Former lawmaker fired from corrections job after harassing woman at party
A former state representative was fired from his position as an administrator at the Illinois Department of Corrections after a woman complained about being harassed and touched inappropriately by him during a department Christmas party earlier this month, records from the agency show.
John Anthony (R) was fired five days after the Dec. 2 party, when an investigation by the department concluded the woman's complaints were "substantiated." Several other people expressed concerns to investigators about Anthony's conduct during the party, according to investigation records.
The female employee of the Department of Juvenile Justice who initially complained about Anthony's conduct said he had approached her while she was on her way out for a cigarette, in the lobby of the Wyndham Hotel in Springfield, where the party was being held. Anthony made comments about her body then pressed himself up against her and licked her neck, according to the complaint. When the woman asked his name, the man provided his first name — John. Later, the woman learned the man's full name after speaking with co-workers.
The exchange was caught by the hotel's surveillance cameras. Investigators concluded that the woman's complaint was "supported by video footage."
Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-former-lawmaker-groping-christmas-party-met-20161223-story.html