3 Hours After Pretrial Release On Burglary Charge, Downers Grove Man Arrested For Burglary

DOWNERS GROVE, IL — A Downers Grove man was arrested on burglary charges just hours after he was granted pretrial release on following a burglary-related arrest at the same store days prior. Judge Joshua Dieden granted the initial pretrial release, which was subsequently revoked, per the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office (DCSAO)

Eric Hart, 60, of the 1100 block of Butterfield Road, was initially with burglary, aggravated battery, retail theft and resisting a police officer in connection with a June 2 incident. According to DCSAO, Hart was granted pretrial release on June 4. A news release from DCSAO said, "As required by law, Hart was not detained pretrial on the above offenses."

Hart's initial arrest on June 2 came after he was accused of stealing a massage gun and cologne worth over $300 from the Macy's store in Oak Brook.

After his release on June 3 just before 11 a.m., Hart is accused of going back to the Macy's in Oak Brook around 1:30 p.m. and stealing four boxes of cologne and a massage gun. The total of the items was estimated at $511.

Hart is accused of fleeing responding officers on foot and resisting arrest by "pulling a large clump of hair out of one of the officer’s head and causing cuts and bruises to her knees," per DCSAO.

Hart was arrested after the burglary and on June 4, Judge Daniel Guerin revoked the initial pretrial release.

“It is not often that an individual finds themselves arrested and charged for the same crime at the same location two days in a row,” DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a news release.

“What I find troubling, however, is the fact that under the Safe-T-Act, this defendant was afforded the opportunity to allegedly commit a crime less than three hours after he had been released on felony burglary and retail theft charges. This fact illustrates the need for changes to the State’s Safe-T-Act to give judges more discretion," Berlin said. "Too often, we are seeing cases where a defendant accused of a serious crime is released pretrial because the Act does not allow judges to use their discretion for certain offenses. As I have consistently stated since the inception of the Safe-T-Act, judges, not the legislature, are in the best position to decide whether a defendant in any particular case should be detained pretrial."

Hart is set to appear in court again on June 18.