Antioch Township teen who escaped jail arrested in Chicago
An Antioch Township teen who escaped from Lake County work release jail where he was serving a 30-month sentence for a fatal street race crash has been arrested on Chicago's South Side, authorities said.
Jeremy A. Betancourt, 19, was arrested about 1:30 p.m. Thursday by members of the Lake County Sheriff's office and the Great Lake Fugitive Task Force, Undersheriff Raymond Rose said.
Betancourt is due to appear in bond court today, Assistant State's Attorney Lauren Kalcheim Rothenberg said. He faces an additional charge of escape and is held in Lake County jail on $1 million bail.
A warrant was issued for Betancourt after he did not show up in court as ordered April 29, Kalcheim Rothenberg said. Prosecutors had filed a petition to revoke his probation for repeatedly violating court orders while serving his periodic imprisonment sentence at the Lake County Sheriff's Community Based Correction Center, Kalcheim Rothenberg said.
If Lake County Judge Victoria Rossetti finds Betancourt violated probation, he could be resentenced to 3 to 14 years in prison for aggravated driving under the influence that resulted in death in the 2013 crash that killed Cynthia Perez, 16, of Antioch. He also faces 2 to 5 years in prison if found guilty of escape, authorities said.
Betancourt was sentenced to periodic imprisonment in June 2014 after pleading guilty to charges he had marijuana in his system during an illegal street race with another vehicle on Route 120 in Gurnee. Police determined he was traveling at 77 to 87 mph when he lost control of the car he was driving and it flipped in the median.
Perez, a passenger in Betancourt's car, was ejected from the vehicle when it rolled and she died at the scene, authorities said. Betancourt and two others were injured, but survived the crash.
As part of the plea deal, Betancourt agreed to follow the rules imposed at the community-based correction center, where he served his periodic imprisonment sentence. Rossetti ordered that he was allowed to be released only to attend school, court or counseling.
Court records showed Betancourt violated correction center rules on at least eight occasions, including being absent without proper authorization and trying to bring a cellphone and cigarettes into the center.
Rossetti warned Betancourt during his sentencing he would be sent to prison if he did not follow the rules.
Betancourt was released from the center to go to court April 29 for the probation hearing, but he never showed up, Kalcheim Rothenberg said.