Lower Bond Denied for Officer Accused of Rape

WAUKEGAN

A Lake County judge denied a motion to lower the bond of the former Waukegan police officer accused of raping a woman while on duty.

Judge Raymond Collins said today he saw nothing in the defense’s motion to justify lowering Delatwon Haynes $2 million bond, despite arguments that his accuser is an admitted drug addict.

“I don’t find anything that would change my mind,” Collins told defense attorney Joel Brodsky and prosecutor Patricia Fix, as Haynes stood by quietly. Bail was set at $2 million by Judge Daniel Shanes last week.

Brodsky had argued that Haynes’ clean record should be enough to lower his bond to something more manageable.

“There is nothing (in his past) that would say he would not obey all court orders or he would not show up for court,” Brodsky said.

Fix countered that, saying that the charges against Haynes are serious, and testimony Shanes heard last week warranted a high bond amount. Fix also said that there is precedent for a police officer being held on high bond. Last month a judge rejected a motion to lower a $1.5 million bond on for Gurnee police officer Jay Simon, who has been jailed on charges that he sexually assaulted two young girls.

Haynes, 32, of Zion, is accused of sexually assaulting a woman in January while he worked the midnight shift. He resigned from the Waukegan Police Department a few days after allegations of rape were brought against him by the then-Waukegan resident.

Last week the State’s Attorneys Office approved charges for four counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, one count of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of aggravated sexual abuse and eight counts of misconduct.

Brodsky argued Wednesday, and has said in the past, that the allegations are unreliable, because the accuser admitted to police that she was a heroin addict.

Fix dismissed Brodsky’s claims, saying the State wasn’t going to try Haynes in the press, or reveal information about the case before discovery was due. Fix did however reveal that a used condom gathered by Haynes’ accuser at the scene contained Haynes’ DNA.

“That’s pretty strong physical evidence your honor,” Fix told Collins.

Officer charged with restraining, sexually assaulting woman

A north suburban police officer is in Lake County Jail on Tuesday after he was charged with restraining a woman and forcing her to perform sexual acts against her will in January.

Delatwon A. Haynes, 32, of Waukegan, was order held on $2 million bond Monday, according to a release from the Lake County Sheriff’s office. Haynes, who resigned from the Waukegan Police Dept. on Jan. 11, was charged with four counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, one count of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of aggravated sexual abuse and eight counts of official misconduct on Monday.

The charges were filed as a result of an investigation prompted by a complaint filed on Jan. 7 by a woman reporting that an officer restrained her against her will and forced her to perform sexual acts, the release said.

The woman said that in the early morning hours of Jan. 6, an officer confronted her as she was walking in the 900 block of North Lewis Avenue in Waukegan, according to the release. The officer and the woman had a short conversation and he told her to go home.

About 30 minutes later, the officer confronted the woman again and ordered her into the back of his squad car, the release said. She got in and the officer drove her to the rear of an abandoned vehicle in the 1700 block of North Lewis. He then told the woman she was "required" to perform sexual acts with him, after which he released her near her residence.

Waukegan police and the Lake County State’s Attorney’s office began investigating immediately after the complaint was filed, the release said. Haynes was stripped of his police powers and placed on leave.

Haynes resigned from the department about four days later when faced with an administrative investigation, the release said. He was a member of the department since 2001 and served in the patrol division.

In February, Haynes was named in a lawsuit filed by Denise Swinney, who claimed the officer falsely arrested and raped her about 1 a.m. Jan. 6, 2005.

The suit claims Haynes fondled her chest, forced her to engage in oral sex, then had sex with her for more than 30 minutes.

Swinney claimsed in the suit she was never charged with a crime and was released by Haynes after being raped.