Parents Say Evanston School Custodian Sexually Assaulted Daughter, 12; Demand To Know Why He Hasn't Been Arrested
EVANSTON, Ill. (CBS) -- The parents of a 12-year-old girl allege she was sexually assaulted by a custodian in her Evanston middle school's bathroom.
And more than a month later, her family said nothing has been done about it.
As CBS 2's Tara Molina reported, the family sent a letter to Evanston Police Chief Demetrious Cook.
The letter demands that police release the name of the man the 12-year-old girl identified as her attacker, because they feel the department is taking too long.
The letter said the attack happened around 1:50 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4 at Haven Middle School, at 2417 Prairie Ave. in Evanston.
The letter, sent through the family's attorney, said the 7th-grader submitted to a rape kit at a local hospital that found the presence of male DNA on her underwear. She also positively identified the offender in a photographic line-up during an interview with Evanston police detectives, the letter said.
"Now, 40 days later (emphasis appears in the letter), the Evanston Police Department has not located or arrested the sexual predator who raped our daughter," the letter goes on.
It continues, "Why didn't the Evanston Police Department interview and arrest the offender immediately after our daughter positively identified him in the photo line-up? How is it possible that your department cannot locate the offender? When will you take this sexual predator into custody? What is the name and background of the offender?"
The letter asked Evanston police to bring in another authority such as the Great Lakes Task Force, the U.S. Marshals, or another resource.
Meanwhile, Evanston/Skokie School District 65 sent a letter home to parents Tuesday night about the alleged assault. The district said its officials had been in regular contact with Evanston police and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, which are actively investigating.
"Recent news reports suggest that the employee potentially involved has been 'reassigned,' which is completely false. Any employee potentially involved in this reported incident was immediately placed on a leave of absence and remains on leave without access to Haven or any school in the district," the school district letter read.
"We have closely reviewed all of our safety procedures and asked the police to review them as well, looking for improvements. We also had an outside security company come and give us feedback. We have installed an additional video camera in the school, are adding alarms to exterior doors that are not regularly used during the school day, and implemented additional training for administrators across the district," the school district letter continued.
Molina talked to the spokesman for Evanston Police Tuesday night. He said a very much an active investigation continued and because of that, police could not comment without compromising it.
