Sheriff Tom Dart may have been distracted as he continues to look at John Wayne Gacy crime scene photos.
A 30-year-old Chicago man was mistakenly released from Cook County Jail last month after being arrested on charges that he beat his girlfriend and then attacked her again Monday while free, authorities said.
But it wasn't until Steven Derkits missed his court date Tuesday in connection with the July arrest that the jail discovered the error. He was apprehended less than three hours later.
Derkits, of the 4400 block of South Talman Avenue, was arrested July 9 on charges of domestic battery, aggravated battery to a peace officer, simple battery, violating an order of protection and resisting arrest, according to Ben Breit, a spokesman for the Cook County sheriff's department. But on July 30, all the charges were dropped except for battery to the officer.
That is likely what confused a jail employee, who may have glossed over Derkits' paperwork and thought all the charges were dropped, Breit said. Whatever the reason, releasing Derkits was irresponsible, Breit said.
"It's no excuse at all," he told the Tribune on Monday night. "This is human error. It's regrettable ... and it's unacceptable."
This marks the second time this year that a Cook County inmate was released by mistake. In January, convicted murderer Steven Robbins was wrongly released from the jail after he appeared in Cook County criminal court in a 1992 armed violence case.
Jail employees had accidentally set him free because there was no indication in his paperwork that he was still to finish serving a 60-year murder sentence in an Indiana prison.
In Derkits' case, the sheriff's department didn't realize it had wrongly set him free until he missed his court date Tuesday at the Leighton Criminal Court Building on the remaining charge of aggravated battery to an officer, Breit said. He was caught within 21/2 hours by sheriff's officers.
During his arrest Tuesday, Derkits suffered minor injuries when he tried to resist sheriff's officers, Breit said. Officers had to use a stun gun to subdue Derkits, who was later taken to a hospital.
Breit also said that Derkits attacked his girlfriend Monday — the same one he was charged with beating in July. Further details about Monday's incident were not available Tuesday.
As of Tuesday night, Derkits had not been charged in the later attack.
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