A 22-year-old man allegedly threatened to kill and tried robbing three random women, two of which had children with them, before chasing one of them and forcing his way into a home in Waukegan.
Jorge Herrera-Sanchez, 22, of Waukegan, was charged with attempted aggravated robbery, residential burglary, attempted residential burglary, disorderly conduct and assault.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Colleen McConnell said Herrera-Sanchez ran up to a random woman in the 800 block of South Lincoln Avenue in Waukegan on July 13.
He approached the woman aggressively, claimed he was the devil and said he was going to kill her, McConnell said. Herrera-Sanchez also allegedly demanded her money.
Herrera-Sanchez was only cited for assault, a Class C misdemeanor, at the time and released by police because he was deemed “no longer going to be a threat,” McConnell said.
Herrera-Sanchez walked a block over to the 800 block of South Victory Street after police left the scene.
He saw another woman and her 3-year-old daughter sitting on the front lawn of their apartment, McConnell said.
McConnell said Herrera-Sanchez ran toward the two aggressively and sat down next to the child.
He began grabbing his waistband and stared at the woman while claiming he was the devil, McConnell said.
He demanded money and said he was going to hurt her, McConnell said. The woman grabbed her child and ran into her neighbor’s apartment.
Herrera-Sanchez chased the woman while yelling he was going to kill her, McConnell said.
The woman tried slamming the door but Herrera-Sanchez forced his way into the apartment before a neighbor helped get Herrera-Sanchez out of the residence, McConnell said.
Herrera-Sanchez returned to the yard and walked around the home.
McConnell said the man saw a third woman and her 2-year-old son sitting in the yard.
Herrera-Sanchez began circling them and threatened to hurt them while claiming to be the devil and demanding money, McConnell said.
McConnell said Herrera-Sanchez began chasing the two until the woman’s husband noticed the commotion and was able to shut the door to their apartment after the wife and child got inside.
Herrera-Sanchez left the area after the man intervened in the incident. Officers located Herrera-Sanchez at a gas station and arrested him.
McConnell called Herrera-Sanchez’s actions “incredibly threatening” and said he specifically targeted women and women with small children.
Herrera-Sanchez had just been released from police custody three days prior after he was arrested for failing to appear in court for other cases involving retail theft and resisting a peace officer.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office filed petitions to revoke his pre-trial release in those cases as well as a petition to detain in his new case.
Lake County Judge Theodore Potkonjak granted all of the petitions during a detention hearing after finding he was a real and present threat to the community.
The judge blamed the Illinois SAFE-T Act for Herrera-Sanchez being released during his initial encounter with police on the day of the incidents where he was initially only charged with a Class C misdemeanor, a non-detainable offense. “That’s not the Waukegan police’s fault.”
Potkonjak said Herrera-Sanchez was out of jail “terrorizing these people” despite having multiple criminal cases pending.
The judge also questioned why prosecutors did not charge Herrera-Sanchez with home invasion in addition to his other latest charges.