Illinois
Fleeing a traffic stop is only a misdemeanor in Illinois, and police chiefs want to change that
CHICAGO (CBS) — The punishment for taking off during a traffic stop is only a misdemeanor in Illinois—and law enforcement leaders are looking to fight back against such offenses, which amount to an ongoing problem.
Police chiefs across Chicagoland say they need stricter laws, saying more and more drivers take off when officers pull them over. They hope a new push in Springfield will give law enforcement the much-needed backing to stop it.
A crash in Palatine on Thursday, according to police, was the result of a reckless driver. A man behind the wheel of a black sport-utility vehicle was speeding down the street.
In surveillance video, flashing police lights are seen six seconds after the crash on Rand Road—which left four people hospitalized. Police said the driver refused to stop.
“And this is a dangerous problem for all of our communities,” said Naperville police Chief Jason Arres.
Arrest pointed to an incident that played out just last month in Naperville—when two Naperville police cruisers tried to block in a Mercedes sport-utility vehicle.
The driver rammed into one of the cruisers and took off. Officers pursued.
Yet under current Illinois law, if caught, drivers who bolt from traffic stops would only be eligible to be charged with misdemeanors.
“I think, with the law being a misdemeanor right now, there’s not a lot of accountability or fear of the punishment that comes with a misdemeanor offense,” said Arres.
Some Illinois state legislators want to change that. Illinois Senate Bill 1807 looks to make “fleeing or attempting to elude” an officer by car a felony.
Chief Arres said such a measure is long overdue—especially looking at the situation in Naperville.
In 2019, Naperville saw 30 vehicles speed off from police, and in four years, Naperville now averages 137 vehicles doing so annually.
“I think a big part of it is, if we’re not chasing, word gets out—’Take off, and they’re not going to chase you,’” Arres said. “So you know, people talk.”
Over in south suburban Lynwood, which sits along the Indiana state line, police Chief Gregory Thomas said drivers take advantage of Illinois law.
“It’s almost comical,” Thomas said. “When we do certain traffic stops, or we detain subjects, they will ask, ‘Is this Indiana, or is this Illinois?’”
Thomas said drivers know police in Indiana will chase, while Illinois departments face restrictions—and if the drivers do bolt, it is only a misdemeanor.
“The criminal entity understands jurisdiction lines,” said Thomas, “and when the criminal element know that they’re in Illinois – and sometime in particular Cook County – they take advantage of that.”
The chiefs added that most people who take off or elude officers are often trying to hide something illegal in the vehicles.
The state Senate bill would not only make running from police a felony, btu increase jail time anywhere from one to three if convicted.
Illinois
Lake County detectives rescue girl from man they say drove to Illinois from Georgia to meet her
Detectives from Lake County, Illinois, Sheriff’s office rescued a girl under 14 from a grown man who had traveled from Georgia to meet her this weekend, authorities said Sunday.
At 4:40 a.m. Saturday, Lake County sheriff’s deputies were called to unincorporated Gurnee for a report of a missing girl under the age of 14. Deputies learned the girl had never run away before, and it was especially concerning that she did so in the middle of the night, authorities said.
Sheriff’s detectives learned the girl’s cellphone was not functioning, and she could not be found through any of her electronic devices. Detectives also found that a 24-year-old man from Norcross, Georgia, named Jordy Alexis Fuerte Perez had been communicating with her, authorities said.
Detectives learned that Fuerte Perez had made plans to drive to Illinois from Georgia and pick up the girl, and evidence indicates he told the girl he wanted a “romantic relationship” with her, authorities said.
Detectives homed in on a vehicle that Fuerte Perez may have been driving, and found the vehicle at the Independence Grove Forest Preserve near Libertyville, authorities said. Both Fuerte Perez and the girl were in the car in a parking lot when detectives arrived at 6 p.m. Saturday, authorities said.
The girl did not appear to be injured, but was taken to the Lake County Children’s Advocacy Center for specialized advocacy and attention, authorities said.
Fuerte Perez was charged with two counts of solicitation of child pornography, and one count of unlawful possession of a controlled substance, namely cocaine. More charges ar likely, authorities said.
“This type of case is a parent’s worst nightmare. Our Criminal Investigations Division took this case seriously and worked tirelessly from the moment the girl was reported missing until she was safely located,” Lake County Sherif John Idleburg said in a news release. “While there will undoubtedly be a long road to recovery and healing, I am grateful the victim was found safe and is physically okay. I am proud of everyone who played a role in rescuing this young girl and bringing the offender to the first steps of justice.”
Fuerte Perez was due in court on Sunday morning. The Lake County State’s Attorney’s office is asking to have him held while awaiting trial.
Illinois
Illinois Prison Closure Deepens Small Town’s Fears
In Lincoln, Ill., another pillar just fell. The New York Times’ Julie Bosman reports that the state plans to close Logan Correctional Center, a women’s prison that employs more than 500 people, stripping the Route 66 town of about 13,000 of one of its last major, stable job sources. State officials say the nearly century-old complex is too deteriorated to fix and will be replaced by a new, modern facility in Crest Hill, outside Chicago. Capitol News Illinois reports the Illinois Department of Corrections estimates it’ll take five years to build the new prison.
In Lincoln, where factories, a glass plant, and even a 157-year-old college have already called it quits, that decision feels like one more hit—and one that favors the Chicago area over downstate. Residents and local leaders, who spent years lobbying to keep the prison, now worry about a fresh wave of departures as families follow jobs elsewhere, further straining schools and small businesses already on the edge. For a look at what the loss of a single prison means for one Midwestern town—which takes particular pride in the fact it was uniquely named for Abraham Lincoln before he became president—read the full piece.
Illinois
Illinois GOP chair says Obama Center is political operation on public land | Fox News Video
Illinois Republican Party Chairman Bob Grogan says the Obama Presidential Center functions as a political operation and headquarters for the Obama Foundation rather than a traditional presidential library.
Illinois Republican Party Chairman Bob Grogan says the Obama Presidential Center functions as a political operation and headquarters for the Obama Foundation rather than a traditional presidential library. Grogan discusses public land, taxpayer-funded infrastructure, the Center’s endowment shortfall and why critics continue to oppose the project.
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