Two Men in Custody for Similar Crimes After Parole

Two individuals, currently on parole and probation, are back in jail, suspected of repeating past offenses that got them into legal trouble before.

First up is Anthony Cheeks, a 21-year-old who faces charges for robbing a passenger along the railroad tracks in Chicago. It’s reported that he allegedly stole a backpack from a 38-year-old man on a Red Line train on September 5th.

Just six days later, it appears Cheeks and an accomplice targeted a 47-year-old man at 47th Street Station. According to prosecutors, he asked the victim for a bottle of Tito’s Vodka. When the victim refused, Cheeks reportedly reached into his pants, implying he had a firearm.

“I’m going to shoot m**********!” he allegedly threatened before striking the victim with a vodka bottle multiple times, as reported.

There’s transit video footage confirming both incidents, and both victims picked Cheeks out of a photo lineup.

Interestingly, court records reveal that Cheeks was sentenced to four years in prison back in 2024 for another robbery incident involving a 66-year-old man on a Red Line train. He had only recently completed his parole for that case.

However, Judge Antara Rivera has now ordered Cheeks to be held on charges of aggravated robbery and battery for the recent incident. Since his arrest on September 16, he has remained in jail without bail, with his next court date approaching on Tuesday.

Next, there’s 22-year-old Keil Walker, accused of stealing a cellphone at gunpoint and fraudulently transferring nearly $1,200 into his own account while he’s on probation for similar crimes. Prosecutors claim that Walker and an accomplice took a victim’s phone outside a Nike Store and subsequently compromised her banking account.

In one case, a 20-year-old man lost $500 through the Chase app, and in another, a 37-year-old man reportedly lost $2,000 through Bank of America. Prosecutors also mentioned that the victim received mocking messages from her assailants.

Both victims were able to identify Walker in photo lineups, and he was recognized by officers while attending a Cubs game last year, leading to his arrest.

After pleading guilty to two counts of personal theft, Judge Sherry Thackerdermer sentenced Walker to two years of “second probation” in November. He is required to complete 40 hours of community service and obtain a GED; if successful, his conviction could be erased from his record.

However, around 4 a.m. on May 11, Walker reportedly confronted a 23-year-old man in the 600 block of North Clark, brandishing a gun and demanding him to unlock his phone, which Walker then used to transfer $1,190 to an account labeled “BBOYS.”

The police report stated that the victim later identified Walker in a photo lineup. Officers apprehended him, recognizing him as a suspect in a May armed robbery, near Wrigley Field on October 2.

Judge John Hock subsequently ordered Walker to remain in custody on October 3, and as of Friday, he has been held without bail in Cook County, with a next court date set for October 17.