Dupage Policy Journal

DuPage County State's Attorney Bob Berlin recently thanked those involved in apprehending a man accused of fleeing from police officers in a stolen vehicle.

Bond has been set for a Chicago man accused of fleeing from police officers in a stolen vehicle, a recent Facebook post from the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office said. The defendant, 22-year-old Jelani Pinkston, is facing one felony count of aggravated fleeing and eluding and one felony count of possession of a stolen motor vehicle. 

At approximately 10:30 p.m. on Oct. 20, Pinkston was driving an allegedly stolen vehicle when officers of the Hinsdale Police Department attempted to stop the vehicle. Pinkston did not pull over and proceeded to lead the officers on a high-speed chase. After pursuing him, they eventually called off the chase due to safety concerns. Oak Brook Police officers noticed the vehicle a short time later and noted that it was being driven erratically and at a high speed. The officers activated their emergency lights, but Pinkston did not pull over. The officers pursued Pinkston, who drove through residential neighborhoods and reached speeds of 95 mph in a 35 mph zone. Eventually the vehicle stalled and the officers were able to take Pinkston into custody. The vehicle he was driving had been reported stolen three days earlier.

“The Oak Brook Police Department continues to work saturation details to pro-actively deter crime in our jurisdiction,” Oak Brook Police Chief Brian Strockis said in the post. “This is another successful example of these efforts with our partner agencies. I’d like to specifically thank the Hinsdale Police Department and DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin’s office for their assistance in this case." 

Judge Michael Reidy set Pinkston's bond at $250,000. The suspect is scheduled to appear for arraignment on Nov. 16.

“The allegations that Mr. Pinkston was not only in possession of a stolen motor vehicle, but also reached speeds approaching 100 mph in an attempt to avoid apprehension are disturbing,” Berlin said. “Thankfully, no motorists or pedestrians were injured as Mr. Pinkston allegedly fled authorities. I thank the Oak Brook and Hinsdale Police Departments for their ongoing efforts in keeping our streets safe and for the successful apprehension of the defendant in this case. I also thank Assistant State’s Attorneys Lee Roupas and Connor Greene for their efforts in preparing a strong case against Mr. Pinkston.”

In a guest column he wrote for the Daily Herald in September, Berlin joined other Illinois State's Attorneys in calling for a revision to the Pretrial Fairness Act, a provision of the SAFE-T Act scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1. Berlin noted that rather than enabling judges to use their discretion to determine whether a defendant should be detained pre-trial, the Pretrial Fairness Act "strips judges of their responsibility to both the defendant and the public by disallowing a judge from considering each case on its own merits and applying the law accordingly. Under the new Safe-T-Act, entire categories of crime, such as aggravated batteries, robberies, burglaries, hate crimes, aggravated DUIs, drug induced homicides, all drug offenses, including delivery of fentanyl and trafficking cases, are not eligible for detention regardless of the severity of the crime or a person's risk to a specific person or the community, unless prosecutors prove by clear and convincing evidence the person has a 'high likelihood of willful flight to avoid prosecution.'"

Berlin added that a prior failure to appear in court is not enough evidence to constitute a "high likelihood of willful flight."