Henyard to Dolton cops during police power struggle: ‘Stop playing these silly games’

DOLTON, Ill. — There’s a power struggle playing-out in south suburban Dolton and it led to an emergency meeting in which Mayor Tiffany Henyard told officers they are to continue to obey orders from her handpicked police chief. That’s despite trustees voting to put Lewis Lacey on leave following a federal bankruptcy fraud charge and allegations he collected $200,000 for overtime he wasn’t eligible to receive .

“Stop playing these silly games,” Henyard is heard telling police officers Thursday in a video recording obtained by WGN Investigates.  Lacey then seemed to tell the assembled staff to fall in line or risk consequences: “Do what you want; but anything after this is insubordination.”

Village administrator Keith Freeman, whose own employment status is unclear, sent an email before the meeting telling officers, “Lewis Lacey is no longer employed by the Village of Dolton… Mr. Lacey is not allowed in any spaces reserved for employees with an escort.”

Freeman is a longtime ally of Henyard who has served as her top aide in Dolton and Thornton Township and also was the registered agent of Henyard’s namesake cancer charity.

However, the two recently had a falling out after Freeman was also charged with bankruptcy fraud in an unrelated case and began cooperating with trustees investigating Henyard’s leadership and spending.

Henyard made a motion to fire Freeman at the Aug. 5 village board meeting; but it was greeted by silence from the trustees.

“I’m going to remember this,” Henyard declared from the dais.  “At the end of the day: You guys don’t run the day-to-day, the mayor does,” Henyard declared.

“I have trouble following it as well,” acknowledged Dolton trustee Tammie Brown.  “But now, Keith Freeman is doing what he should’ve been doing in the first place.”

WGN Investigates attempted to speak with Henyard and Lacey before Thursday’s meeting at the police station; but the two played a cat-and-mouse game of circling the building to avoid our questions.

“Are you in charge?” WGN’s Ben Bradley asked Lacey as he entered a side door.

Lacey offered a grin. A short time later he left the building and was likely headed downtown for an initial appearance in federal court on the bankruptcy fraud charge.

The acting police chief of south suburban Dolton appeared before a federal judge late Thursday afternoon in his first court appearance since being charged with bankruptcy fraud.

The judge ordered Lewis Lacey to turn over any weapons he has.

Also Thursday, Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza announced her office would no longer provide so-called “off-set payments” to Dolton because the village has failed to file required annual reports.

The payments are for traffic and parking fines, along with other judgements, and were on track to reach $135,000 this year.

“When municipalities around Illinois are having legitimate problems filing their annual reports with us, based on staffing or other issues, we earnestly work with them to get them into compliance,” Comptroller Mendoza said. “Dolton is different. The Mayor’s office has refused to communicate with us or address the problem.

“If Mayor Henyard refuses to follow state law, my office will use the tools at our disposal to safeguard the interests of Dolton’s citizens.”

The FBI has served subpoenas on Dolton and Thornton Township, where Henyard is the supervisor. They reveal a wide-ranging investigation into spending, contracts and Henyard’s namesake cancer charity, which has failed to file required paperwork with the Illinois Attorney General.

Meanwhile, residents remain frustrated by the ongoing dysfunction in Dolton.

“I wish the FBI was around the corner so they can raid this place because y’all need to go to jail,” one said at an August meeting.

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