Court orders detention for Chicago man accused in Hinsdale boutique burglary

A Chicago man accused of burglarizing a high-end boutique in Hinsdale will remain in custody before trial, following a court decision to grant the state’s motion for detention. Monroe Shivers, 33, appeared in First Appearance Court facing charges that include burglary, theft between $10,000 and $100,000, retail theft, and aggravated fleeing and eluding.

Three co-defendants—Cortney Shivers, 32; Ronnie Hardy, 27; and Jeremiah Brown, 20—were also charged with burglary-related offenses but were released pre-trial because their charges are considered non-detainable under current law. Monroe Shivers is currently out on release for a separate burglary charge.

According to authorities, on January 27 at approximately 3:36 a.m., Hinsdale police responded to reports of suspicious vehicles near South Washington Street. Officers learned that the vehicles had allegedly targeted Kelsey Resale Boutique at 49 South Washington Street. Upon arrival, officers saw two vehicles fleeing the area. Police pursued one vehicle driven by Monroe Shivers. After a brief chase and foot pursuit near the Hinsdale train depot, three suspects were taken into custody. The fourth defendant was apprehended later that morning after being reported as a suspicious person.

The investigation alleges that Monroe Shivers and his co-defendants entered the boutique wearing masks and gloves before stealing luxury items such as purses and jewelry.

DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin stated: “I commend the Hinsdale Police Department for their truly outstanding work in the identification and apprehension of the defendants in this case. The allegations that even though this crime occurred in the dead of night, officers were on site within minutes, safely detained three of three of the four defendants as they fled and had the fourth defendant in custody in a matter of hours illustrates the Hinsdale Police Department’s commitment to public safety and the rule of law. The fact that three of the four defendants in this case are charged with non-detainable offenses and released pre-trial illustrates what I have been saying since the implementation of the Safe-T-Act that after hearing the facts and circumstances of a case, a judge, not the legislature, is in the best position to decide if pre-trial release for a defendant is appropriate. I once again urge the General Assembly to amend the law to give judges more discretion in every case. I thank Assistant State’s Attorneys Sean Kinsella and Eric Vincent for their efforts on this case as well.”

Hinsdale Chief of Police Brian King said: “These arrests would not have been possible had it not been for an alert citizen who called the police. The Hinsdale Police Department is diligently working to identify and arrest the other offenders in this case. We thank State’s Attorney Bob Berlin and his staff for their time and attention to the crime.”

The next court appearance for all four defendants is scheduled for February.

Authorities remind members of the public that these are only charges at this stage; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.

DuPage County schools serve over 142,000 students with an average student-to-teacher ratio of about 13-to-1 during recent years (https://www.isbe.net/Pages/Home.aspx). Teacher absenteeism rates have been slightly higher than state averages (https://www.isbe.net/Pages/Home.aspx), while schools like York Community High School have notable enrollment figures among white students (https://www.isbe.net/Pages/Home.aspx).