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Judge Orders Building Owner to Fix Code Violations at Site of Sex Assault

 Ald. Joe Moore (49th) said he reported building violations at the North Shore Avenue apartment complex.
North Shore Avenue Sexual Assault
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ROGERS PARK — The owner of the building where a 24-year-old woman was sexually assaulted in a shared basement laundry room in January was issued an order Monday to fix 21 code violations there.

Owner Jack Richter was represented by his attorney during the Monday morning hearing at the Daley Center. The court issued the initial order and the case was continued to Oct. 6.

Beth Schillen, Richter's attorney, declined to comment.

On Jan. 29, the victim was assaulted at 1235-43 W. North Shore Ave.

A man walked up to the woman from behind and covered her eyes with his hands, police said. He told her he had a gun and demanded cash, then the man then took the woman's keys and phone from her pocket.

When the woman began to struggle, the man struck her head against a support beam before sexually assaulting her, police said.

Police described the suspect as a black man between 5-foot-10 and 6-foot-2. He was wearing tan boots, blue jeans and a black jacket with black and white wrist cuffs.

Police said Monday afternoon that there had been no arrests or charges in the case.

Ald. Joe Moore (49th) was quick to criticize the building owner after the attack.

Soon after, building inspectors found 21 code violations, including a "fall hazard" due to undersized iron balcony railings; a broken window pane; rotted window panes; missing dead-bolt locks on front entryways; insecure foyer areas; and incomplete information on a sign displaying building management contact information.

On Monday, the foyer areas proved to be secure and a broken window leading to the basement laundry room where the woman was attacked had been replaced. Scaffolding had also been erected at the front of the building, although the only construction permit filed with the city was from December 2013.

Building owners Richter and Rick Olsen could not be reached for comment Monday.

But in an interview in February, Olsen vowed "things are going to change — they don’t have to convince me. It was just a very depressing thing. I’m just very sorry for what happened to that girl."

The city had cited the building for other violations as early as 2003, according to administrative hearing records. Records from one hearing indicated violations for a broken door frame and screen.

In 2006, a city inspection found rotted window frames, missing smoke detectors and a defective porch system.

In 2007, an administrative law judge fined Richter — Olsen's associate — $1,450 for code violations that included a defective porch system and busted walkways.

A 2009 inspection found one apartment that was insufficiently heated.

Three inspections in 2010 found rusty and insecure gutters, an insufficiently heated apartment, a loose door knob and a door that wouldn't properly shut.

In November 2012, inspectors noted a broken boiler and inadequate heat in several apartments on two separate days.

The city filed a complaint against Richter in January 2013 for not providing heat to tenants. The case was dismissed about a month later.

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