Court Opinion

ID: 9941118
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-02-15 21:05:01.373424+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:46:15.042419
License: Public Domain

2024 IL App (2d) 230504
                                  No. 2-23-0504
                          Opinion filed February 15, 2024
______________________________________________________________________________

                                               IN THE

                              APPELLATE COURT OF ILLINOIS

                              SECOND DISTRICT
______________________________________________________________________________

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE                ) Appeal from the Circuit Court
OF ILLINOIS,                           ) of McHenry County.
                                       )
      Plaintiff-Appellee,              )
                                       )
v.                                     ) No. 23-CF-988
                                       )
KEVIN K. PEREZ,                        ) Honorable
                                       ) Tiffany E. Davis,
      Defendant-Appellant.             ) Judge, Presiding.
______________________________________________________________________________

       JUSTICE HUTCHINSON delivered the judgment of the court, with opinion.
       Justices Schostok and Mullen concurred in the judgment and opinion.

                                             OPINION

¶1     Defendant, Kevin K. Perez, appeals the November 6, 2023, order of the McHenry County

circuit court revoking his pretrial release pursuant to article 110 of the Code of Criminal Procedure

of 1963 (Code) (725 ILCS 5/art. 110 (West 2022)), commonly known as the Pretrial Fairness Act

(Act). See Pub. Act 101-652, § 10-255, 102-1104, § 70 (eff. Jan. 1, 2023); Rowe v. Raoul, 2023

IL 129248, ¶ 52 (lifting stay and setting effective date of Act as September 18, 2023). 1 Defendant

       1 The Act has also been referred to as the Safety, Accountability, Fairness, and Equity-

Today (SAFE-T) Act. However, neither “Pretrial Fairness Act” nor “SAFE-T Act” is an official

title, as neither appears in the Illinois Compiled Statutes or the public acts.
2024 IL App (2d) 230504

specifically argues that (1) he was not charged with an offense qualifying for revocation of his

pretrial release; (2) the State failed to prove by clear and convincing evidence that the proof is

evident or the presumption great that defendant committed the offense(s) charged; (3) the State

failed to prove by clear and convincing evidence that defendant poses a real and present threat to

the safety of any person or persons or the community, based on the specific, articulable facts of

the case; and (4) the State failed to prove by clear and convincing evidence that no condition or

combination of conditions would mitigate the real and present threat to the safety of any person or

persons or the community, based on the specific, articulable facts of the case, or the defendant’s

willful flight. For the following reasons, we affirm.

¶2                                      I. BACKGROUND

¶3     On October 20, 2023, defendant was charged by complaint with one count of attempted

aggravated assault (720 ILCS 5/12-3.05(d)(4) (West 2022)), a Class 3 felony, one count of

aggravated assault on a peace officer (id. § 12-2(b)(4.1)), a Class 4 felony, and one count of

resisting a peace officer (id. § 31-1(a)(1)), a Class A misdemeanor. According to the probable

cause statement, Officers Schraw, Meza, and Gallman of the Woodstock Police Department

responded to 1199 S. Eastwood Drive in Woodstock for a wellness check. Upon arrival at the

scene, officers saw defendant lying on the sidewalk. Officer Gallman woke defendant, who

responded aggressively. Officer Schraw asked defendant to step back. When defendant refused,

Officer Schraw placed his hand on defendant’s chest. Defendant struck Officer Schraw’s hand.

Officers warned defendant not to threaten or strike an officer again, but defendant again

aggressively advanced on Officer Schraw, who attempted to deescalate the situation by placing his

hands out to prevent defendant from moving forward any further. Defendant slapped Officer

Schraw in the hand a second time. Officers then attempted to place defendant under arrest, but

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defendant resisted by pulling his arms away. Then, defendant was placed in the back of the squad

car and he used his head to strike and push Officer Gallman’s forehead.

¶4     The following day, defendant was released from custody on personal recognizance with

conditions. Of note, defendant was required to not violate any criminal statute while on pretrial

release. The matter was continued to November 1, 2023.

¶5     On November 2, 2023, defendant was charged in case No. 23-CM-752 with battery, a Class

A misdemeanor (720 ILCS 5/12-3(a)(1) (West 2022)). The State filed a verified petition to revoke

pretrial release. See 725 ILCS 5/110-6(a) (West 2022). The petition alleged that, while on pretrial

release, defendant was charged with battery, a Class A misdemeanor, related to an event where

defendant punched a minor, S.M.C., in the mouth three times causing him to bleed and loosening

his tooth.

¶6     A hearing on the State’s petition was held on November 6, 2023. The State argued that,

while on pretrial release for case No. 23-CF-988, defendant committed the offense of battery. In

support of its argument, the State proffered that on November 2, 2023, Officer Burbach of the

Crystal Lake Police Department responded to the Motel 8 in Crystal Lake for a subject who had

been hit and was unconscious. Upon arrival, Officer Burbach made contact with defendant, who

was in a room at the motel with S.M.C., a male minor. S.M.C. was on the ground but conscious

when officers arrived, and he appeared to have a head injury and a bloody lip. Defendant told

officers that S.M.C. fell and hit his head on a dresser and his face on the floor. S.M.C. told officers

that defendant was aggressive and, when he attempted to subdue defendant, defendant struck

S.M.C. in the mouth three times and S.M.C. lost consciousness. A third-party witness, Trissha

Heidrich, told officers that she observed defendant throw S.M.C. on the bed and punch S.M.C. in

the face. She also heard defendant yell, “You want this,” at S.M.C.

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¶7     The State further argued that no conditions of pretrial release would mitigate the risk of

harm to the community and prevent defendant from committing subsequent offenses.

¶8     Defense counsel argued that defendant should not be detained, as he had a job lined up in

South Beloit, Wisconsin. That job would be providing him housing and transportation.

Additionally, defendant is a former Marine and spent time in combat in Afghanistan. He is

currently in therapy and is taking several prescribed medications that he would not have access to

in custody. Finally, defense counsel argued that global positioning system monitoring and no

contact orders with the alleged victims would mitigate any threat of harm defendant may pose.

¶9     The circuit court granted the State’s petition to revoke, finding that the State had proved

by clear and convincing evidence that defendant had committed a Class A misdemeanor while on

pretrial release, referring to case No. 23-CM-752, and that no condition or combination of

conditions would reasonably ensure defendant’s appearance in court or prevent him from being

charged with a subsequent felony or Class A misdemeanor. In its written order, the circuit court

noted that it had considered all applicable statutory factors in granting the State’s petition,

including defendant’s prior military service, defendant’s history and attitude, and defendant’s

involvement in violent, assaultive, and abusive contact.

¶ 10   On November 9, 2023, defendant filed a timely notice of appeal.

¶ 11                                   II. ANALYSIS

¶ 12   Defendant filed a notice in lieu of a memorandum, choosing to stand on the arguments

made in his notice of appeal. Defendant utilized the approved form from the Article VI Forms

Appendix to the Illinois Supreme Court Rules (see Ill. S. Ct. Rs. Art. VI Forms Appendix R.

604(d)). However, defendant merely checked four of the listed grounds for relief and offered no

support, description, or argument in the preprinted lines provided. Defendant specifically checked

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2024 IL App (2d) 230504

the following grounds for relief: (1) he was not charged with an offense qualifying for revocation

of his pretrial release; (2) the State failed to prove by clear and convincing evidence that the proof

is evident or the presumption great that defendant committed the offense(s) charged; (3) the State

failed to prove by clear and convincing evidence that defendant poses a real and present threat to

the safety of any person or persons or the community, based on the specific, articulable facts of

the case; and (4) the State failed to prove by clear and convincing evidence that no condition or

combination of conditions would mitigate the real and present threat to the safety of any person or

persons or the community, based on the specific, articulable facts of the case, or the defendant’s

willful flight.

¶ 13    A circuit court’s decision to detain a defendant is reviewed using a two-part standard of

review—this is true regardless of whether that decision stems from a petition to detain or a petition

to revoke. People v. Trottier, 2023 IL App (2d) 230317, ¶ 13. The manifest-weight-of-the-

evidence standard applies to the circuit court’s factual determinations. Id. A finding is contrary to

the manifest weight of the evidence only if an opposite conclusion to the circuit court’s is clearly

apparent. In re Jose A., 2018 IL App (2d) 180170, ¶ 17. The ultimate decision of whether a

defendant should be detained is reviewed for an abuse of discretion. Trottier, 2023 IL App (2d)

230317, ¶ 13. An abuse of discretion occurs only if no reasonable person could agree with the trial

court. People v. Williams, 2022 IL App (2d) 200455, ¶ 52.

¶ 14    Initially, we note that defendant’s pretrial release was revoked under section 110-6(a) of

the Code (725 ILCS 5/110-6(a) (West 2022)). Under that section, a defendant’s pretrial release

may be revoked only if the defendant is charged with a felony or Class A misdemeanor while the

defendant has been released pretrial. Id. An in-person hearing for revocation must be conducted,

where the defendant is represented by counsel and the court considers all relevant circumstances,

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2024 IL App (2d) 230504

including but not limited to, the nature and seriousness of the violation or the criminal act alleged.

Id. At this hearing, the State “bear[s] the burden of proving, by clear and convincing evidence, that

no condition or combination of conditions would reasonably ensure the appearance of the

defendant for later hearings or prevent the defendant from being charged with a subsequent felony

or Class A misdemeanor.” Id.

¶ 15   Given the above, it is clear that defendant’s second, third, and fourth grounds for relief are

irrelevant to his appeal of the circuit court’s revocation of his pretrial release. The following

preprinted grounds for relief, which defendant checked, do not apply to revocations of pretrial

release under section 110-6(a) (id.): the State failed to prove by clear and convincing evidence that

the proof is evident or the presumption great that defendant committed the offense(s) charged; the

State failed to prove by clear and convincing evidence that defendant poses a real and present

threat to the safety of any person or persons or the community, based on the specific, articulable

facts of the case; and the State failed to prove by clear and convincing evidence that no condition

or combination of conditions would mitigate the real and present threat to the safety of any person

or persons or the community, based on the specific, articulable facts of the case, or the defendant’s

willful flight. Each of these grounds refer to the State’s burden in a denial hearing under section

110-6.1 (id. § 110-6.1), not the State’s burden at a revocation hearing under section 110-6(a) (id.

§ 110-6(a)).

¶ 16   Under section 110-6(a), the State must prove by clear and convincing evidence that no

condition or combination of conditions of release would reasonably ensure the appearance of the

defendant for later hearings or prevent the defendant from being charged with a subsequent felony

or Class A misdemeanor. Id. There is no provision in section 110-6(a) that requires the State to

prove that the proof is evident or the presumption great that defendant committed the offenses

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charged, that defendant poses a real and present threat based on specific, articulable fact of the

case, or that no condition or combination of conditions would mitigate defendant’s threat or his

willful flight, based on the specific, articulable facts of the case. See id.

¶ 17    Even if we were to entertain the idea that defendant intended to check the ground for relief

actually relevant to his appeal, that the circuit court erred in its determination that no condition or

combination of conditions would reasonably ensure the appearance of defendant for later hearings

or prevent the defendant from being charged with a subsequent felony or Class A misdemeanor,

the circuit court’s finding regarding that ground for relief was not against the manifest weight of

the evidence. The circuit court aptly noted that defendant’s original offense was a violent crime,

as is the subsequent offense he allegedly committed. In its written order, the circuit court also

noted defendant’s history, which included four prior convictions of domestic battery, two prior

convictions of resisting or obstructing a peace officer, one prior conviction of battery, and a

plethora of other nonviolent offenses. The circuit court observed that “defendant has an anger issue

and he’s taking it out on basically anybody he can get ahold of. Starting fights *** [which] is an

indication of the defendant’s character and attitude and his likeliness of complying with an order

by the Court not to violate any criminal laws in any jurisdiction.”

¶ 18    Given the fact that defendant, only 12 days after being released pretrial on the condition

that he not commit any additional offenses, was charged with an additional violent offense wherein

he allegedly punched a minor, it was not against the manifest weight of the evidence for the circuit

court to conclude that no condition or combination of conditions would prevent defendant from

being charged with additional offenses. Accordingly, the circuit court’s decision to revoke

defendant’s pretrial release and detain him was not an abuse of discretion.

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¶ 19   Defendant also contends that he was not charged with an offense qualifying for revocation

of pretrial release. This too is without merit. Section 110-6(a) clearly and unambiguously states

that “pretrial release may be revoked only if the defendant is charged with a felony or Class A

misdemeanor that is alleged to have occurred during the defendant’s pretrial release after a hearing

on the court’s own motion or upon the filing of a verified petition by the State.” Id. On November

2, 2023, defendant was charged with battery causing bodily harm to an individual, a Class A

misdemeanor. 720 ILCS 5/12-3(a)(1) (West 2022). Although no documentation related to this

offense was provided in the record, the transcript from the revocation hearing details the facts

underlying the offense (see supra ¶ 6). Additionally, limited information regarding the offense is

available on the McHenry County Circuit Clerk’s website. We may take judicial notice of the

charges listed therein. Ill. R. Evid. 201 (eff. Jan. 1, 2011). Because section 110-6(a) allows for

revocation of defendant’s pretrial release only if defendant is charged with a felony or Class A

misdemeanor, and defendant was charged with a Class A misdemeanor, namely battery, while on

pretrial release, he was clearly charged with a qualifying offense.

¶ 20                                  III. CONCLUSION

¶ 21   For the aforementioned reasons, we affirm the judgment of the circuit court of McHenry

County.

¶ 22   Affirmed.

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2024 IL App (2d) 230504

                          People v. Perez, 2024 IL App (2d) 230504

Decision Under Review:        Appeal from the Circuit Court of McHenry County, No. 23-CF-
                              988; the Hon. Tiffany E. Davis, Judge, presiding.

Attorneys                     James E. Chadd, Carolyn R. Klarquist, and Benjamin J. Wimmer,
for                           of State Appellate Defender’s Office, of Chicago, for appellant.
Appellant:

Attorneys                     Patrick Delfino and David J. Robinson, of State’s Attorneys
for                           Appellate Prosecutor’s Office, of Springfield, for the People.
Appellee:

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