A Harvey school board member and longtime city employee has been arrested on allegations he sexually assaulted a woman in the south suburb’s City Hall on Friday.
Tyrone Rogers, 59, of Harvey, was charged Monday with one count of aggravated criminal sexual assault, the Cook County sheriff’s office said.
Sheriff’s spokeswoman Sophia Ansari said a 49-year-old woman had gone to City Hall to meet with Rogers about 1 p.m. Friday to discuss a city issue on behalf of a friend. The woman alleged that “Rogers took her into an office inside the municipal center, locked the door and sexually assaulted her,” Ansari said in an emailed statement.
The woman reported the allegation about 7:15 p.m. Friday, and Rogers was taken into custody Saturday night, Ansari said. He is set to appear for a bond hearing Tuesday at the Markham courthouse.
Rogers, director of commuter parking for the suburb, was placed on unpaid leave with no access to city equipment or property, said Harvey spokesman Sean Howard. He said the city administration was “deeply disturbed” by the allegations and would consider additional employment actions upon learning more details at the bond hearing.
Rogers could not be reached Monday.
Rogers drew specific attention in a lawsuit filed against him and other School District 152 board members last year by then-Superintendent, Denean Adams. She said Rogers told her she was “itching for an ass kicking” because she was pushing a forensic audit of what she felt was questionable spending in the district. Her lawsuit alleged Rogers and other board members forced her out of the district as “part of a custom of cronyism and public corruption.” The lawsuit is pending.
Rogers’ wife, Janet, also a board member, was convicted of theft and state benefits fraud in 2004 over false information on her son’s college financial aid application, prompting her to step down. She rejoined the school board, and was allowed to stay despite her criminal past, after she was pardoned by Gov. Pat Quinn.
baiduhai’s Steve Schmadeke contributed.
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