Police say a Wisconsin sex offender is being held on $1 million bond after a nearly two-hour DePaul University campus crime spree in Chicago Lincoln Park neighborhood.
Thursday, Frank Redd, 26, allegedly attacked three women in their 20s in the same area, according to police. Since at least 2016, he has been registered as a sex offender in Wisconsin, but details about his first conviction as a juvenile are not immediately available.
Chicago Man Charged With Felony Assault
First, Redd is accused of attempting to drag a woman, age 28, into a DePaul classroom on North Kenmore Street at 3:45 p.m., according to a police statement. She escaped and activated the panic alarm in the bathroom.
However, less than fifteen minutes later, he allegedly assaulted a 22-year-old woman in her own car in a parking garage a block away.
She also escaped. By 5:30 p.m., Redd was around the corner, near Cacciatore Stadium, where witnesses allegedly led police to him after he allegedly stole a bag containing hundreds of dollars worth of property from a 22-year-old woman.
He is facing felony charges of aggravated battery and two counts of unlawful restraint for allegedly assaulting two women at DePaul on Thursday, in addition to a misdemeanor theft charge for allegedly stealing the bag of a third woman.
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Post-pandemic rise in Chicago’s violent crime rate
The university did not respond to requests for comment immediately.
The school, located in the affluent Chicago neighborhood of Lincoln Park, is experiencing post-pandemic financial difficulties and declining enrollment, as reported by the Chicago Tribune last week.
The 18th Police District of the city, where the attacks occurred, has seen an increase in violent crime over the past few years, according to statistics.
The neighborhood is filled with townhomes that cost $1 million or more, according to real estate listings.
A home a block from where Chicago police arrested Redd on Thursday is listed for $6 million and includes a rooftop fireplace, a three-car garage, and a 2,200-bottle wine cellar.
While sex assaults have decreased by one-third year-to-date in 2023 compared to 2022, they have increased by a staggering 63% since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
The number of robberies increased by 16%, aggravated battery by 41%, and burglaries by 35%. As of April 9, the district’s overall crime rate was up 10% and 111% compared to the same period in 2021.
Redd will return to court on Friday morning.
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