Fabian Jeffers, whose Cook County criminal court file contains nearly 90 cases, including 16 felonies, was discovered by Chicago police sleeping in a donut shop with electronics he allegedly stole from a nearby business. Despite this, prosecutors did not request his detention, leading to his release, and he has since disappeared.
The incident began around 8 a.m. on February 28, when a business on the 300 block of West Institute Place reported a burglary. According to a Chicago Police Department report, the stolen items included a computer, a Chromebook, an iMac, and other electronics valued at approximately $8,300.
A company representative quickly found the missing items with Jeffers, who was asleep at the Dunkinâ located at 309 West Chicago Avenue, as stated in the police report.
Jeffers, 59, was arrested on the spot by officers. A search of his jacket revealed two screwdrivers and a metal baton, which were described in the police report as âburglary tools.â
The day after his arrest, prosecutors did not request Judge Thedford DâAnthony to hold Jeffers in custody pending trial. He was released with orders to return in five days. When he failed to appear, Judge Anthony Calabrese issued a warrant for his arrest, which remains active according to court records.
Jeffersâ criminal activities in Cook County date back to the Bush administration. No, the other Bush administration.
His past cases include a 1992 charge for cocaine manufacturing and delivery that led to probation, a 1992 robbery conviction with a three-year sentence, a 1993 unlawful use of a weapon by a felon conviction resulting in three years, and a 1995 burglary conviction with a three-year sentence. In 1997, a burglary conviction resulted in a seven-year sentence, and a 2004 conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm resulted in four years in prison.
Recently, judicial decisions have been more lenient. A 2016 burglary was downgraded to theft, leading to a four-year sentence. A 2015 burglary was reduced to misdemeanor theft with 364 days served. A 2019 aggravated battery charge resulted in a two-year sentence, satisfied by time served.
This leniency persists into the present decade. A 2023 narcotics conviction was reduced to a misdemeanor, resulting in 20 days served. A 2024 residential burglary charge was downgraded to a misdemeanor, leading to 75 days served. A 2025 felony drug possession case was reduced to a misdemeanor, which combined with a misdemeanor domestic battery charge, resulted in 109 days served.
Jeffers is now facing a new burglary charge related to the February 28 incident, assuming he is located and brought back before the court.
