A Wisconsin sex offender accused of a shocking campus crime spree in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood is being held on $1 million bond after a nearly two-hour rampage on the DePaul University campus, police say.
Police say Frank Redd, 26, allegedly attacked three women, all in their 20s, in the same area Thursday. Records show he has been a registered sex offender in Wisconsin since at least 2016, but details about his first conviction as a juvenile were not immediately available.
First, he’s accused of trying to drag a 28-year-old woman into a DePaul classroom on North Kenmore Street around 3:45 p.m., police said in a statement.
She broke free and pulled a panic alarm in the bathroom, the local CBS affiliate reported. But less than 15 minutes later, he allegedly attacked a 22-year-old woman in a parking garage a block away and nearly choked her unconscious in her own car.
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Chicago police arrested Frank Redd, a 26-year-old from Madison, Wisconsin, in connection with an alleged string of attacks against women at DePaul University Thursday. (Chicago Police Department)
She escaped too. By 5:30 p.m., Redd was around the corner, near Cacciatore Stadium, where police say witnesses led them to him after he allegedly stole a bag from a 22-year-old woman with hundreds of dollars worth of property inside.
He faces felony charges of aggravated battery and two counts of unlawful restraint after allegedly attacking two women at DePaul Thursday – and a misdemeanor theft charge after allegedly stealing a third woman’s bag.
The university did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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Frank Redd in 2016, as he appears on the Illinois sex offender registry. The conviction that landed him there came when he was just 17, online records show. (Illinois State Police)
The school, located in Chicago’s upscale Lincoln Park neighborhood, is facing post-pandemic financial struggles and declining enrollment, the Chicago Tribune reported last week.
“There’s no nice places in Chicago anymore, just places people think they’re safe,” a law enforcement source told Fox News Digital.
Wisconsin’s Department of Corrections lists Frank Redd, 26, as a registered sex offender. This mug shot was dated Jan. 17, 2023. (Wisconsin Department of Corrections)
The city’s 18th Police District, where the attacks took place, has seen a rise in violent crime over the past few years, statistics show.
The neighborhood is stocked with townhouses that can cost $1 million and more, real estate listings show. One property, a block away from where Chicago police arrested Redd Thursday, is listed for $6 million and features a rooftop fireplace, a three-car garage and a 2,200-bottle wine cellar.
Crime stats in Chicago’s 18th District (Mobile users go here)
Frank Redd’s booking photo at the Cook County Jail, where he is being held on $1 million bond in connection with a string of attacks on women at DePaul University in Chicago. (Cook County Jail)
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While sex assaults were down by a third year-to-date in 2023 compared to 2022, they were up a whopping 63% since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
Robberies were up 16%, aggravated batteries up 41%, and burglaries up 35%. Overall crime was up 10% in the district as of April 9, and 111% compared to the same stretch of 2021.
Redd is due back in court Friday morning.