Edmund Rivers, a former mental health counselor, faces serious allegations after being charged with sexually assaulting five young patients at a Chicago behavioral health center. The charges relate to incidents that date back as far as the late 1990s and continued until 2004, as indicated by the Cook County State's Attorney's Office.
At 68, Rivers is now confronted with five felony counts, including three counts of criminal sexual assault with a victim between 13 and 17 years old, and two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault. As prosecutors fill in the details, it's alleged that Rivers took advantage, utilizing multiple locations throughout Hartgrove Behavioral Health Hospital to carry out the assaults. These locations included patient rooms, a seclusion room, a cafeteria bathroom, and a gym equipment room, according to NBC Chicago and corroborated by CBS News Chicago.
The victims, boys ranging from 7 to 14 years of age, didn't know each other, highlighting the pervasive nature of the abuse. Rivers reportedly threatened to sedate the victims with a hypodermic syringe should they fail to comply with his demands. Martin Gould, an attorney who filed a civil lawsuit on behalf of approximately 100 former patients alleging abuse, stated, "Edmund Rivers felt so comfortable that he can act with impunity at Hartgrove, that he actually dared victims to come forward," in an interview obtained by CBS News Chicago.
The case took a turn when a number of the victims chose to come forward after learning of the civil lawsuit against Hartgrove, which claims a pattern of staff abuse at the facility. These allegations are only compounded by claims that Rivers was not the only staff member involved in the abuse. Gould further alleges that "there was a number of other individuals around him who also were abusing, who turned a blind eye, who otherwise covered it up," as he told CBS News Chicago. Meanwhile, the Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke commended the victims' courage, saying, "This alleged abuse is horrific, and the survivors have shown tremendous courage coming forward to report these allegations after so many years," in a news release reported by NBC Chicago.
A judge has ordered that Rivers be held, and he remains detained until his next court date, following a hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court Building, signaling the gravity of the charges and the serious nature of the allegations against him.
