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Consequences, consistency missing in courts

Recently a Bartlett man was charged with attacking his neighbor after allegedly jumping over a fence to enter the victim’s property. He then resisted police officers as they attempted to arrest him. This man is no stranger to the Illinois criminal justice system. He had previously been sentenced to two years in prison after beating a local grocery store worker who had autism. Prior to that, he was sentenced to five years in prison after killing a woman in a vehicle crash.

Now here is where our system failed the citizens of Illinois once again. This man has obviously and consistently been a danger to his community for the past 30-plus years. But under the Illinois Safe-T Act he was granted pretrial release on this most recent arrest. If anyone deserved to be held until trial due to his past history, it is this man. I’m willing to bet the state’s attorney or the judge in this case would think differently if it was one of their family members who was the victim in this most recent attack.

One doesn’t have to go back very far to know that Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx had a fountain drink thrown at her and that offender was charged with two felonies. There have been dozens of shootings, stabbings and gun possession cases that Foxx's office has refused to file felony charges. It is no wonder that crime is so prevalent in our society. There seem to be very few consequences for lawlessness.

How about some consistency, accountability and some common sense in these situations? I’m wondering if other citizens in this state are as tired of our criminal justice system failing us on a consistent basis as I am.

Ray Cowin

Bartlett

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