Criminal justice reform in Illinois has ensured that most violent criminals are back out on the street after an arrest with little or no bail. The worst of the arrestees get unbelieveably stringent requirement of being saddled with “electronic home monitoring” which is supposed to keep them where they can’t victimize others.
That sounds good, except for one thing…thanks to Illinois’ new “bail reform” bill, there’s no criminal penalty for leaving home while you’re being monitored. In fact, a criminal on house arrest can leave and do God knows what. As long as they’re back within 48 hours, there’s no criminal penalty.
Meet Peter Andrews. After arrests for two arrests for a couple of armed robberies and a third for being a felon in possession of a firearm, he was cut loose from the county jail — again. This time, though, he was saddled with electronic home monitoring.
Mr. Andrews didn’t stay at home. In fact, police say he’s been a busy boy. Police have tied him to a Halloween armed carjacking, thanks in part to the car’s GPS anti-theft system along with the GPS on Andrews’ ankle monitor.
CWB Chicago has the story:
A Chicago man who is awaiting trial for two armed robberies and a separate felony gun case left his home while on electronic monitoring to carjack a woman at gunpoint on Halloween, prosecutors said Tuesday.
But, because the man was not away from his home for more than 48 hours, he cannot be charged with escaping electronic monitoring under Illinois’ new criminal justice reform law.
There’s more . . .
In 2017, Peter Andrews and another man pulled out handguns and robbed a group of landscapers of jewelry, watches, and cash in Calumet City, according to prosecutors and court records.
That same day, he flagged down a bicyclist in Calumet City and pulled the victim from his bike, Assistant State’s Attorney Loukas Kalliantasis said as he recounted details of Andrews’ pending cases Tuesday.
Andrews, 23, put the bicyclist in a chokehold and went through the victim’s pockets while his accomplice held a gun to the man’s head, Kalliantasis said. They allegedly got away with $20.
Warrants were issued for his arrest in both cases on August 18, 2017.
The long arm of the law caught up with Andrews two years later when Chicago police allegedly caught him carrying a gun on a South Side street. Prosecutors charged him with felony unlawful use of a weapon and the two 2017 robberies the next day. He later posted bond and went home on electronic monitoring.
He was still on electronic monitoring when he allegedly left his home and carjacked a 51-year-old North Carolina woman in the South Shore neighborhood on Halloween afternoon.
Is it any mystery why year-over-year carjackings in the first part of December were up over 400%?
But rest easy. Chicago’s hapless Mayor Lori Lightfoot is on it. She’s tackling the crime problem that infests her city by producing videos and wearing costumes for the local media. Chicagoans are sure to see things improve starting any day now.
