Another Suit Alleges Sex Abuse At Elgin Mental Health Center
(CBS) -- A second man is now suing the Illinois Department of Human Services, saying he was sexually abused while a patient at the Elgin Mental Health Center.
CBS 2's Roseanne Tellez reports.
Attorney Joe Cecala calls the evidence over the top: sexually explicit e-mails and pictures with nudity.
He says social worker Christy Lenhardt sent both to one of his clients when he was a patient in her care at the Elgin Mental Health Center.
"It's a form of psychological slavery," Cecala says.
Twenty-four-year-old Ben Hurt came forward last November. On Wednesday, family on behalf of 27-year-old Mark Owens came forward with a lawsuit that seeks $10 million.
"I'm way past angry," Owens' father, Mark Owens Sr., said at a news conference.
The younger Owens, who was charged with disarming a police officer, was found not guilty by reason of insanity. He claims the 53-year-old Lenhardt threatened and coerced him into having sex.
Attorneys want to know why authorities aren't doing more.
"How did this woman operate for more than a decade without being detected?" Cecala says.
Owen's father wants Lenhardt behind bars.
"If you commit a sexual crime you definitely need to pay for it," he says.
Lenhardt did not take CBS 2's calls. She is no longer working at the Elgin facility, which isn't saying anything.
She is still a licensed social worker in Illinois, but state police confirm she is under investigation.
