This text was produced for ProPublica’s Native Reporting Community in partnership with the Invisible Institute and co-published with the Chicago Solar-Instances and WBEZ. Join Dispatches to get tales like this one as quickly as they’re printed.
A former Chicago police officer pleaded responsible on Tuesday to felony fees in reference to two incidents of sexual misconduct involving feminine colleagues — one which occurred whereas on the police coaching academy and one at a police precinct.
The case towards Eric Tabb was highlighted in an Invisible Institute-ProPublica investigation that discovered that Chicago police officers have continuously did not vigorously examine allegations of sexual misconduct made towards metropolis officers.
Tabb, 35, pleaded responsible to 2 counts of aggravated battery in a public place, a Class 3 felony, and was sentenced to 30 months of probation. As a part of a plea settlement, Tabb’s fees have been lowered and he was required to enroll in a intercourse offender program.
Tabb, who was arrested in December 2023 and fired, is one in every of 14 officers accused of sexual assault prior to now decade who we discovered had been accused not less than as soon as earlier than of sexual misconduct. Investigative recordsdata present that 5 of 17 girls in his academy class have given related accounts of inappropriate sexual contact involving Tabb.
A group of Invisible Institute reporters reviewed greater than 300 sexual misconduct and assault complaints towards Chicago officers. The complaints have been typically downplayed or ignored, generally permitting officers to abuse time and again. The Chicago Police Division mentioned in a press release for that story that it “takes all allegations of sexual assault significantly, together with allegations towards CPD members.”
Throughout a listening to earlier than Prepare dinner County Decide James B. Novy, Tabb’s two victims, each of whom are cops, learn influence statements in court docket.
“The ladies I communicate for as we speak, together with myself, have been girls that trusted Eric Tabb, spending eight months with him forming that belief in a police academy. As of as we speak, there’s hope that every one us girls affected can put this prior to now,” one of many officers learn from a ready assertion.
The decide mentioned he agreed to the plea deal to permit the ladies to place the circumstances behind them.
“The one motive I went together with this deal is due to the victims,” mentioned Novy, who warned Tabb that he’ll ship him to jail if he doesn’t observe the phrases of his probation. “Everybody needs closure. They need to put this behind them. I’m going to maintain a detailed eye on this.”
The fees stemmed from two incidents. At a celebration in August 2023 at a Wrigleyville bar, Tabb allegedly approached a fellow feminine recruit on the dance flooring, whispered to her that he wished to have intercourse along with her, touched her breast, buttock and crotch, after which grabbed her face and tried to kiss her. Tabb was charged with two counts of aggravated legal sexual abuse from that incident.
The second incident came about after roll name inside a police precinct in December 2023. Tabb allegedly touched a fellow probationary police officer’s crotch a number of occasions when she stood as much as modify her responsibility belt, based on court docket information. She had attended the coaching academy with him.
At an earlier listening to, prosecutors had requested Novy to incorporate two further incidents that weren’t charged however have been described as a part of a sample of conduct by Tabb. Tabb attended a “star celebration,” an unofficial celebration for graduating recruits receiving their badge quantity. On the celebration, a witness advised investigators he noticed Tabb grabbing one other feminine recruit’s crotch. That very same night time, Tabb touched a second recruit’s buttocks, based on interviews with police investigators and court docket information.
Alexus Byrd-Maxey was the primary recruit to report Tabb a couple of months after she and Tabb began on the academy, however her accusation by no means grew to become a part of the prosecution’s case. Based on Byrd-Maxey, she was leaning over a classmate’s pc in March 2023 when Tabb walked behind her. She mentioned she felt his arms on her waist and his physique pressed up towards her.
Byrd-Maxey tried to report Tabb a number of occasions however was unsuccessful. Investigative recordsdata obtained by the Invisible Institute and ProPublica present that Tabb advised different recruits that Byrd-Maxey overreacted and that he had solely tapped her on the shoulder to get to his seat. Different recruits supported his story. Virtually three weeks later, there was a confrontation in school during which she allegedly advised Tabb to “shut your bitch ass up” and supposedly used gang-related language. Byrd-Maxey denied these allegations however was fired.
Tabb and his legal professional, Dan Herbert, declined to remark, however Herbert had beforehand mentioned Tabb was harmless and blamed Byrd-Maxey for the claims by the opposite girls.
Whereas Byrd-Maxey couldn’t attend the listening to, her mother, Jauntaunne Byrd-Horne, was within the courtroom and later advised her daughter in regards to the plea settlement. Byrd-Maxey mentioned she was dissatisfied.
“He’s been given grace, time and time once more. They let him be a free man,” she mentioned. “I really feel prefer it’s nonetheless not being taken significantly, once more.”
Sebastián Hidalgo contributed reporting.
