Page 52 - June2021

Award-winning collaboration between officers and detectives
n BY DAN CAMPANA
A thorough investigation quickly turned the attack of a wom- an leaving the Red Line into the arrest of a suspect considered a dangerous sexual predator.
That investigation not only captured the alleged perpetrator, it resulted in the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation award- ing its May Officer of the Month honors to Detectives Samantha Nickeas and Justin Michna, as well as Officers Edward Brooks, Maurice Guerin, Mason Jose and Warren Weaver.
During the May ceremony, officials described how it all start- ed on March 21 when a woman told police how she exited a Red Line train at the Belmont Station and felt she was being fol- lowed. A short time later, a man attacked and robbed her in the 3200 block of North Kenmore.
The officers and detectives initiated an aggravated criminal sexual assault and robbery investigation. The Public Transpor- tation Technology Center reviewed CTA camera video from the station and captured images of the man believed to be a person of interest. That prompted CTA security to issue a bulletin fea- turing photos of the suspected offender.
A short time later, detectives from Area 3 were able to iden- tify the man, who they learned had been arrested, charged and convicted in a similar attack one year earlier. In that case, for which he received probation, the suspect robbed and attempt- ed to sexually assault a victim on a Red Line train near Morse Avenue. Detectives also discovered the man was wanted on an
unrelated arrest warrant.
On March 25, just four days after the Red Line attack, detec-
tives working in the Public Transportation Section in coordina- tion with tactical officers located a man matching the suspect’s description. Officers approached him for a field investigation, confirmed his identity and then arrested him without incident.
“Thanks to skillful interviewing by Area 3 detectives, the offender gave statements fully implicating himself in this in- cident,” CPMF Executive Director Phil Cline said during the ceremony to honor the award recipients. “Due to a coordinat- ed effort by detectives, the Public Transportation Technology Center officers and the Public Transportation Tactical Team, a dangerous sexual predator was charged with numerous violent felonies and removed from the streets.”
52 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ JUNE 2021
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