block of North Kenmore Avenue last Sunday.

Jackson was arrested Thursday afternoon in the 7500 block of South Stewart Avenue and was placed into custody without incident. Jackson was charged with one felony count of aggravated criminal sexual assault with a weapon and one felony count of kidnapping.

Jackson is due in Central Bond Court on Saturday.

https://wgntv.com/news/chicagocrime/28-year-old-man-charged-with-aggravated-criminal-sexual-assault-in-connection-to-north-side-rape/

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Dennis Jackson, 22, was arrested early Saturday morning in West Town and charged with a string of armed robberies and one attempted rape, police announced on Sunday. Credit: Chicago Police Department; Alisa Hauser/Block Club Chicago

WEST TOWN — A Lawndale man was arrested early Saturday just blocks from where police say he robbed and tried to rape a woman near a West Town school.

Dennis Jackson was arrested around 6:25 a.m. Saturday in the 400 block of North Oakley Boulevard, police said.

He was charged with this week’s attempted rape in West Town, as well as with a string of armed robberies.

According to police, officers from the department’s Area Central Robbery and Burglary tactical team “approached Jackson while he was riding a bicycle after he matched the description of the offender wanted in numerous armed robberies and an attempted criminal sexual assault” that had occurred in the Near West District (12th).

Jackson was later “positively identified” as the man responsible for the recent robberies and the attempted rape, police said.

Jackson, 22, of the 1500 block of South Sawyer Avenue, was ordered held without bond during a hearing on Sunday.

He’s charged with three felony counts of armed robbery with a firearm, one felony count of attempted armed robbery with a firearm, one felony count of aggravated kidnapping, one felony count of attempted aggravated criminal sexual assault and one felony count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

He was also charged with misdemeanor theft because he was riding a stolen bike, police said.

Early Thursday, a woman walking to work was robbed at gunpoint and forced to undress by her attacker in the 500 block of North Leavitt.

The proximity of the incident to nearby Ellen Mitchell elementary school had the entire school community “on high alert,” a source from the school said. 

https://blockclubchicago.org/2018/09/09/man-charged-in-attempted-rape-near-west-town-school-and-string-of-armed-robberies/

[It's Africoon Month Again!]

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Rufus Carson was charged in an August 2018 rape and beating that left an 18-year-old woman hospitalized in serious condition with severe facial fractures. Credit: Alisa Hauser / Chicago Police Department

Editor’s note: This story contains descriptions of sexual assault and graphic violence. If you are a rape victim and need assistance, please call RAINN at 800-856-HOPE.

CHICAGO — After surviving a traumatic brain injury and coming out of a coma, an 18-year-old Polish woman who was stalked and raped in a brutal attack in West Town last summer spent months in a rehab facility where she relearned how to walk and talk, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Her alleged attacker, Rufus Carson, 38, rejected a plea deal in court Tuesday, telling Judge Thaddeus Wilson he’d like to take the case to trial. Wilson told Carson the plea deal, which offered a 30-year sentence, would be a “gift.”

“I’m not gonna listen to that no more,” Carson told the judge.

Instead, Carson has asked the state to consider a 25-year plea deal, according to the judge. He would not be eligible for parole and would have to serve 85 percent of the sentence; ultimately the victim will weigh in on whether the state should offer the lighter sentence.

If the case goes to trial, Carson faces up to 150 years in prison, said prosecutor Mikki Miller. A pre-trial hearing was scheduled for Dec. 16 and a trial for Carson was scheduled Jan. 24.

Around 7 a.m. Aug. 26, 2018, the woman — a Polish teenager who was staying with family in Chicago for the summer — was walking from the CTA Chicago Blue Line “L” station to the Starbucks at the corner of Ogden and Grand avenues in West Town.

Miller told Wilson video surveillance from the CTA and neighboring properties depicts part of the attack. CTA video footage “clearly” shows Carson’s face, as well as his outfit: a Chicago Bears hat, a white T-shirt and dark jeans, she said.

Inside the station, Miller said, video footage shows Carson pacing back and forth before running down the platform and chasing the victim up the escalator.

Outside the train station, a security camera affixed to a neighboring property shows Carson grabbing the victim, putting her into a “chokehold” and dragging her into an alley, “clearly against her will,” Miller said.

While the footage does not visually capture what happened next, the camera’s audio component recorded the attack, Miller said.

The audio feed begins with about 10 minutes of the victim screaming, as well as a “dull banging,” which Miller said was likely the noise of the victim’s head banging against the concrete ground. During the attack, Carson beat the victim repeatedly and raped her multiple times, Miller said.

After 10 minutes, video footage resumes, showing Carson standing on Ogden Avenue, “adjusting his pants” and looking both ways, Miller said.

Carson then disappears from view again and rapes and beats the woman for an additional 10 minutes, Miller said.

After the attack, Carson returned to the Blue Line, where additional CTA footage showed him taking off his shirt, sweating and appearing “out of breath,” Miller said.

Witnesses found the victim unconscious and near death about an hour and a half later.

For a brief few seconds, the victim regained consciousness and told an EMT, “I was raped,” before slipping back into unconsciousness.

She then spent several days in a coma at Northwestern Hospital, where she was treated for traumatic brain injuries, shattered facial bones and lesions.

After that, she spent several months in a rehabilitation facility, where she relearned how to walk and talk.

Her earliest attempts at speaking were screams of terror while lying in a fetal position, Miller said.

In addition to video and audio footage capturing the attack, Miller said Carson’s DNA matched the rape kit. When he was arrested 24 hours later, the victim’s blood was on his clothes, Miller said.

As Miller detailed the facts of the case, the victim’s family members and a handful of West Town neighbors wiped tears from their eyes.

Stephanie Schatz, a neighbor, suggested the neighbors come back next time wearing the same color shirt as a show of solidarity with the victim, who they’ve dubbed “Warrior Woman.”

Julie Sawicki said she was devastated Carson rejected the deal.

His decision will force the victim, whose family Sawicki knows personally, to relive her trauma and face Carson in court.

“I hope he never sees freedom again,” she said.

The victim’s extended family declined to be interviewed on Tuesday. She and her immediate family are currently in Poland, but will need to return to the United States for the trial.

Carson faces three felony charges for aggravated criminal sexual assault, aggravated kidnapping and aggravated battery causing great bodily harm.

Carson has five prior felony convictions including two for burglary, two for narcotics with intent to sell and one for possessing a stolen vehicle, police said.

He also has a pending charge in McHenry County from when he was accused of holding his penis in front of his girlfriend’s 11-year-old daughter, Miller said.

Carson was out on bond when the West Town attack took place.

In the last year, hundreds of neighbors have stepped up financially to help the victim.

As of Thursday, the GoFundMe page started for “Warrior Woman” has raised $26,658 from a collective 575 donors has been raised for the woman and her family.

This is a developing stories. Check back for updates.

https://blockclubchicago.org/2019/10/15/polish-woman-18-had-to-relearn-how-to-walk-and-talk-after-brutal-west-town-rape-nearly-killed-her-prosecutors-say/

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HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A town hall is scheduled for Friday to discuss University of Houston student safety after a string of violent crimes on campus, including a sexual assault at knifepoint.

Meanwhile, Eric Brown, the 40-year-old man charged with aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon and two counts of aggravated sexual assault in the attack, appeared in court Friday.

Brown has refused to cooperate with the court and now with his lawyers. According to court records, Brown was assigned a public defender, though he initially refused one.

During Friday morning's court appearance, he refused to agree to the conditions of his $15 million bail.

That means he'll be in jail for the duration of the case or until he signs the agreement. His refusal to talk to anyone, including his court-appointed attorneys, further complicates the case.

"I just met him yesterday, and he's refused to communicate with (me or other attorneys)," Brown's defense attorney, Wilvin Carter, told ABC13 on Friday. "He gave some indication that he was going to communicate this morning, but once we got in court, he just ceased all communication."

Carter said they plan to file a motion to potentially lower Brown's bond.

"He has a right to have that amount reduced - especially knowing that he is homeless," Carter said. "That bond is exceedingly high, excessively high, so we want to make sure to protect his constitutional rights by at least trying to get that bond lowered to something that he can possibly make."

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After he was mistakenly released from police custody, officials spent a week searching for 40-year-old Eric Brown. A judge set his bond at $15 million total overnight.

Brown refused to go to his probable cause court appearance on Wednesday. Then, on Thursday, he was supposed to appear again, but he was sent for a wellness check after attorneys said he had an altercation with the correctional officers and had his blood pressure elevated.

The rape of a 21-year-old UH student on the second floor of the Welcome Center Student Parking Garage happened on Feb. 7. According to charging documents, the victim was cleaning her vehicle as she was preparing for a sorority event when Brown came up to her and asked to borrow a pen. That's when Brown reportedly forced his way into her vehicle and raped her at knifepoint, documents said.

Brown was finally re-arrested on Tuesday -- more than a week after the attack -- after a miscommunication between the UH police department and the district attorney's office led to him being released shortly after he was initially arrested hours after the attack.

He was reportedly spotted by a civilian on the METRORail near Shell Energy Stadium. Officials previously said Brown is believed to be homeless and, before his arrest, was spotted using the METRORail and libraries in the area.

Students are relieved he's finally behind bars and are hoping for swift justice.

"I would only wish the most justice for someone who went through something like that and (I'm) really glad it was in a somewhat timely manner that they were able to catch him," UH student Kate Jablonski told ABC13.

Students have been pushing for more safeguards on campus after the attack and several other robberies that also happened on campus in the past few weeks.

Texas State Representative Jolanda Jones is hosting what she's calling an "emergency town hall" to address UH student safety.

She says she wants to hear from students about their concerns so they can work towards real solutions.

The town hall is happening Friday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Emancipation Park.

Documents reveal that Brown has a lengthy history of charges, dating all the way back to 2002. His most recent charge was a misdemeanor assault on a family member in 2018, documents said.

The sexual assault is not the only recent crime on UH's main campus. Within the past few weeks, two students were robbed of their scooters, and another student was robbed of his cell phone at gunpoint.

Last week, 28-year-old Steven Simon was arrested in connection with the scooter thefts.

So far, no one has been taken into custody for the cellphone robbery.

The university said it has committed to increased police presence and what they call "improved coordination" for holding suspects accountable.

Brown's bond amount remains at $15 million, and he has no intentions to make that bond, according to Carter.

"He has said absolutely nothing about the case except that we don't represent him, and this is a kangaroo court, and he does not want to make bond," Carter said. "Those are the three main points he's made to us since yesterday."

Brown is expected to reappear in court in May.

https://abc13.com/post/texas-state-representative-jolanda-jones-plans-emergency-town-hall-university-houston-student-safety-rape-campus/15941519/

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A decision by Chicago police detectives to release surveillance images of a Lincoln Park rape suspect drew “several” tips from people who recognized the assailant, prosecutors said as they filed charges in the case on Friday.

The 28-year-old victim was visiting Chicago and staying with a friend in the 1900 block of North Sheffield last month. After going out with friends, she took an Uber back to the apartment building on Sheffield and noticed a man standing on the sidewalk as she exited the vehicle, prosecutors said.

As she put the key in the door, the man wrapped his arms tightly around her neck, causing her to feel faint as he whispered to her to stay quiet. He pushed her onto the hallway stairs and raped her, but he could not maintain an erection, prosecutors said.

After the attack, he went through the woman’s purse and took some cash.

When the woman begged him not to take her ID and credit cards, the attacker laughed, threw them at her, and left the building, officials said. The victim immediately went to her friend’s apartment and explained what happened. The friend called the police.

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Reggie Brown and surveillance images of the suspect that CPD released. | Chicago Police Department

Police recovered Ring surveillance video and other footage from the area. Detectives pulled two images of the suspect from the videos and released them to the public last Friday.

The publicity generated several tips identifying the man as Reggie Brown, 31. Among the people who identified Brown were his ex-girlfriend and a Department of Children and Family Services employee, prosecutors said during Friday’s court hearing.

Chicago police put Brown’s home under surveillance and arrested him Wednesday.

Brown told police that he choked the victim and tried to have sex with her, but he had trouble maintaining an erection, according to the allegations.

At the end of the bond hearing, Judge Mary Marubio held Brown without bail at the state’s request. He is charged with three counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault threatening life, aggravated robbery, and unlawful restraint.

Prosecutors said he has three misdemeanor convictions in his background.

One of those misdemeanors stems from an incident last year in which a man was charged with trying to sell a woman’s SUV and her dog, which was inside the car when it was stolen, back to the victim for $350.

Among the items in the woman’s stolen car were her business checks. Brown was accused of trying to cash one of those checks, made out to his name, at a currency exchange.

https://cwbchicago.com/2023/07/man-charged-lincoln-park-sexual-assault-identified-surveillance-images-chicago-police.html