Brothers Charged with Armed Sexual Assault
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 when 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 scheme orchestrated by the brothers and their cousin.
Stephon Arnold, 30, and his brother, Sherrow Harris, 35, along with their now-deceased cousin, devised a plan where Arnold pretended to be a robber, coercing the other two men to commit the heinous acts of rape at gunpoint in September 2016.
During a recent polygraph exam for his police application, Arnold disclosed details of the case, leading detectives to identify the specific incident. The victims, two 18-year-old women, were lured to an apartment near 72nd and Aberdeen under false pretenses of buying Air Jordan 12 shoes. Once inside, Arnold brandished a gun and ordered his brother and cousin to assault the women while they were restrained.
Despite the victims reporting the crimes initially, the case went cold until Arnold’s confession during the CPD application process. Both victims positively identified Harris, Arnold, and their cousin in photo arrays presented by prosecutors.
Another Confession Emerges
Interestingly, Arnold is not the only police applicant who has confessed to violent crimes during pre-employment screenings. Recent reports indicate another candidate admitted to participating in a robbery at a Dollar General store near 67th and Western in 2017. The applicant confessed to plotting the robbery with two accomplices, one of whom worked at the store.
According to a CPD report excerpt, the applicant simulated a gun with a black cell phone while demanding cash from the register, with an accomplice acting as a lookout. The applicant halted completion of the pre-polygraph form upon realizing the implications of his confession.
While the applicant may benefit from the three-year statute of limitations for robbery in Illinois, the sexual assaults perpetrated by Arnold and Harris in 2016 fall within the ten-year limitation period.
These revelations underscore the importance of thorough background checks and screening processes for law enforcement recruits to ensure public trust and safety.
