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Update:
RPD labeled this violent call as “Check for well being”
Sources have told us that the men severely beat the victim (Aggravated Battery charge with great bodily harm) RPD said non life threatening injuries. Suspects got away with $95 in cash and a link card.
35 year old Randy Bray and 41 year old Anzio King have been arrested
Both men are now charged two counts each of aggravated battery, residential burglary, home invasion, and armed robbery. King faces additional charges of criminal sexual assault and unlawful restraint.
Sources reporting a group of men broke into a residence and raped a woman in Rockford. It happened approx. 3 am on Monday morning in the 2200 block of 7th st in Rockford.
The suspects robbed the victim and one of them raped the woman.
Diocese of Rockford publishes list of those clerics accused of sexual abuse of minors
The Diocese of Rockford today, Nov. 14, published a list of those priests, permanent deacons and religious priests and brothers against whom a substantiated allegation of sexual abuse has been reported.
That list, along with a letter from Bishop of Rockford, David J. Malloy, is published here in its entirety.
A group of alleged sexual abuse victims are calling on Rockford and other Illinois Catholic dioceses to publicly disclose the names of potential abusers.
Attorneys spoke at a news conference Thursday about the “conspiracy of silence” they believe surrounds reports of sexual abuse within the state’s Catholic churches.
Attorneys Jeff Anderson and Marc Pearlman filed a civil lawsuit Wednesday in Cook County accusing the Chicago, Joliet, Belleville, Peoria, Springfield and Rockford dioceses of failing to disclose or only partially disclose the names of clergy members who have been accused of sexual abuse.
Specifically, the Dioceses of Rockford, Belleville and Springfield have not disclosed names of any clergy members who might have been credibly accused, Anderson said.
“Most importantly, Bishop Malloy in the Diocese of Rockford has not disclosed any lists of offenders accused or credibly accused,” Anderson said. “Nothing. Silence. Secrecy. Suppression of truth they know to be.”
The Diocese of Rockford oversees Catholic churches in Jo Daviess, Stephenson, Winnebago, Boone, McHenry, Carroll, DeKalb, Kane, Whiteside, Lee and Ogle counties. Two people are suing the Diocese of Rockford for “conspiring to hide a public hazard.”
The suit names not only the accused priests but also the bishops who allegedly were complicit by choosing to “hide” suspected abusers, Anderson said.
If the lawsuit is successful, each diocese would be required to publicly release the names of anyone accused of child molestation along with their history of abuse, pattern of grooming and sexual behavior and last known address.
Attorneys further requested the dioceses adopt a new policy of dealing with allegations of clergy abuse.
Three people spoke Thursday about how the Illinois dioceses handled their reporting of sexual abuse.
One man, Joshua Bollman, recounted abuse he experienced at the hands of a priest, Peter Kohler, in Lena, which is within the Diocese of Rockford. The alleged sexual abuse happened in 1999, when Bollman was
12 years old, according to the lawsuit.
Kohler has since died.
Penny Wiegert, director of communications for the Diocese of Rockford, said the diocese is aware of the accusation. Wiegert also issued a news release Thursday to address other claims.
“The Diocese of Rockford, along with the Archdiocese of Chicago and the Dioceses of Belleville, Joliet, Peoria and Springfield are currently in full cooperation with the State Attorney General Office’s inquiry into each diocese’s handling of childhood sex abuse claims against clergy,” according to the release. “So as to a response to the lawsuit announced and filed this morning by Mr. Jeff Anderson, there will need to be further review of what this lawsuit seeks to accomplish beyond that of the state’s attorney general.”
Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced her plans in August to contact the six Illinois dioceses and review all records tied to sexual assault and abuse.
The announcement came on the heels of a Pennsylvania grand jury report that identified at least seven priests who had connections to Illinois. Madigan will refer any findings to the appropriate state’s attorney’s offices, according to the Attorney General Office’s website.
Allegations in the Diocese of Rockford are rare, but its officials are remaining vigilant, Wiegert said.
“Every priest, employee and volunteer who comes in contact with children in the Rockford diocese or its parishes and schools, must undergo a criminal background check and complete training in our Safe Environment programs in order to prevent, detect and report abuse of any kind by any person,” according to the release.
At least one McHenry County Catholic school employee has been accused of sexual abuse within the past year. Gerardo Gallaga was a maintenance worker at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic School in Cary when he was arrested in 2017 on allegations that he sexually abused a young girl.
Gallaga’s case is ongoing, and he is due in court Nov. 9.
Anyone who wishes to report incidents of sexual abuse and assault by the clergy in Illinois can call the attorney general’s Clergy Abuse Hotline at 1-888-414-7678 or email clergyabuse@atg.state.il.us.
Sources reporting a man has been arrested after performing “lewd acts of a sexual nature” in Rockford.
RPD confirmed that Todd Frederick Swanson III has been arrested for several charges that included aggravated battery to a person over 60 years old, Public Indecency, etc… in the 2100 block of 22nd St. and his bail is $10.000 and his court date is set for 11/15/2018 09:00
On Thursday, October 11, 2018, Boone County Sheriff’s Detectives arrested a Rockford man on multiple sex assault charges.
Douglas Valentine, 39 years old of Rockford, was charged with three counts of Criminal Sexual Assault (Class 1 Felony), one count of Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse (Class 2 Felony) and one count of Criminal Sexual Abuse (Class A Misdemeanor). Valentine was release from the Boone County Jail after posting a $150,000.00 (10%) bond.
The arrest of Valentine came after it was reported he had sexually assaulted a child under the age of 17.
On Thursday evening, October 11, 2018, Boone County Sheriff’s Detectives executed a search warrant at a residence located in the 1200 block of Blue Ridge Avenue, Rockford. Detectives seized several items, including electronic equipment and computers.
The investigation continues and additional charges are possible. A class 1 felony is punishable by four (4) to fifteen (15) years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. A class 2 felony is punishable by three (3) to seven (7) years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
The Boone County Sheriff’s Office encourages anyone having information on a crime or narcotic trafficking to call the Boone County Sheriff’s Office at 815-544-2144 or Crime Stoppers at 815-547-7867.
Members of the public are reminded that these are only charges and are not proof of the defendant’s guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the State’s burden to prove his or her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
On 10/9/18 at approx. 2:00 PM, Ogle County Sheriff’s Detectives arrested Robert A. Hardt, age 39 of Davis Junction, for Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault, a Class X Felony.
EXPLOITATION ARREST: A Rockford man faces charges after a weeks-long investigation. Detectives from the Sensitive Crimes Unit conducted an investigation after a juvenile walking to Gregory School (4820 Carol Court) on September 19, 2018, reported that a man exposed himself to her.
On Tuesday, October 9, 2018, officers took 26-year-old Darren Coleman into custody. The Winnebago County State’s Attorney’s Office reviewed the case and authorized the below listed charges.
Darren Coleman, 26, Rockford: Sexual Exploitation of a Child (2 Counts)
Coleman was lodged in the Winnebago County Jail. The charges against Coleman are merely accusations. He is considered innocent unless proven guilty in court.
SEX ASSAULT ARREST: Over the last several months, detectives from the Rockford Police Department’s Sensitive Crimes Unit investigated a report of the sexual assault of a child under the age of 13 in the 600 block of Hartford Avenue. The suspect, who is an acquaintance of the family, was identified as 18-year-old Isaiah King.
The investigation was later reviewed by the Winnebago County State’s Attorney’s Office, the below listed charge was authorized, and a warrant was obtained. King was subsequently arrested during a traffic stop Sunday, September 17, 2018
Isaiah King, 18, Rockford: Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault
King was lodged in the Winnebago County Jail with a bond set at $100,000. The charge against King is merely an accusation. As in all criminal cases, the suspect is considered innocent unless proven guilty.
SEX ASSAULT ARREST: Since March of 2017, detectives from the Sensitive Crimes Unit have been conducting an investigation into a report of sexual assaults of three juvenile victims by a male family member.
The investigation includes incidents that happened as far back as 1997 when the suspect was a resident of Rockford. The Winnebago County State’s Attorney’s Office authorized the below listed charges.
Andrew Hale, 58, Springdale, Ark.: Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault (2 counts), Aggravated Criminal Sexual Assault (2 counts)
Officers arrested Hale in Springdale and he was brought back to Rockford on Friday. Hale was lodged in the Winnebago County Jail with his bond set at $1 million. The charges against Hale are merely accusations. As in all criminal cases, the suspect is considered innocent until proven guilty in court.
7 ARRESTED: For the past several months, the Rockford Police Department has received numerous complaints concerning street level prostitution activity in the area surrounding Broadway and 7th Street.
On Thursday, September 6, 2018, as a result of the complaints, members of the Rockford Police Department conducted an investigation specifically concentrating on those individuals who solicit for sex.
As a result of the investigation, more than a half-dozen individuals were arrested. All seven men were lodged in the Winnebago County Jail.
The charges against them are merely accusations. The suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in court.
