A mayor says “all common sense” has been lost and called for reforms to the SAFE-T Act after a suspect was charged and released from custody following the death of a missing Antioch woman in Waukegan.
Antioch Mayor Scott Gartner said Friday he is calling for immediate reforms to the Illinois SAFE-T Act, which ended cash bail in the state, to restore judicial discretion and refocus Illinois’ criminal justice system on “public safety and human decency.”
“We have lost all common sense when it comes to enforcing law and order,” Gartner said.
“When the SAFE-T Act was being debated, there were voices sounding the alarm about what could happen if it were to become law,” Gartner said.
“We are living that nightmare scenario that was predicted by many. The law is supposed to protect the innocent. Without well-thought-out laws, there is no society. And without the ability to apply those laws with reason and humanity, the system fails all of us,” he said.
The mayor’s comments come in response to the discovery of Antioch resident Megan Bos’ body in Waukegan and the subsequent release of the man charged with concealing her death.
Bos was reported missing to the Antioch Police Department on March 9 after she was last heard from on February 17.
The police department began an investigation, which included working with other law enforcement agencies, including the Waukegan Police Department, due to Bos frequenting the Waukegan area.
Waukegan Deputy Police Chief Scott Chastain said Antioch police detectives went to a business in Waukegan on April 10 to question a person of interest who had frequent contact with Bos.
Jose Mendoza-Gonzalez, 52, who resides in Waukegan and is a Mexican national, said that Bos came to his house on February 19 but claimed that she left after her visit, Chastain said.
Detectives continued speaking with Mendoza-Gonzalez and asked if she was still alive.
Mendoza-Gonzalez said he did not want to be arrested at the store but did not say why, Chastain said.
Detectives moved the conversation to the Waukegan Police Department and Mendoza-Gonzalez told them that Bos was in a container in his yard in the 700 block of Yeoman Street in Waukegan.
Detectives and officers responded to the home and located a partially decomposed body, which was wrapped in a blanket, in a garbage can in the rear of the residence, according to Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Manuel Mandujano.
Crime scene tape was placed around the property of the single-family home as the Waukegan Police Department’s Major Crime Scene Unit and Criminal Investigation Division remained at the scene for hours into the evening. A search warrant was also executed.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office responded to the scene and took possession of the body. They later identified the subject as Bos.
Detectives conducted a further interview with Mendoza-Gonzalez, who said that Bos had come over to his residence on the evening of February 19 and visited with him, Chastain said.
He said that Bos snorted unknown drugs and asked if she could hang out in his basement, which he agreed to let her do.
Mendoza-Gonzalez said he noticed a leak coming from the upstairs and went to tend to it, Chastain said.
Mendoza-Gonzalez said he returned and believed the woman had overdosed and was deceased.
He reported that he was scared that he was going to be in trouble so he left her in the basement for a few days before moving her to the garbage can in his yard, Chastain said.
Mandujano said that Mendoza-Gonzalez wrapped Bos’ body in a blanket before placing it in the garbage can.
She remained there for nearly two months until being located on April 10.
Mendoza-Gonzalez also admitted to breaking Bos’ phone and throwing it into a trash can. He said he did not know what he planned on doing with the body after dumping it in the garbage can, Chastain said.
An autopsy on Bos performed by the coroner’s office showed no signs of trauma or a struggle.
Chastain said the investigation is still ongoing and detectives are waiting for further results from the lab, including toxicology.
Mendoza-Gonzalez was charged with abuse of a corpse, two counts of concealing the death of a person and obstructing justice.
All of the charges against Mendoza-Gonzalez are Class 4 felonies but none of them are detainable offenses under Illinois’ SAFE-T Act.
Lake County Judge Randie Bruno, who was the judge to authorize the search warrant in the case and called the offense “very serious,” released Mendoza-Gonzalez from custody following a First Appearance Court on April 12.
“Common sense dictates that if someone is caught concealing the body of a victim the last thing we need as a society is to have that person walking around in our community,” Gartner said.
“A sane and sober society is one that values human life and the basic decency we owe each other as people. What is happening in this case is more than just a legal flaw, it’s a moral one,” the mayor added.
Mendoza-Gonzalez, who does not have prior criminal history in the United States, was placed on Level 4 pre-trial services monitoring.
He was ordered not to have any contact with the victim’s mother and not to leave the state without court permission.
Mendoza-Gonzalez is subject to random drug and alcohol screenings. He was also placed on a curfew.
Gartner said the SAFE-T Act contains reforms worth preserving, such as those related to police accountability and low-level offenses, but he said the law must be reevaluated to allow judges discretion in cases involving serious crimes, including those related to death, weapons and obstruction.
“The SAFE-T Act, as it stands, places politics above public safety,” Gartner said.
“It demoralizes our law enforcement, undermines victims and their families, and makes communities like ours feel less secure. Our officers put a great deal of effort into solving this case and now their work could be all for nought. I urge state legislators to revisit and amend the law to restore balance, empower judges, and ensure the system does not put procedural technicalities ahead of justice,” the mayor said.
Mendoza-Gonzalez is scheduled to appear in court again on May 8 for a preliminary hearing.