Mom Says Cook County Jail Guard Humiliated Her, Forced Her to Undress in Front of Men

A mom looking to bail her son out of the Cook County jail says a guard went out of his way to degrade and humiliate her, forcing her to remove her sweater and the knit headwear she uses to cover biopsy wounds.

Veronica Neary told her story to WGN Investigates, which obtained security video from the jail that not only shows the guard forcing McNeary to remove her top, it shows him snapping a cell phone photo of her driver’s license information.

The guard initially asked her to remove the headpiece, and when she began to explain why she wore the covering, the situation devolved from there.

“I don’t give a s--t. I said take it off,” he said.

Then came the top, which left her wearing an undershirt in front of many men.

When she asked for a supervisor, the guard took her license and intimidated her by snapping the photo, which is not standard procedure.

Dr. Nneka Jones Tapia, the jail’s executive director, says an investigation has been initiated into the guard’s conduct.

“That sweater was a pull-over and instead of it being deemed an outer garment it could have been deemed as her shirt and not been taken off,” Jones Tapia told WGN, adding that the photo is another reason the guard’s conduct will be reviewed.

McNeary has hired a lawyer.

“Take them into a separate room if a garment is to be removed if you suspect something,” her attorney, Richard Manno, told WGN. “This was unconscionable behavior and a clear diversion of what proper policy should be through the Cook County Sheriff.”