NBC Chicago has learned the Illinois Department of Human Rights is investigating complaints of sexual harassment and retaliation filed against Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard, the Village of Dolton and Thornton Township.
NBC Chicago obtained copies of the complaints through a Freedom of Information request.
A former female employee, who was Mayor Henyard's assistant, alleges retaliation, sexual harassment and discrimination after she raised concerns about an apparent non-consensual sexual encounter between her and an unnamed village trustee. A Dolton police officer said in a separate complaint filed with the Department of Human Rights that he also faced retaliatory actions for coming forward with what he witnessed.
The incident allegedly occurred during an economic development trip to Las Vegas last May.
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The trip was attended by Mayor Henyard and a handful of village representatives, including her former assistant – who filed a complaint with the Illinois Department of Human Rights and two village trustees. We are not naming the woman because NBC Chicago does not name people who possibly were a victim of an unwanted sexual encounter.
According to her complaint, the woman said she went to dinner with an unnamed Dolton trustee.
The complaint then recounts the following events:
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After dinner, she said she started to feel disorientated and extremely light-headed, as if the ground was moving. She said she blacked out.
According to the complaint, the next morning, she woke up in the trustee’s hotel room with no memory of how she got there, experiencing physical discomfort.
She said after returning to Dolton, officer Byron Miles, who was part of Henyard’s security detail and who also went on that trip to Las Vegas, told her a trustee on the trip told him that the trustee had unprotected sex with her. Officer Miles has also filed a complaint with the Human Rights Department.
The woman stated in her complaint that after she was told this, she went immediately to seek medical care.
Both complaints then provide details of a meeting that took place the following day with the former assistant, Officer Miles and Mayor Henyard. At this meeting, the woman informed Henyard that she would never willingly have sex with the trustee.
Officer Miles informed Henyard and the woman that the trustee called him that night in Las Vegas. The trustee then bragged about the sexual activities he engaged in with the woman, Miles' complaint says, suggesting that she may not have had the ability to consent or did not provide consent.
According to the complaint, Officer Miles recorded some of the conversation with his iPhone.
According to the complaints, the mayor said that if this information became public, she would be ruined. That all the work she’d done would be lost.
The ex-employee said the mayor told her she would take care of it and to trust her.
Days later, according to her complaint, the woman was put on unpaid medical leave, though she says she did not request to be put on leave.
She was later terminated.
In his complaint, Officer Miles alleges that he was demoted to patrol duty, among other retaliation, for coming forward as a witness. Both are asking for back pay, front pay, punitive damages and attorneys' fees.
In a statement to NBC Chicago the village states:
"The Village of Dolton conducted a thorough investigation into these allegations. The investigation was led by an independent third party company, consisting of former law enforcement officers, none of whom have ever been affiliated with the Village of Dolton. Former police Officer Miles was interviewed and denied knowing anything about these allegations. Also, despite numerous attempts by the Village’s independent investigators to contact the alleged victim, she refused to give a statement or cooperate with our investigation. Unfortunately, this is nothing more than two disgruntled Village employees who are trying to make off with the taxpayers hard earned dollars. The Village looks forward to defending these allegations and pursuing all other available remedies to the village."
The attorney who represents both the woman and Officer Miles says Officer Miles is in fact still employed with the Dolton Police Department. He also told us a criminal complaint on behalf of Mayor Henyard’s ex-assistant is imminent.
