Craighead County, AR– Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin filed a suit at the Craighead county Circuit Court alleging a Jonesboro, Arkansas landlord of violating the Arkansas Fair Housing Act.
According to court documents, Charles Warren made unwelcome sexual comments to multiple tenants, touched their bodies without consent, requested sexual acts from them, and offered them rental benefits in exchange for sexual acts.
Charles Warren was the landlord, while Judy Warren is also being sued as she was a property manager.
The suit states, “the Arkansas Fair Housing Act prohibits a person from refusing to sell or rent after the making of a bona fide offer or refusing to negotiate for the sale or rental of, or otherwise make unavailable or deny, a dwelling to persons because of sex.”
The allegations stem from 2020, this story will refer to the reporters as “tenant” or “possible renter.”
One possible renter, a female, was shown a property and when filling out the rental application, Charles Warren allegedly touched the possible renter inappropriately and forced the woman to touch him inappropriately. The possible renter filed a police report and got a no contact order, an investigation was opened on Warren.
Another alleged incident states that a female tenant was subjected by Charles Warren to unwelcome sexual contact and indecent exposure when he touched her buttocks and exposed himself to the female tenant while performing asexual act upon himself., that occurred when he claimed he needed to fix the heat. Another incident was reported where Charles Warren exposed his penis with the same tenant.
The suit states it was unwelcome, unwanted and made the tenant uncomfortable.
The third alleged incident occurred when Charles Warren, the landlord staring at the woman breast and stating, “they would help with paying rent.” That comment came after he had touched her inappropriately, and was told to stop.
The fourth incident in the court documents states that Defendant Charles
would frequently touch another female tenants breast when he came to her unit to collect rent. On at least one occasion, Defendant Charles commented on Tenant breasts by stating “damn you got some big boobs.” The tenant attempted to get Defendant Charles to stop the inappropriate conduct by stating she would tell his wife.
The fifth alleged incident says that Defendant Charles subjected a female tenant to unwelcome sexual comments, advances, and contact. Defendant Charles would frequently lift the female tenants shirt, pinch her nipples, and rub his crotch area while speaking to her. Due to Defendant Charles’s conduct, the tenant started having a male present when Defendant Charles would come to the unit.
The suit states that at least one incident was reported to Judy Warren, the property manager and nothing was done.