Probation Officer For Teen Charged With Assaulting CSU Student Suspended
(CBS) -- The probation officer for the teen charged with sexually assaulting a pregnant Chicago State student and forcing her into a car trunk has been suspended.
The person charged in that crime, 17-year-old Aaron Parks, was on home confinement with electronic monitoring at the time after being charged as a juvenile in July of carjacking a woman at gunpoint.
According to a news release by Rose Golden, the Director of Juvenile Probation and Court Services Department for the Circuit Court of Cook County, "a preliminary review of probation department records indicates that electronic monitoring procedures were not followed. The officer responsible for monitoring Mr. Parks has been placed on temporary suspension pending investigation."
The department says it has initiated a full audit of all electronic monitoring records to see if changes are necessary.
The 24-year-old assault victim was visiting family in the Roseland neighborhood last week when she went to get books from her car. Parks is accused forcing to her to drive to an alley where he allegedly raped her and forced her into the car's trunk. The victim was able to escape from the trunk using a latch and alert a neighbor to call police.
"Why was he let out? Why wasn't he being monitored more?" said Robert Perkins, the father of the victim.
Community activist Andrew Holmes wants to know that, too.
"You're allowed to go to school, go to church, but you can't just leave the house. You have to check in with the monitoring system, and see that is where they failed at," Holmes said.
According to the release by Director Rose Golden, juvenile probation officers do not have the power of arrest and are not armed, saying the focus of the juvenile electronic monitoring program is on, "promoting and supporting long term behavior change."