Former Chicago Park District lifeguard supervisor charged with sexually assaulting 16-year-old employeeDavid Struetton October 28, 2021 at 2:26 pm

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Mauricio Ramirez, 32, faces felony counts of criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

A former Chicago Park District lifeguard supervisor has been charged with sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl who was his employee.

Mauricio Ramirez, 32, faces felony counts of criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse, Chicago police said Thursday.

Ramirez was arrested Wednesday afternoon in the West Lawn neighborhood, where he lives, police said. He was expected to appear in court later Thursday.

Ramirez had been placed on unpaid emergency suspension by the park district on Sept. 13 “pending the outcome of an (inspector general) investigation,” according to personnel records obtained by the Sun-Times.

“You are further prohibited from having contact with other park district employees and visiting park district facilities,” he was told.

Ramirez resigned on Oct. 4, saying he was “pursuing other career opportunities.”

The resignation was a major development in the ongoing investigation of sexual harassment and abuse among Chicago Park District lifeguards that raised questions about an alleged cover-up in then-Supt. Mike Kelly’s administration.

Kelly resigned days later when Mayor Lori Lightfoot called on the park district’s board of commissioners to fire him over his handling of the allegations.

The Sun-Times reported in August that an Oak Street Beach lifeguard sent 11 pages of explosive allegations in February 2020 to Kelly about lifeguards’ conduct during the summer of 2019.

Contributing: Lauren FitzPatrick and Fran Spielman

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