Latest news with #PretrialFairnessAct
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Downtown alderman considering Cook County Board run against Preckwinkle
Downtown Ald. Brendan Reilly said Wednesday he is exploring a challenge to Toni Preckwinkle in the 2026 Democratic primary for Cook County Board president. Reilly, 42nd, told the Tribune he would make a final decision in the coming weeks, but claimed he'd been approached to take on Preckwinkle — who is so far uncontested for her fifth term — in recent weeks. He made similar overtures for a Congressional run against Democratic Rep. Danny Davis in 2015 and has also explored mayoral runs in past cycles but has stayed put in City Hall. Reilly, 42nd, one of the City Council's moderates, has represented downtown for nearly two decades. An ally to the business community, he has been one of the best fundraisers on the council and has run uncontested for the seat since defeating longtime alderman Burt Natarus in 2007. He closed the last fundraising quarter with more than $700,000 in the bank. Preckwinkle ended the same quarter with a little over half of that, $365,000, in her main campaign committee. But Preckwinkle also chairs the Cook County Democratic Party, which gives her additional political power and fundraising heft. Even so, Democrats have increasingly broken from the county organization's slated picks in ways once unthinkable, including Preckwinkle's own endorsed candidate for State's Attorney last year. Her selection, Clayton Harris III, lost in the State's Attorney primary to Eileen O'Neill Burke, with several Democrats defecting to support Burke. Reilly himself bucked the party in 2020, backing Republican State's Attorney candidate Pat O'Brien over Preckwinkle mentee Kim Foxx. Foxx won. Preckwinkle, 78, announced her plans for re-election last month, suggesting she wanted to lend a steady hand at the county during a second Trump administration. She also pointed to the ways she had stabilized the county's finances and launched meaningful criminal justice reform since 2010 that helped usher in the Pretrial Fairness Act. She told her fellow Democrats at a party meeting on April 16 that 'if I wasn't doing this job, I would just find another one, which I probably wouldn't find as interesting, challenging, or as impactful. So I decided that I would ask you and the good people of Cook County for another shot at this.' A spokesman for Preckwinkle's political organization did not immediately comment Wednesday about Reilly saying he's thinking about running against her. Reilly's father, Dr. Brendan Reilly, previously led the Department of Medicine at Cook County Hospital.
Chicago Tribune
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Downtown alderman considering Cook County Board run against Preckwinkle
Downtown Ald. Brendan Reilly said Wednesday he is exploring a challenge to Toni Preckwinkle in the 2026 Democratic primary for Cook County Board president. Reilly, 42nd, told the Tribune he would make a final decision in the coming weeks, but claimed he'd been approached to take on Preckwinkle — who is so far uncontested for her fifth term — in recent weeks. He made similar overtures for a Congressional run against Democratic Rep. Danny Davis in 2015 and has also explored mayoral runs in past cycles but has stayed put in City Hall. Reilly, 42nd, one of the City Council's moderates, has represented downtown for nearly two decades. An ally to the business community, he has been one of the best fundraisers on the council and has run uncontested for the seat since defeating longtime alderman Burt Natarus in 2007. He closed the last fundraising quarter with more than $700,000 in the bank. Preckwinkle ended the same quarter with a little over half of that, $365,000, in her main campaign committee. But Preckwinkle also chairs the Cook County Democratic Party, which gives her additional political power and fundraising heft. Even so, Democrats have increasingly broken from the county organization's slated picks in ways once unthinkable, including Preckwinkle's own endorsed candidate for State's Attorney last year. Her selection, Clayton Harris III, lost in the State's Attorney primary to Eileen O'Neill Burke, with several Democrats defecting to support Burke. Reilly himself bucked the party in 2020, backing Republican State's Attorney candidate Pat O'Brien over Preckwinkle mentee Kim Foxx. Foxx won. Preckwinkle, 78, announced her plans for re-election last month, suggesting she wanted to lend a steady hand at the county during a second Trump administration. She also pointed to the ways she had stabilized the county's finances and launched meaningful criminal justice reform since 2010 that helped usher in the Pretrial Fairness Act. She told her fellow Democrats at a party meeting on April 16 that 'if I wasn't doing this job, I would just find another one, which I probably wouldn't find as interesting, challenging, or as impactful. So I decided that I would ask you and the good people of Cook County for another shot at this.' A spokesman for Preckwinkle's political organization did not immediately comment Wednesday about Reilly saying he's thinking about running against her.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Yahoo
Suburban man accused of 100+ mph police chase, crash to stay jailed until next court date
The Brief Andres Galvez, 37, of Lombard, was ordered held after allegedly fleeing police at over 100 mph and crashing into a car carrying three teenage girls; no serious injuries were reported. Galvez faces two felony counts of aggravated fleeing and eluding, plus more than a dozen traffic offenses, while already out on bond for a separate cocaine case. His next court appearance is scheduled for May 27. VILLA PARK, Ill. - A Lombard man accused of crashing into another vehicle after fleeing police at more than 100 mph will remain in custody until his next court appearance, officials said. What we know Andres Galvez, 37, appeared in bond court Sunday morning on multiple charges, including two counts of aggravated fleeing and eluding a police officer — one a Class 3 felony and the other a Class 4 felony — along with more than a dozen misdemeanor and petty traffic offenses, such as reckless driving and driving on a revoked license. At the time of the incident, Galvez was already out on $150,000 bond for unrelated charges of possession with intent to deliver cocaine, a Class X felony, and aggravated fleeing and eluding. That bond had been set three days before the state's Pretrial Fairness Act took effect, according to the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office. The backstory Villa Park police attempted to pull over a vehicle for speeding near Route 83 and Riverside Drive at about 11:49 p.m. on April 25. When an officer activated emergency lights and sirens, the driver — later identified as Galvez — fled at a high rate of speed, authorities said. Galvez allegedly ran a red light at Route 83 and Riverside Drive and continued southbound on Route 83, reaching speeds of more than 104 mph. Prosecutors said he swerved around a parked Oak Brook police squad car, ran another red light at Route 83 and 31st Street, and then crashed into a vehicle carrying three teenage girls. The girls were treated by paramedics at the scene. No serious injuries were reported. Galvez was taken into custody following the crash. What they're saying "The allegations that while out on bond, Mr. Galvez not only sped away from officers, but then crashed his car into an occupied vehicle with enough force to deploy that vehicle's airbags, are outrageous," DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said. "I want to remind motorists that in DuPage County we will not tolerate this type of alleged behavior that puts not only the accused at risk, but also the officers involved as well as the motoring public. As I've said in the past but bears repeating, if you hear sirens and see lights behind you, pull over. Do not attempt to outrun the police as you will not be successful and will be arrested, charged and prosecuted. We are all thankful the victims in the car Mr. Galvez allegedly crashed into were not seriously injured. I thank the Villa Park Police Department for their work on this case and for their continued efforts in keeping our roads safe for everyone as well as the Oakbrook Police Department for their assistance. I also thank Assistant State's Attorneys Jennifer Nielsen and Michael Pingaj for their efforts in securing charges against the defendant." "In Villa Park, we take any situation that endangers public safety extremely seriously," Villa Park Deputy Chief of Police Daniel McCann said. "Reckless driving and fleeing from police continue to be a serious problem. I thank our officers involved in this situation for their commitment and proactive efforts. I also thank the Oakbrook Police Department who assisted in the apprehension of this defendant for their efforts, as well as State's Attorney Bob Berlin and his team for their support and legal guidance." What's next Galvez is scheduled to appear in court again May 27.
Chicago Tribune
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Letters: Cook County's State's Attorney Eileen O'Neil Burke's policy ignores judges' judgment
Recently, Cook County's new state's attorney, Eileen O'Neil Burke, issued a policy instructing assistant state's attorneys to object anytime a judge orders an individual to be released on electronic monitoring when the state's attorney originally requested pretrial detention. Blanket policies such as this one fail to promote public safety and undermine due process and the presumption of innocence by ignoring judges' decisions and mitigating information provided by defense attorneys. The Pretrial Fairness Act, which took effect in September 2023 and ended the use of money bond in Illinois, recognizes the foundational principle that every person is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty. Under Illinois' previous money bond system, judges made pretrial release and detention decisions in just a few minutes. Thus, judges had limited information about the allegations and how incarceration would impact the charged individual and their loved ones. The Pretrial Fairness Act changed that. As a result, these critical hearings have dramatically increased in length. Loyola University found that the median hearing now takes between 10 to 20 minutes. That means the judges have more information at their disposal and they are now able to make more informed and considered pretrial release decisions. O'Neil Burke's new policy disregards the individualized decisions of Cook County's judges about who should be released while their cases are pending and under what conditions. The policy also runs counter to years of data about the use of electronic monitoring in Cook County. The electronic monitoring program run by Pretrial Services has long monitored people facing serious cases, and research has shown that people on electronic monitoring have the same extremely low rates of re-arrest as people who are released without monitors. The Cook County state's attorney is tasked with promoting public safety in our city. That won't come from doing away with the progress that has been made to evaluate each case individually on its own merits and instead to decide from on high what is right in every single case through a blanket order. At a time when our democratic principles and institutions are under attack, it's more important than ever to stand up for bedrock constitutional rights — due process and the presumption of innocence. O'Neil Burke's policy doesn't cut it. — Erica Zunkel, clinical professor of law, University of Chicago Law School Speed cameras' virtue The Tribune Editorial Board's recent editorial 'Suburban speed cameras? Don't replicate Chicago's mistakes.' (April 7) does a great job pretending speed cameras contracts are more rife for abuse than any other government contract, while offering no constructive alternative solutions for dealing with the deadly crisis our region is facing from speeding motorists. In fact, even a cursory review of the largest bribery scandals in recent Illinois government history reveals criminals know no bounds for the government revenue streams they are willing to manipulate for their own fortune. Such scandals have tapped into government-owned or -regulated revenue sources as diverse as electricity rates (the recent ComEd bribery scandal), tax appeals (Joe Berrios' reign at the Cook County assessor's office) and municipal revenue streams diverted from good uses such as in Dolton under Mayor Tiffany Henyard. Given the wide range of government agencies and municipalities that have proved vulnerable to criminal intentions, we must unfortunately conclude, 'If there is a will, there is a way,' for bad actors and not throw out the baby with the bathwater when it comes to implementing penal structures that make our communities safer. Given the lifesaving outcomes speed cameras can produce, the societal benefits far outweigh any risk of criminal practice. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago analyzed traffic data from 101 speed camera zones in Chicago between 2015 and 2017 and found that the cameras reduced severe and fatal crashes by 15% and all injury crashes by 12%. Furthermore, a 2015 study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that in Montgomery County, Maryland, a setting similar to suburban Cook County outside Washington, speed cameras reduced the likelihood of fatal or incapacitating injuries by 19% and of drivers going more than 10 mph over the speed limit by 59%. According to Illinois law, municipalities are required to use speed camera revenues only on public safety purposes, as well as constructing and maintaining public safety infrastructure. Therefore, what the editorial board calls the 'plaguing (of) drivers just trying to get to work, run errands or shuttle kids to activities' is actually a fair corrective action for dangerous driving behavior that also directly funds programs to make our streets and communities safer. — Jeff Swirenski, Chicago Support for curfew I believe the danger of teen takeovers in Chicago centers on the irrationality of a mob mentality. One or two leaders can stir the others up and prompt them to do things that they would not consider doing on their own. Throughout human history, mobs have resorted to horrible violence. It is a human weakness that should be guarded against. That is why I support the 8 p.m. curfew for young people downtown. — David M. Steadman, Chicago Willie Wilson's take Having lived in Chicago for the past 37 years, I have watched Willie Wilson's attention-grabbing actions of philanthropy — standing by a gas pump and handing out $100 bills — seemingly pandering to innocent unsuspecting voters in his political attempts to be Chicago's mayor. Over these last weeks, however, I have been nudged into a repentant apology by his profound take on our political crisis and a sincere and accurate Christian analysis of the problems and deliberate practical steps the individual Christian citizen can take during this holy season. As a retired Lutheran clergyman, I have been struck by the thundering silence of my own and other denominations' leaders to the flagrant attacks on humanity and the dignity merited by all of God's children. Our city and our nation and especially our faith communities must mark, listen and learn Wilson's profound statement of truths. — Douglas R. Groll, Chicago Our nation's wealth I concur with Willie Wilson's opinion regarding Holy Week ('Trump's actions are inconsistent with true meaning of Easter,' April 10). On several occasions, President Donald Trump has stated that he wants to make America wealthy again. That would seem to suggest that we need to increase the level of our wealth. The ravage of COVID-19 clearly disrupted our economy, as it did for all nations. While inflation was higher in most countries, Americans clearly felt the inflation. Thus, it is easy to forget that we are wealthier than all other countries. World Population Review provides several measures on household income. Its measure of disposable income per household ranks the U.S. as a clear No. 1 at $51,147 annually, more than $6,000 higher than No. 2 Luxembourg followed by Switzerland and Norway with levels less than $40,000. Certainly, there are numerous other ways to measure wealth, but as the whole world recovers from COVID-19, the U.S. has experienced perhaps the fastest recovery. Clearly, not every American has experienced the rapid recovery, but in the spirit of Holy Week and Easter, we should reflect on how we might aid the places in dire need of help rather than focusing on how we might be even richer than the rest of the world. — Siim Sööt, Winnetka Death with dignity I am happy to hear that Cook County Judge Patrick Murphy is 86 years old ('What being Cook County's public guardian taught me about death and dignity,' April 9). I'm not happy to hear that 'with ambivalent acceptance,' he recognizes his 'coming demise.' What's his rush? I'm 93 and am planning to be around for my great-grandson's bar mitzvah in eight short years. I appreciate the work the judge has done in his career as a guardian, and I for one agree that a prescription medication be available to those folks in a very bad time and that they be allowed to take it when the time comes. — Jerry Pollard, Northbrook Judge's theology Judge Patrick Murphy's philosophy and theology on dying conflicts with what the sisters taught him 80 or so years ago. There is a difference between withdrawing extraordinary means of life support and providing death-inducing drugs. Life remains precious in every age, including Murphy's, and suicide is not an ethically acceptable means of demise, according to centuries of Catholic teaching. Murphy should reach out to any Catholic religious sister to ask what she thinks about his new theology of assisted dying.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Yahoo
Dixon man sentenced to 10 years in prison for selling meth
Apr. 8—DIXON — A Dixon man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to delivering methamphetamine. James L. Ballard, 47, pleaded guilty April 3 in Lee County Circuit Court to delivery of methamphetamine, between 15 and 100 grams, a Class X felony, and was sentenced to 10 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. Ballard was charged July 1, 2024, after a search warrant served one day earlier at 320 S. Canal Drive in rural Dixon resulted in Ballard being charged with several narcotics offenses. Along with delivery of methamphetamine between 15 and 100 grams, Ballard also was charged with delivery of methamphetamine, between 100 and 400 grams, a Class X felony; delivery of methamphetamine, between 5 and 15 grams, a Class 1 felony; and possession of methamphetamine, between 15 and 100 grams, a Class 1 felony. The latter three charges were dismissed as part of a plea deal. He was given credit for 277 days served. Ballard's plea comes less than two months after the state appellate court upheld a Lee County Circuit Court decision to keep Ballard in jail under the Pretrial Fairness Act, known as the SAFE-T Act. Ballard, who had appealed the trial court's July 2024 order denying his motion for relief from pretrial detention, argued the court erred when finding he posed a threat to the community because prosecutors did not contend he posed a threat of committing a violent crime. The case history According to appellate court documents, when Ballard was charged with the four meth counts, prosecutors filed a petition to deny his pretrial release. A hearing on the petition was held July 1, 2024. At that detention hearing, prosecutors proffered a probable cause affidavit that showed a confidential informant contacted the Lee County Sheriff's Office to tell them the informant had purchased methamphetamine from Ballard on June 14, 2024. According to that affidavit, Lee County deputies arranged for the informant to perform a controlled purchase. On June 21, 2024, the informant met with Ballard at 320 S. Canal Drive in Dixon and bought 8.8 grams of methamphetamine for $150 using Cash App, according to court documents. Similarly, on June 28, 2024, the informant purchased 33.69 grams of methamphetamine for $600, according to court documents. Ballard was subsequently arrested. On June 30, 2024, deputies executed a search warrant at Ballard's residence at 320 S. Canal Drive, where they located 101 grams of methamphetamine in the closet and 8 grams under a table in his bedroom. An additional 82 grams of methamphetamine were located elsewhere in the residence. Deputies noted during the search that two televisions displayed surveillance of the exterior of the residence, according to court documents. Prosecutors during the detention hearing also proffered the pretrial services report, which showed Ballard had multiple prior convictions for drug-related offenses. In 2002, he was convicted of a drug offense for which he received four years' probation and jail. However, in 2005, his probation was revoked, and he was sentenced to four years of boot camp through the Illinois Department of Corrections. In 2018, Ballard was convicted of delivering methamphetamine and possession of a weapon by a felon and sentenced to eight years in prison. The Virginia Pretrial Risk Assessment Instrument-Revised scored Ballard as a 13 out of 14, which is considered high risk, according to appellate court documents. The risk assessment noted his specific risk factors to be that he was already under "community supervision" with pending charges for jailable offenses, he had two or more prior violent offense convictions, and he had a history of drug abuse. Prosecutors contended Ballard's criminal history and risk assessment supported their argument that he posed a real and present threat to the safety of the community. But Ballard testified he did not have any pending criminal cases in Whiteside County, was not on parole or probation at the time of his arrest and would comply with any conditions of pretrial release, including counseling, electronic monitoring, and random drug testing. The trial court stated it had considered the evidence presented, the probable cause affidavit, the pretrial services report and defendant's criminal history. Regarding his criminal history, the court noted Ballard's probation was revoked in 2005; his court supervision was revoked in 2011; and his probation was revoked in 2013. At the time of the June 2024 offense, the court noted Ballard was on pretrial release for Lee County cases for which he had posted bond and had been ordered not to violate any statute. Lastly, the court noted his high-risk assessment. The court found that Ballard posed a real and present threat to the community, and no conditions of pretrial release could mitigate the threat he posed. The court granted the state's petition to deny his pretrial release. Ballard, while still represented by counsel, filed a motion for relief Nov. 1, 2024, arguing the state failed to present articulable facts to show he was a real and present threat to any people or the community. On Nov. 21, 2024, the trial court accepted Ballard's waiver of his right to an attorney and permitted him to represent himself. A hearing on Ballard's motion was held on Nov. 26, 2024. Ballard noted his detention order was pursuant to the dangerousness standard and asked, "Who — who's the danger — who am I a danger to?" The state responded by saying that a defendant with a history of selling large amounts of controlled substances posed a real and present threat to the community because of the "well established" societal harm of drug use. The trial court denied Ballard's motion for release, which led him to appeal to the appellate court. On appeal, Ballard argued the trial court erred when finding he posed a threat to the community because the state did not contend he posed a threat of committing a violent crime. He argued there was no evidence presented that any drug sales by him were associated with violence or the risk of violence. Furthermore, even if the court believed Ballard was likely to commit a future nonviolent offense, he was entitled, pursuant to the code, to be given pretrial release with an opportunity to comply with pretrial release conditions, he said. The appellate court ruling filed Feb. 25, 2025, upheld the state's court 2024 decision to detain Ballard, finding Ballard was charged with a detainable offense and the proof was evident or presumption great that he committed the offense, posed a real and present threat to the community, and that no conditions or combination of conditions could mitigate the real and present threat.
