IL Prison Official Resigns in Face of Harassment Probe

CHICAGO (AP) — A director with the Illinois Department of Corrections has resigned following investigations of sexual harassment.

 

The (Carbondale) Southern Illinoisan reports Ty J. Bates was the deputy director for the department’s southern district and resigned Friday.

Illinois Department of Corrections spokesman Tom Shaer says Bates was at the center of two recent investigations.

He says the investigations showed that Bates violated the department’s sexual harassment policies but it did not amount to the legal definition sexual harassment. Bates resigned after his disciplinary action was announced. His punishment included suspension and employee training.

No details were released about the allegations.

A message left Sunday at a listed number for Bates wasn’t immediately returned.

Bates became a deputy director in 2011. He was former warden of Big Muddy River Correctional Center.