Former Dolton employee speaks about sexual assault she says she endured from Trustee Andrew Holmes
Fenia Dukes filed a lawsuit, saying she was fired after taking sexual assault allegations to Mayor Tiffany Henyard.
DOLTON, Ill. (WLS) -- For a moment, the clamoring outside Dolton Village Hall calmed, the crowd parted, and former assistant to embattled Mayor Tiffany Henyard came forward on Monday evening.
Her voice breaking with the surprise of the communal support, Fenia Dukes spoke in veiled terms about the sexual assault she says she endured from Dolton Trustee Andrew Holmes during a village business trip to Las Vegas last year.
"This is very overwhelming," Dukes said. "I'll survive. This means so much to me. But I still want everybody to know I'm standing with you, too."
In a lawsuit filed last month against the Village of Dolton and Holmes, Dukes says she was fired after taking sexual assault allegations to Henyard.
In edited video provided to ABC7, Dukes described how she lost trust in Holmes, a well-known crime victim's advocate.
READ MORE | Law firm drops Village of Dolton as client, says it hasn't been paid
"I deemed him 'Uncle Drew' because I know how you fight for these victims and all of that. You had my back," Dukes said in the video. "Until my last memory was me waking up in his room."
The allegations are part of an investigation by Las Vegas police, but Holmes has not been charged. His designated seat on Dolton's board again sat empty at Monday's meeting.
Resident after resident railed against Henyard, accusing her of misusing millions of dollars in village funds and deceiving taxpayers.
"You don't have a finance committee meeting. You' don't let nobody know nothing," said former Dolton Trustee Everett Steves. "The reason the business people didn't get they license, because they wouldn't pay to play with you."
Henyard has not been charged with any wrongdoing.
Last month at a separate meeting, four trustees voted to hire former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to dig into Henyard's handling of village money.
SEE ALSO | New federal subpoena targeting Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard's spending
"I am vetoing everything at the secret squirrel meeting," Henyard said.
Monday's raucous meeting filled the same space that federal investigators visited last month, according to sources, to serve subpoenas looking for personnel and business records.
Now the subject of an FBI investigation, the south suburban village sunk deeper into chaos.
READ MORE | FBI investigates Dolton Village Hall amid corruption allegations about Mayor Tiffany Henyard
