Justice Woman Arrested For Bringing Rat Remains Into Village Board Meeting: VIDEO

JUSTICE, IL -- The owner of a multi-family building in Justice was arrested Monday evening after she brought rat remains into a committee-of-the-whole meeting. Lila Dawidowicz said she was just trying to make a point about the rat infestation in the Village of Justice. The rat remains were neatly packaged in clear Ziplock baggies.

Dawidowicz owns an apartment building near 82nd Court and 79th Street in Justice. She said that she her daughter, Amber Vaughn, have both called their village officials repeatedly for the past several months to complain about the out-of-control rat situation in their neighborhood. Both women contacted Patch after a recent article about Oak Lawn’s rat abatement assistance program for residents.

"I can't even take my grandsons out to play in the yard anymore or grow my peppers and tomatoes because the rats are eating everything," Dawidowicz said. "I'm finding dead rat parts everywhere. I'm running over rats coming home."

Lila spoke about the rat problem in Justice prior to bringing rat remains into the board room.

Dawidowicz has spent $25 on a “bucket of poison” from Menards, but there isn’t enough poison at Menard’s to kill all the rats in her neighborhood. She claims that her tenants have complained to her about rats staring at them when they go to and from their vehicles in the building’s parking lot.

Justice isn’t the only community the area that is dealing with a rat infestation. Bedford Park, Bridgeview, Oak Lawn and Chicago Ridge have also noted increases in their own rat and rodent populations. Justice Tr. Melanie Kuban told fellow board members that changes were being made to the village building codes with regard to rat proofing. One of the measures would require owners of apartment buildings to provide copies of their exterminator contracts and paid bills. Fines would also be levied against such building owners whose dumpsters are found open.

“I’ve done research and Hawaii has got a bigger rat problem than we do,” Kuban said. “It’s not the responsibility of the village to set traps and bait.”

Dawidowicz was warned prior Monday’s village board meeting that if she brought in dead rats she would be arrested. Although Justice Mayor Kris Wasowicz appeared to nonplussed when Dawidowicz showed him her bags of rat remains, two Justice police officers asked to leave the room mid-point.

“Drag me,” she said.

Lila's arrest. She says Justice police confiscated her Ziplock baggies of rat remains.

While Dawidowicz was being booked next door at the police station (she says the officers were sweet to her), Wasowicz issued a statement at the start of the regular board meeting about the village’s rat problem.

“Bedford Park, Bridgeview, Chicago Ridge and Oak Lawn are facing a huge increase in theor rodent and rat populations due to mild winters,” the mayor said. “Our building commissioner has been in contact with surrounding communities to figure out a way to abate this situation. We’re currently working with various agencies and attorneys to put in place a new program to deal with this issue. We’re confident that we’ll have measures in place in the next few weeks. The village itself cannot remedy this situation alone. It will require the help of all residents and businesses.”

Dawidowicz was charged with disorderly conduct and trespassing, both misdemeanors. She said police dropped a possible felony charge of resisting arrest. Her bail was $150. She also has to appear in court on July 27 in Bridgeview to answer to the charges. Police also confiscated her bags of rat remains.

Had she been allowed to finish her statement before her unfortunate arrest, Dawidowicz would have stated that while she has no problem as the owner of a multi-family building complying with proposed changes to the ordinances, it needs to be applied across the board to single-family homes too.

“I’m not going to pay to bait the whole neighborhood.”

Lila's post-arrest interview.