Fellow worker charged in carnival rape in Carpentersville

A Tennessee carnival worker has been accused of raping a fellow carnival worker in Carpentersville, police said Friday.

Detrick Grady, 34, of the 400 block of West Grand Street in Jackson, Tenn., was charged with criminal sexual assault and criminal sexual abuse, stemming from allegations he raped a 23-year-old female co-worker in his trailer, police said.

Police said that Wednesday Grady invited the woman into his trailer in the 100 block of L.W. Besinger Drive after she asked him to borrow a videotape. When she tried to leave, he kissed her on the neck and she told him to stop while turning away from him, Cmdr. Todd Shaver said. At that point, Grady forced her pants down and sexually assaulted her, Shaver said.

The suspect was arrested Thursday afternoon in the 100 block of L.W. Besinger Drive, Shaver said.

Grady and the woman both work for Indiana-based North American Midway Entertainment, which bills itself as the world’s largest traveling outdoor amusement park. It runs carnivals in 20 states and four Canadian provinces, according to its website.

Its Carpentersville carnival started Wednesday, ends Monday at the Meadowdale Shopping Center.

Tom Thebault, general manager of the Astro Amusement Co., a Hoffman Estates division of the larger company, said all of its employees undergo full criminal background checks and are tested for drugs before they’re hired. Workers are also subject to random drug tests throughout their employment, he said.

Grady had been working with the company for about a dozen years, Thebault said. Nothing criminal ever turned up in his background check and he passed all of the drug screenings, Thebault added.

As a result of his arrest and subsequent charges, Grady’s employment will be terminated, Thebault said.

“We provide what we think is the finest family atmosphere in the industry for carnivals and we have zero tolerance for this type of behavior,” Thebault said.

A judge set Grady’s bail at $70,000 Friday. His next court date is May 29. If convicted of criminal sexual assault, a Class X felony, Grady could spend between six and 30 years in prison.