A sexual assault that was reported in Morton last week has stirred up a response from community members who feel the Morton Police Department is not taking the incident and its investigation seriously.
Morton Police Chief Roger Morningstar told The Chronicle on Wednesday this is not the case.
“I can tell you without a doubt, my officers … they’re putting their utmost care into this. We’re not asleep at the wheel,” Morningstar told The Chronicle on Wednesday.
The alleged incident reportedly took place the morning of Aug. 17 in the 100 block of Third Street, which is around the corner from the Morton police station.
The Morton Police Department began its investigation shortly after 9:25 p.m. that night after it received rape kit results from a nearby hospital, according to Morningstar. The department then had to “work backwards” on the investigation, he said.
A Facebook post that claimed to identify the alleged victim in the sexual assault and an alleged suspect was circulated on Facebook the morning of Aug. 18.
The post had been taken down by Wednesday afternoon.
Tension between the Morton Police Department and community members closely connected to the alleged victim came to a head Tuesday night when a van graffitied with negative messages toward Morningstar and the Morton Police Department was parked in front of the Morton police station.
Photos of that van made the rounds on Facebook Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
“I sympathize with the family (of the victim) but I don’t believe they’re abreast of all the facts involved,” said Morningstar, adding the person who painted up the car Tuesday night “has made no effort to contact the police department.”
He added, “I would be glad to speak with him. Had he come in to talk with us, we would have let him know to what extent we are taking the investigation seriously.”
The Morton Police Department had not identified a suspect in the alleged sexual assault as of Wednesday afternoon, according to Morningstar.
“Our guys have been very thorough … and we'll continue to work through to complete it until we have what we need,” Morningstar said.
