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* The usual suspects have really been out in force this week…

The replies are bristling with people blaming the killer’s release on the SAFE-T Act. And that’s just a very tiny taste of what’s out there.

The facts are that Nance was released on cash bail last year, before cash bail was formally eliminated in September. And he was able to bail out in a county where State’s Attorney Jim Glasgow led the charge against eliminating cash bail and warned, “The intent of this law is to destroy the criminal justice system in Illinois.”

* To the Joliet Herald-News…

Although a Will County judge had denied the reduction of a $100,000 bond on assault and weapons charges last year for a Joliet man recently linked to the fatal shooting of eight people, someone identifying herself as his sister came up with the money to free him from jail, court records show.

On Jan. 26, 2023, Romeo Nance, 23, of Joliet, was taken to the Will County jail on a $100,000 bond warrant for his arrest on charges of aggravated discharge of a firearm, aggravated assault, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and reckless discharge of a firearm.

Those charges concerned a Jan. 3, 2023, incident unrelated to the recent deaths linked to Nance. On Monday, authorities said Nance was a suspect in the shooting deaths of eight people in the Joliet area and a non-fatal shooting of a ninth person.

Nance shot and killed himself in Texas following a confrontation with law enforcement there, according to Joliet police officials.

Under the SAFE-T Act, aggravated discharge of a firearm, reckless discharge of a firearm and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon are all detainable offenses.

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Jan 24, 24 @ 11:50 am

Comments

Right-wingers never let the facts get in the way of a false narrative.

Comment by The Dude Abides Wednesday, Jan 24, 24 @ 11:58 am
Too bad the SAFE-T Act wasn’t in place a year earlier to keep this violent offender off the streets of Will County. Opponents of the act had better explain to us how they let this guy go.
Tragic x 7.

Comment by Quad Cities Wednesday, Jan 24, 24 @ 12:00 pm
In the pre-SAFE-T Act days, SA’s had no incentive to keep people like this in jail. They wanted the bond money.

For that 100K bond, did his sister have to pay that in full or only a % of it?

Comment by NIU Grad Wednesday, Jan 24, 24 @ 12:02 pm
Someone should ask Jim Glasgow if a Bersa .380 was used in the shootings…the same gun you charged him for having without a FOID last January.

Comment by Jocko Wednesday, Jan 24, 24 @ 12:04 pm
MAGA GOP Motto: Never let a good lie go untold.

Comment by Norseman Wednesday, Jan 24, 24 @ 12:05 pm
I would argue 100000 bond for those offenses is low. Just 10 thousand to get out is low for serious firearm offenses in Will County. That on the judge who set the bond.

Comment by Regular democrat Wednesday, Jan 24, 24 @ 12:06 pm
This fact free environment is partly a result of “In that time [since 2005], journalism jobs at Illinois newspapers have plummeted 86%” according to the recent report by the IL Local Journalism Task Force

https://dceo.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/dceo/events/local-journalism-task-force/local-journalism-task-force-final-report-january-2024.pdf

Comment by Incandenza Wednesday, Jan 24, 24 @ 12:09 pm
this is LITERALLY a perfect argument FOR having the SAFE-T Act in place

Comment by The Truth Wednesday, Jan 24, 24 @ 12:09 pm
Fundamentally the issue is what is the purpose of pre-trial detention. If it is solely “prevent flight, prevent intimidation/threat to witnesses” this guy probably should not have been in jail in the first place.

The problem I see is a lot of people seem to think jail should be “the fact you’re accused at all is sufficient to lock you up forever, regardless of your constitutional rights and presumption of innocence.”

Using it to prevent any other possible future crime that an accused might commit is not its purpose, nor should it be. That is a real quick path to a Minority Report future, and locking up “undesirables” depending on the whim of your local cops / prosecutors, and we can all guess who will get locked up and who won’t.

Comment by Homebody Wednesday, Jan 24, 24 @ 12:10 pm
Ah, I see Kim Foxx and her pro-criminal reign of terror have expanded. First Cook County, now Will County, honestly I wouldn’t be surprised if she carries it across the border to Lake County, Indiana next. We need to hold Kim Foxx accountable for the rise in crime in Gary and East Chicago on her watch.

Comment by Roadrager Wednesday, Jan 24, 24 @ 12:18 pm
@jocko

That is exactly the question to ask.

Hopefully some national news outlets will now ask the obvious questions the local ones refuse to.

Comment by TheInvisibleMan Wednesday, Jan 24, 24 @ 12:24 pm
Who gets to keep the bond money

Comment by Rabid Wednesday, Jan 24, 24 @ 12:27 pm
“Someone should ask Jim Glasgow”

That’s not a responsibility that falls on State’s Attorney Jim Glasgow

(430 ILCS 65/9.5)

If the person whose Firearm Owner’s Identification Card has been revoked fails to comply with the requirements of this Section, the sheriff or law enforcement agency where the person resides may petition the circuit court to issue a warrant to search for and seize the Firearm Owner’s Identification Card and firearms in the possession or under the custody or control of the person whose Firearm Owner’s Identification Card has been revoked.

Comment by Donnie Elgin Wednesday, Jan 24, 24 @ 12:32 pm
This is, I think, the most insidious part of the rot that has spread throughout the right.

I’d call myself a moderate Democrat if I called myself anything. I think the progressive wing of my party has some pretty shortsighted ideas, especially when it comes to criminal justice. We need a good faith balance coming from the other side of the aisle.

Instead, we get nothing but lies and scare tactics designed to outrage. It truly is a shame. And a counterproductive one, at that. At least in this part of the country.

Comment by AlfondoGonz Wednesday, Jan 24, 24 @ 12:51 pm
If they blame anyone thry shoyld blame the judge and States Attorney who let him loose.
But,again,we can’t let facts get in the way of some talking points.

Comment by btowntruthfromforgottonia Wednesday, Jan 24, 24 @ 1:00 pm
“rot that has spread throughout the right.”

Just a reminder, Jim Glasgow is a D. At least that’s the way he runs, and gets elected, in Will County. Amazingly, not a single republican filed to run against him in the next election.

Wonder why that is.

https://assets01.aws.connect.clarityelections.com/Assets/Connect/RootPublish/will-il.connect.clarityelections.com/Elections/2024GeneralPrimary/Petitions/PPCountywide.pdf

Comment by TheInvisibleMan Wednesday, Jan 24, 24 @ 1:01 pm
–did his sister have to pay that in full or only a % of it?–

10% of it had to be paid.

According to the receipt, a certain amount of that 10k was also… put on a credit card.

Comment by TheInvisibleMan Wednesday, Jan 24, 24 @ 1:27 pm
==I would argue 100000 bond for those offenses is low. Just 10 thousand to get out is low for serious firearm offenses in Will County. That on the judge who set the bond.==

You know that setting money bond at an unaffordable level in order to keep someone locked up pretrial is unconstitutional, don’t you? Actually, I’m going to guess you don’t know that since you seem to be blaming the judge for not violating the constitution.

Have you considered for a moment that maybe, just maybe, a system that determines whether an accused person is released from jail on the basis of how much money they can come up with is . . . not a good system?

Comment by charles in charge Wednesday, Jan 24, 24 @ 1:29 pm
any comment about the safety act is wrong. but it is true that letting violent criminals out on the street…whatever the system…is dangerous. everyone stay safe out there.

Comment by Amalia Wednesday, Jan 24, 24 @ 2:01 pm
Thought some on the right like the IPI and Koch/Americans for Prosperity types supported criminal justice reform. But not in this day of the MAGA Party, where “RINO’s” are considered the enemy as much if not more than Democrats. Irvin was one of those people, but he totally flipped to racist pandering for the MAGA base and it backfired badly.

Comment by Grandson of Man Wednesday, Jan 24, 24 @ 2:25 pm
Donnie Elgin, your citation only applies to someone who has had their FOID revoked. That is not what happened in this situation.

But I understand where you are coming from. When failing to do something could make him look bad, that was never his responsibility in the first place. Happens all the time in that office.

Like just this morning, when a judge reversed a decision based on the State’s Attorneys office screwing up a murder trial so badly it now has to be retried. That’s not his responsibility either I’m sure.

Fun stuff in Will County these days.

Comment by TheInvisibleMan Wednesday, Jan 24, 24 @ 2:29 pm
The news sources aren’t helping a lot here (all credit to the reporters as I know they are overwhelmed at most/all sites) as I was able to look up the charges and then check if they were detainable under SAFE-T fairly quickly. If the same charges happened after SAFE-T was in force, he was detainable.

Comment by ArchPundit Wednesday, Jan 24, 24 @ 3:09 pm
On who gets to keep bond $$$, although I haven’t researched IL law, the internet says if Defendant dies before trial, bond $$ are returned to person who posted it. Makes sense as purpose of bond is to insure Defendant shows for court and trial, and when Defendant dies, trial is canceled.

Comment by Watchdog Thursday, Jan 25, 24 @ 12:42 am