This text was produced for ProPublica’s Native Reporting Community in partnership with the Invisible Institute and co-published with the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ. Sign up for Dispatches to get tales like this one as quickly as they’re revealed.
A former Chicago police officer pleaded responsible on Tuesday to felony prices 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 in opposition to Eric Tabb was highlighted in an Invisible Institute-ProPublica investigation that discovered that Chicago police officers have ceaselessly didn’t vigorously examine allegations of sexual misconduct made in opposition to 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 prices had 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 all 14 officers accused of sexual assault up to now decade who we discovered had been accused a minimum of as soon as earlier than of sexual misconduct. Investigative information present that 5 of 17 ladies 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 in opposition to Chicago officers. The complaints had been typically downplayed or ignored, typically permitting officers to abuse many times. The Chicago Police Division mentioned in a press release for that story that it “takes all allegations of sexual assault severely, together with allegations in opposition to CPD members.”
Throughout a listening to earlier than Cook dinner County Choose James B. Novy, Tabb’s two victims, each of whom are cops, learn affect statements in court docket.
“The ladies I communicate for at the moment, together with myself, had been ladies that trusted Eric Tabb, spending eight months with him forming that belief in a police academy. As of at the moment, there’s hope that each one us ladies affected can put this up to now,” one of many officers learn from a ready assertion.
The choose mentioned he agreed to the plea deal to permit the ladies to place the circumstances behind them.
“The one cause 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 comply with 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 costs stemmed from two incidents. At a birthday 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 prison sexual abuse from that incident.
The second incident occurred 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 alter her obligation belt, in response to court docket data. 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 had 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 informed investigators he noticed Tabb grabbing one other feminine recruit’s crotch. That very same night time, Tabb touched a second recruit’s buttocks, in response to interviews with police investigators and court docket data.
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 turned a part of the prosecution’s case. Based on Byrd-Maxey, she was leaning over a classmate’s laptop in March 2023 when Tabb walked behind her. She mentioned she felt his fingers on her waist and his physique pressed up in opposition to her.
Byrd-Maxey tried to report Tabb a number of occasions however was unsuccessful. Investigative information obtained by the Invisible Institute and ProPublica present that Tabb informed 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. Nearly three weeks later, there was a confrontation at school through which she allegedly informed 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 ladies.
Whereas Byrd-Maxey couldn’t attend the listening to, her mother, Jauntaunne Byrd-Horne, was within the courtroom and later informed her daughter concerning the plea settlement. Byrd-Maxey mentioned she was disillusioned.
“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 severely, once more.”
Sebastián Hidalgo contributed reporting.
