Breaking News: Brothers Charged with Armed Sexual Assaults
Chicago, IL — In a shocking turn of events, two brothers have been charged with the armed sexual assaults of two women back in 2016. The case came to light after one of the men, Stephon Arnold, applied to join the Chicago Police Department and confessed to the crimes during a lie detector test. This revelation has shed light on a disturbing trend of violent crime confessions during police application interviews.
According to prosecutors, Arnold, along with his brother Sherrow Harris and their now-deceased cousin, orchestrated a heinous scheme where Arnold pretended to be a robber and coerced the other two men to rape the women at gunpoint in September 2016.
The investigation into the cold case gained momentum when Arnold disclosed details of the crime during his polygraph exam for the police application. Detectives were able to link Arnold to the specific case based on the information he provided during the exam.
During a recent court hearing, prosecutors revealed that Harris and their cousin accompanied two 18-year-old women to Woodfield Mall in search of Air Jordan 12 shoes. When they couldn’t find the shoes, Harris suggested they go to his apartment where he claimed to know someone who had the desired shoes.
Upon arriving at an apartment near 72nd and Aberdeen, the women were confronted by Arnold, who brandished a gun and staged a fake robbery. He then ordered Harris and their cousin to sexually assault the restrained women at gunpoint.
Both victims reported the crimes at the time, but the case remained unsolved until Arnold’s recent police application brought it back into the spotlight. The victims positively identified Harris, Arnold, and their cousin in photo arrays this month.
Due to the “depraved nature of this case,” Judge Luciano Panici, Jr. ordered Harris and Arnold to be held in custody pending trial. The brothers are facing charges of armed kidnapping and aggravated criminal sexual assault while armed with a firearm.
Another Startling Confession
Arnold is not the only police hopeful to have made shocking revelations during pre-employment polygraph tests. Reports have emerged of another applicant who admitted to robbing a Dollar General store near 67th and Western in 2017.
According to a CPD report shared by a local blog, the applicant confessed to plotting the robbery with two accomplices, one of whom worked at the store. The applicant allegedly used a fake gun (a black cell phone) to demand cash from the register while his accomplice acted as a lookout.
After writing out details of the robbery on the pre-polygraph form, the applicant stopped and questioned the implications of self-incrimination. The statute of limitations for robbery in Illinois is typically three years, providing some legal protection for the interviewee.
While these confessions have raised eyebrows and sparked concerns, they also highlight the importance of thorough background checks and screening processes for law enforcement candidates.
