Stearns' accusers file complaint with city

Nearly three months after allegations of sexual assault against Calvin Stearns, Carbondale deputy police chief of operations, two of his accusers have filed a formal complaint with the city.

Michellenea Futrell and another woman named Mary Anne, who spoke with the DAILY EGYPTIAN on the condition that her last name not be printed, said they met with Carbondale City Manager Jeff Doherty Thursday to file an official complaint with the city, alleging Stearns sexually assaulted them. Doherty would not confirm nor deny the meeting took place, citing privacy rights of the women and city employees.

Stearns did not return multiple calls for comment, and his attorney, Christine Hines of Murphysboro, declined to comment on the case. The allegations first arose in February when Futrell, Mary Anne and a third woman, whose name has not been released, accused Stearns of sexually assaulting them. At the time, all of the women were employed at Stearns' privately owned business the Bogie Hole Complex, located at 604 E. Park St.

Futrell said after being advised by a local attorney to go outside the city because of Stearns' position in the Carbondale community, she and the other two women filed a complaint Feb. 20 with the Illinois State Police District 13 in Du Quoin.

However, at the time, Master Sgt. Marc Melvin of the state police would neither confirm nor deny that a complaint had been filed, and Doherty said although an internal affairs investigation was under way, the only knowledge the city had of the accusations was what they had been told by the Illinois State Police. Futrell said she and Mary Anne decided to file a complaint with the city because of the lack of action by the state and the slow pace at which the case is moving.

"It's like no one wants to hear," Futrell said in a news conference after the meeting, which took place outside the Carbondale Civic Center. "We decided after the delay with the state that we really had no choice but to come to the city." Sometime between Feb. 20, when the initial complaint was filed, and April 14, Jackson County State's Attorney Michael Wepsiec turned the case over to Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office.

In an earlier interview with the DAILY EGYPTIAN, Wepsiec said he did not feel comfortable handling the case because of his close working relationship with the Carbondale Police Department and his personal friendship with Stearns. Senior Assistant State's Attorney Richard Ryback has been named the special prosecutor in the case.

Scott Mulford, spokesman for the attorney general, would not discuss the status of the case and declined to speculate if charges would be filed. "There are very specific things that cannot be discussed by either side, especially in criminal cases," Mulford said. "At this point, all I can say is the initial phase of our investigation is continuing."

Futrell said she was frustrated with way the case has been handled and that no charges have been brought against Stearns and the Carbondale Police Department has not taken any disciplinary action against him.

"How many women does it take?" Futrell said. "How many agencies have to repeatedly reinvestigate our complaints before they decide if they're going to take us seriously or not?"

Doherty said the internal affairs investigation is continuing.

Mary Anne, who, along with the other unidentified woman, said she was let go from her job at the Bogie Hole on March 23 and banned from all of Stearns' properties, including the Bogie Hole and his two laundromats in Du Quoin and De Soto, and she said she thinks the accusations have been ignored because of Stearns' position in the Carbondale Police Department and his strong family ties with local law enforcement.

"If it were just a normal Joe on the street, he would be locked up then questioned," Mary Anne said. "I feel this is being pushed under the carpet because of who he is."

Stearns has been on the Carbondale police force for nearly 24 years and was promoted to deputy chief of operations in September. His father also worked for the Carbondale Police Department, and his stepfather works at the Jackson County Courthouse in Murphysboro. Stearns' wife is also employed at the Carbondale Police Department.

"We're looking at decades of them being involved in the Carbondale legal system," Futrell said.