Second man arrested in case of 10-yo girl sexually assaulted

Click here for updates on this story

    CHICAGO (WBBM) — A 43-year-old man accused of sexually abusing a 10-year-old girl at a South Side motel and trafficking her to other men is now behind bars. It is part of a long pattern of assaults against the girl that the CBS 2 Investigators first reported early this year.

Two men have now been arrested and charged thanks to CBS 2 reporting. That is two men out of a total of five men who have been accused of assaulting that 10-year-old girl in a string of sexual assaults dating back years.

Chicago police arrested 43-year-old Joseph Brinner Tuesday. He has been ordered held without bond.

Prosecutors said last year the 10-year-old girl was walking by a park near his home. He stopped her and asked if she wanted to drink or smoke. She told him she was 10, and he still brought her to a Washington Heights motel, charging documents say.

Police say he raped her on several occasions and at one point dressed her up to look older and sold sex with her to other men at a party.

The victim’s uncle spotted them at a gas station, and investigators say the mother even confronted Brinner at his home.

In October, the victim’s mother took her to the University of Chicago’s Comer Children’s Hospital for a physical exam. But it wasn’t until this week that Brinner — a former Marine and current employee of the Union Pacific Railroad — was placed into custody.

Prosecutors did not comment on the lapse in time. The lag times in this case have sparked protests and outrage by Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

Officers arrested a different predator, Samuel Brown, in March, despite having DNA evidence linking him to the rape since November. The Chicago Police Department launched an internal investigation into its mishandling of a child sexual abuse case as a result.

So far, there has been no update on that investigation.

Critics like Stephanie Love-Patterson, the executive director of Connections for Abused Women and their Children, argue the young girl wasn’t treated seriously as a victim from the start.

“I think when you’re alerted to these cases you have to take them seriously,” said Love-Patterson. “You don’t get a second chance oftentimes as we saw in this case, so there needs to be response — appropriate and immediate response.”

Brinner pleaded not guilty.

CBS 2 asked police why Brinner wasn’t arrested until this week, but we’re still waiting on a response.

The Chicago Police Department released the following statement regarding the arrests:

Joe L. Brinner Jr., 43, was arrested at approximately 11:20 a.m. on Tuesday, May 4 in the 6700 block of south Jeffery Blvd. Brinner was charged with involuntary sexual servitude of a minor younger than 17 and predatory criminal sexual assault of a victim younger than 13. Both of these charges are felonies.

Samuel Brown, 38, of suburban Riverdale was arrested March 12 and also charged with predatory criminal sexual assault of a victim younger than 13. Brown’s felony charges were for an assault on the same victim in May 2020. Brown remains in custody.

A third suspect with ties to this victim was released without charging. The investigation is ongoing.

Following questions about delays in this investigation, the Chicago Police Department immediately reassigned the case to a new detective.

The Department remains steadfast in ensuring that all victims, especially children that have been subject to criminal sexual assault, receive the proper protections and services immediately following and throughout the criminal investigation. CPD continues to revise its policies, procedures, and training to prevent any unnecessary investigative delays from happening.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.