Trustees in Dolton, Illinois, said they were shocked after the latest hire reportedly made by the village’s mayor, which they claim was performed without their consent.
“On Sept. 20, village records show Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard hired 46-year-old Lavelle Redmond as a code enforcement officer — a job in which he goes into Dolton homes and businesses to inspect them and make sure they are up to code,” Fox 32 reported Thursday.
However, Redmond is a registered child sex offender and is listed on the Illinois State Police child sex offender’s registry, the outlet continued:
FOX 32 News has learned Redmond spent 24 years in prison in Illinois after pleading guilty to taking part in a brutal gang rape and beating in the Roseland neighborhood in 1991. He and three other people kidnapped and sexually assaulted two girls, ages 13 and 14. Now, trustees in Dolton are demanding that the mayor explain how and why she hired Redmond into a job that puts him in constant contact with the public.
Residents told Fox 32 they were also shocked regarding the news.
“Crazy. I don’t know. He won’t get in my house though,” one woman commented.
“I will be terrified to know now if he had come to my house to do a code inspection. I’ll be terrified,” another said.
Lavelle Redmond’s mugshot from the Chicago Police Department’s Homeless Sex Offender Database
“Oh my god. Don’t they supposed to do background checks before they allow these people to in these kind of positions [sic]?” a third person questioned.
On Henyard’s campaign website, she said, “I am sensitive to the needs of the Village and firmly believe that government should be a body of trust, and everyone who serves the Village is a trustee either hired or elected, for the benefit of the people.”
In a video posted in April, Henyard described herself as the “Democratic nominee for mayor of Dolton”:
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the mayor told Fox 32 officials were taking the issue seriously, investigating the recent hire, and looking into Redmond’s background.
“The spokesperson also could not tell us if Redmond was still on the payroll or not, and said they would not have any further comment until the investigation is completed,” the outlet concluded.
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