Mount Vernon man charged in janitor's beating death

MOUNT VERNON, Ill. -- A 19-year-old Mount Vernon man was charged Wednesday in the beating death of a restaurant janitor.

Richard A. Ferguson was charged with burglary and first-degree murder in the death of Sean Grigg, 44, of Ashley, whose body was found early Monday at the Western Sizzlin steak house he cleaned after hours.

Police said Grigg -- who once ran for the city council on an anti-crime platform -- likely interrupted a burglary when he arrived for work Sunday night.

His body was found by the owner of the cleaning company Grigg worked for.

An autopsy later showed he was beaten and died of a head injury.

Ferguson, a former employee of the restaurant, was charged Tuesday with burglarizing the place in April and ordered held on $50,000 bond, prosecutors said.

On Wednesday, prosecutors charged Ferguson with burglarizing the restaurant again Sunday night and with beating Grigg to death when the janitor walked in on the crime, said Jefferson County State's Attorney Gary Duncan.

Mount Vernon Police Chief Chris Mendenhall said Ferguson was arrested on the burglary warrant to hold him in custody until murder charges could be filed.

"Our detectives have done a hell of a job the past couple of days," Mendenhall said.

Grigg ran for Mount Vernon City Council in 1999, saying that crime was one of the area's worst problems; he also called for more police. He ultimately dropped out of the election.