Last December, a Cook County judge released a repeat offender with four pending felony charges on electronic monitoring. Prosecutors now allege that the same individual escaped monitoring and shot two Chicago police officers, resulting in one death over the weekend. During the hearing, it was acknowledged that the defendant would likely have faced “a minimum $1 million bail” under the previous cash bail system.
Judge John Lyke remarked that those days were behind us. “Our esteemed Legislature says, no, we’re not going to do that anymore,” Lyke said, referring to the Pretrial Fairness Act provisions of the SAFE-T Act. “We’re going to make judges take a critical look at it.”
Subsequently, Lyke allowed Alphonso Talley, whose history included armed robberies and carjackings, to return home on an ankle monitor. This decision was made despite Talley allegedly committing similar crimes just eight months prior, which Lyke attributed to an underdeveloped brain that he believed had since matured.
Lyke acknowledged that his decision was made “over the state’s rigorous objection.”
At the December 11 hearing, Talley had a substantial criminal record, including five prior convictions for four aggravated robberies and once for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Prosecutor Loukas Kalliantasis highlighted to Lyke that Talley’s four pending cases accumulated consecutively, starting with a stolen car and aggravated fleeing case, then battering a Cook County jail officer, and, while under electronic monitoring for these, allegedly carjacking a woman and robbing a man at gunpoint.
Kalliantasis elaborated on the carjacking and robbery cases, noting that Talley was wearing an ankle monitor when he and an accomplice allegedly approached a woman in a Jeep near the Calumet Green Line station, displayed guns, ordered her out, and took her SUV. Surveillance footage captured the clothing worn by Talley and his accomplice.
Approximately 25 minutes later, Talley and his accomplice allegedly used the stolen Jeep to rob a man in Englewood at gunpoint.
Chicago police officers began tracking an Apple AirTag inside the stolen Jeep, leading to the arrest of Talley and another man, and the recovery of the second robbery victim’s belongings.
During the hearing, the county was grappling with electronic monitoring failures, such as a case involving Lawrence Reed, who violated EM and set a woman on fire in November. Kalliantasis warned Lyke about these systemic issues.
The electronic monitoring program had been transferred to the office of the Chief Judge, which lacks a law enforcement arm or enforcement tools when participants abscond.
“As such, the state respectfully requests the defendant remain detained at this time,” said Kalliantasis.
However, Talley’s public defender, Lauren Widdowson, argued that he had changed during his time in custody.
“He’s completed eight courses,” she noted, including the Rewired Program, Anger Management, and courses on dealing with life stressors and opioid overdose prevention.
She added that Talley had strong family support and had become a father on October 8, while in jail.
Lyke expressed that he had observed Talley in court since at least 2023 and believed he had matured.
“This court has had an opportunity to watch him. I have seen attitude adjustments,” Lyke said. “He came in this court in 2023 extremely angry. Mad at the world, for the most part.”
“The mere fact that he has four pending cases is egregious in and of itself and it may in certain instances shock the conscience.”
Nevertheless, Lyke stated that Talley’s previous crimes occurred when “from a physiological standpoint, his brain wasn’t fully developed.” He acknowledged that Talley had used his time in custody constructively and that fatherhood could be transformative.
“It appears his mind is finally developing and he may be on the path to making better decisions,” Lyke said.
“When children are born, that tends to change a lot of folks and make accountability and your decisions a little bit more poignant and a little more real because you have a little human being relying on you to take care of them.”
After considering Talley’s five felony convictions, four pending charges, and the fact he was on an ankle monitor during two alleged offenses, Lyke concluded that he could not keep Talley in jail under the SAFE-T Act.
“This court cannot find that the state has met its burden by clear and convincing evidence that there is no condition or combination of conditions that this court can impose to protect any person or persons in the community when weighing everything with a fresh set of eyes and understanding,” Lyke said.
“Over the state’s rigorous objection, the defendant’s motion is granted. Defendant will be released on electronic monitoring.”
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