**Updated 1:15 p.m. March 17
Racine police say a man and woman are facing charges after they were caught engaged in a sex act near Park High School while a boys basketball game was underway at the school.
Eureka Gibbs, 51, of Racine, was charged Feb. 19 in Racine County Circuit Court with a single misdemeanor count of prostitution – sexual gratification. If convicted, she faces up to nine months in jail and/or up to $10,000 in fines.
The criminal complaint for Dennis Kennow, 62, also of Racine, was filed in Racine County Circuit Court March 10, and he is expected to make his initial appearance March 17. He faces one misdemeanor charge of pandering-solicitation. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of nine months in jail and/or up to $10,000 in fines.
According Gibbs’ criminal complaint, Racine police were on patrol in the neighborhood around Park High School Tuesday because of a intracity boys basketball game. As officers drove by a pickup truck parked in the 1000 block of Harbridge Avenue, they noticed a man sitting in the driver’s seat and what looked like a passenger bent over the driver’s lap.
Officers say they worried about the number of children in the area for the game because some streets in the neighborhood are known for prostitutes. Police activated their lights and then approached the vehicle to announce their presence. The driver was removed from the vehicle – later identified as Kennow – after he reached repeatedly toward his waist.
Kennow’s pants were unfastened and partially pulled down, the complaint reads. After placing him in cuffs, he said, “We were just having sex. It was just a blow job. I paid her 20 bucks for it.”
Police say they spoke with Gibbs who said she was walking north on Memorial Drive to get a stroller for her grandchild when Kennow pulled up alongside her and asked her for sex. Gibbs told officers she agreed to perform oral sex for cash because she needed the money. She was searched and a $20 bill was found in her coat pocket.
Gibbs was taken into custody after officers ran her name and discovered she had a warrant for littering. She had her initial appearance Wednesday and was assigned a $400 signature bond. Gibbs will next be in court for this charge on March 27, but online court records say that hearing notices sent to Gibbs’ last known address were returned as undeliverable and were not forwarded to another address.
Kennow was also taken into custody, the complaint reads, and his truck was left in a legal parking space. Online court records Monday were not updated to reflect proceedings for recently filed complaints. We will update this story when more details become available.