Two men arrested on suspicion of trying to lure children into a van have been released by a Chicago district judge under the impression that the recently enacted no-bail SAFE-T law prevents them from being held. He was later released.
Two men detained by Cicero police were also charged with parole and probation violations, according to reports. CWB Chicago.
Two suspects, Kench Edwards, 60, and Craig McCauley, 55, took several 14-year-old children into a van with promises of “games” and meeting “famous athletes”. He is said to have tried to lure her in.
The children did not get into the van and their parents called the police.
Two felons accused of luring children into a van where police found condoms, lubricant and mattresses were denied custody after prosecutors and a judge ruled that attempted kidnapping of children cannot be detained under the SAFE-T law. Because he mistakenly believed that, he was not detained on charges.https://t.co/yXRbg2S3Uh
— CWB Chicago (@CWBChicago) April 4, 2024
Police quickly took the two into custody and reportedly found a mattress, a used crack pipe, “numerous condoms, lubricant, binoculars” and several open bottles of alcohol inside the van. .
The men were subsequently arrested and charged with two counts of enticement of a child by a person over the age of 21 and two counts of attempted kidnapping of a child. They also have issues over parole and probation violations.
However, during the first hearing, Assistant State’s Attorney Sarah Dale Schmidt incorrectly advised Judge Susana Ortiz that these crimes were non-custodial.
The judge wanted to draw particular attention to this situation.
“I would like to note for the record that with respect to each of these defendants, child enticement and attempted child abduction are not listed as crimes for which the public may seek detention,” Ortiz said, according to court records. “I would like to note that while attempted animal cruelty can result in detention, attempted child abduction cannot. Whatever the value, we want that to be reflected in the record.”
Ortiz then ordered both men to undergo electronic ankle monitoring in order to be released. But she banned men from “free movement” days, when most people wearing ankle monitoring devices are allowed to leave the house twice a week.
CWB Chicago asked several of the law’s sponsors whether the SAFE-T law should have allowed these men to be assigned ankle watches and released based on their violations.
Democratic Rep. Cam Buckner argued that attempted child abduction is a detainable crime and that the two suspects should have been held on that charge.
“Child kidnapping and attempted child kidnapping are 100% custodial,” Buckner told CWB. “It is both enshrined in the statute that all conditions for a felony, including threatening or inflicting great bodily harm, disability, or disfigurement, are subject to imprisonment, even if they are not.” exists.”
Democratic Sen. Elsie Sims, another sponsor of the SAFE-T Act, agreed that the court was wrong in this case.
“These allegations are not just alarming; they are exactly the kind of circumstances that would allow a person to be detained under the Pretrial Fairness Act,” Sims said. “The law is clear: attempted kidnapping of a child should result in the defendant’s detention.”
The Safety, Accountability, Fairness, Fairness Today (SAFE-T) Act was signed by Illinois Democratic Governor JB Pritzker in February 2021 and officially went into effect on September 18 of last year.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker speaks during an interview in Chicago, Illinois, February 23, 2023. (Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The law has drawn criticism from both sides. For example, Will County State’s Attorney Jim Glasgow (D) criticized the law last year, calling it “destroying Illinois.”
Some of the results on the first day were disappointing.
Patrick Kennelly, who heads the AG’s office in the county just northeast of Chicago, says at least two suspects who he feels are a danger to the community have been allowed out of jail after trial. .
“The first day of operation under the SAFE-T Act produced the absurd and inconsistent results that many expected,” Kennelly said. Said Monday, the Lake & McHenry County Scanner reported.
“On his first day without cash bail, a violent criminal was arrested for assaulting four Chicago police officers and sending two to the hospital after the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office refused to file charges. “There are reports that he was released immediately. There is a problem with the motion to keep the defendant in custody,” said Illinois State Sen. John Curran. Said WFLD-TV.
“This highlights the misplaced priorities of Illinois’ criminal justice system, where prosecutors prioritize the freedom of violent criminals over the safety of police officers dedicated to protecting and serving their communities. Is it any wonder that police recruitment is at an all-time low in this state?” Curran asked.
Incidents like this continue to occur throughout the Land of Lincoln. And they won’t be the last, as this social justice experiment will inevitably take place in Illinois. And now it seems clear that this law still has major problems and puts Illinois residents at risk.
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