Dolton mayor says ‘disgruntled’ employees behind sexual misconduct claim

DOLTON, Ill. — A trustee of a south suburb is accused of sexual misconduct with a village employee while on a taxpayer-funded trip to Las Vegas, according to a pair of complaints filed with the Illinois Department of Human Rights.

The trustee vehemently denies the allegations.

The employee worked for Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard who was also on the trip along with her security detail and other village officials.

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The complaint filed by the woman, who WGN is not naming because she said she was a victim of a crime, said she began to feel “extremely light-headed” and “disoriented” after a dinner with village officials.

“She blacked out and did not recall anything else,” the complaint states. She said she woke-up the next morning feeling physical discomfort. “She found she was inside the trustee’s hotel room fully dressed.”

The woman states right after returning to Dolton a member of Henyard’s security detail who was on the trip told her “the trustee told him the trustee had unprotected sex [with her],” the complaint states. She said she immediately sought medical treatment.

In his own complaint filed with the Illinois Department of Human Rights, the Dolton police officer said the trustee called and then FaceTimed him the night of the alleged assault from the hotel room and boasted of sexual exploits on the trip.

“There was some suggestion that the employee may not have had the ability to consent,” the complaint submitted by the officer states. He said he then requested the trustee switch to a video call so he could see the situation for himself in his capacity as a law enforcement officer who had been informed of a possible crime.

The trustee “panned the camera toward a bed where [he] could see a woman who was partially undressed,” the officer’s complaint states. “The trustee then moved the camera to various private areas of the woman’s body displaying them on screen at times moving or removing articles of clothing.”

The complaint says a portion of either the audio or video call may have been recorded by the officer.

WGN Investigates is not identifying the trustee because he has not been charged with a crime.  “It is a total and complete fabrication,” the trustee told WGN Investigates by phone. He insists he had only attempted to help his female colleague who he believed was intoxicated and on drugs.

“This is what you get for trying to help people,” the trustee said.

Both complaints were filed with the Illinois Department of Human Rights by the same attorney on the same day. They claim Henyard initially appeared “shocked” when told of the sexual assault allegations in a meeting with the employee and member of her security detail soon after their return from Las Vegas.

“Henyard indicated she would take care of it and the female employee should trust her,” the complaint states.

Mayor Henyard’s administration denies it retaliated against either employee for coming forward as they claim.

“This is nothing more than two disgruntled Village employees who are trying to make off with the taxpayers hard earned dollars,” read a statement released by Henyard’s publicist. Henyard’s team says an unidentified third-party company was brought in to investigate the allegations and reported the police officer denied knowledge of the incident and the female employee would not cooperate.

“The Village looks forward to defending these allegations and pursuing all other available remedies to the village,” read the statement.

The woman said she was initially put on unpaid leave and then told a doctor would need to authorize her return to work. She said village officials then refused to respond to her inquiries about returning to work so she was essentially terminated, the complaint claims.

The Illinois Department of Human Rights has accepted the complaints but only just begun its own investigation to determine their credibility.

WGN Investigates previously reported on the Las Vegas trip, other first class travel and lavish meals paid for by taxpayers in Dolton and Thornton Township, where Henyard is the supervisor.

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