A Chicago repeat offender already violating electronic monitoring conditions now faces new charges after allegedly attacking and robbing a pregnant woman while roaming the city’s train system.
Prosecutors say Devon Jones was supposed to be confined to his home under pretrial release conditions but instead spent hours moving through Chicago’s transit system before the violent encounter unfolded.
Court records show Jones had already violated the terms of his release eight separate times before the alleged attack, raising renewed scrutiny over the city’s electronic monitoring program.
Authorities allege Jones entered the train system without paying fare and lingered for hours despite being required to remain at home.
During that time, investigators say he targeted a pregnant woman, striking her and pulling her to the ground while fighting for her purse.
According to the victim’s account, Jones allegedly hit her in the buttocks, grabbed her, and continued struggling for the bag as she fell multiple times.
Prosecutors say the attack ended when Jones took an iPad from the purse and fled the scene on a bicycle.
The woman suffered scratches and bruising during the assault, injuries that authorities described as consistent with a violent robbery.
The incident added urgency to concerns surrounding Jones’ repeated failures to follow court-ordered restrictions.
Jones was later arrested on December 28 while allegedly attempting to break into a nearby home.
A judge ordered him detained pretrial following the arrest, effectively ending his release under electronic monitoring.
The case has drawn attention to earlier decisions that allowed Jones to remain free despite his criminal history.
After an August arrest tied to an alleged disturbance inside a restaurant involving a taser, prosecutors urged Judge Susana Ortiz to detain Jones based on his felony record, which included a gun-related case. The request was denied.
Court records show Jones’ conduct while on release continued to raise red flags.
Cook County Chief Judge Charles Beach II ordered a review of the county’s GPS monitoring program in December, stating it needed stronger oversight to ensure arrestees were being held accountable.
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The alleged robbery has fueled criticism that the system failed to protect the public, particularly in cases involving repeat offenders with violent histories.
The Chicago case is part of a broader string of recent crimes nationwide involving suspects with lengthy criminal records who were out of custody at the time of their alleged offenses.
In North Carolina, a longtime science teacher was killed after an intruder with an extensive arrest history allegedly broke into her home.
Zoe Welsh, 57, called 911 from her Raleigh residence early Saturday morning to report a burglary in progress.
As she remained on the line with dispatchers, police say the suspect began attacking her inside the home.
Officers arrived to find Welsh suffering from life-threatening injuries and rushed her to a hospital, where she later died.
Ryan Camacho, 36, was arrested and charged with murder and felony breaking and entering. Prosecutors have not released Welsh’s official cause of death.
Court records show Camacho had been arrested roughly two dozen times and was previously convicted of escaping prison in Salisbury in 2021.
Just one month earlier, a separate breaking and entering case against him was dismissed after a judge ruled he was incapable to proceed.
In that earlier case, an assistant district attorney attempted to have Camacho voluntarily committed, but the court denied the request. Camacho appeared in court Monday and was appointed a capital defender.
He faces the possibility of life without parole or the death penalty. Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman stated she has not yet decided whether to seek capital punishment.
Raleigh Police Chief Rico Boyce shared the department’s reaction following the arrest.
“I am deeply heartbroken for this mother, friend, and mentor to many in our community, and for the unimaginable trauma her family must endure. We extend our deepest sympathy to Ms. Welsh’s family during this incredibly difficult time,” Boyce said.
He also noted the broader impact on the community, adding, “Whenever there is a loss of life in our community, it affects us all. As a department, we share in the sadness of this loss. The arrest of the suspect sends a strong message that criminal acts will not be tolerated in the City of Raleigh.”
In Ohio, another repeat offender is accused of committing murder just days after a nonprofit posted bail to secure his release.
Donnie Allen allegedly shot and killed 27-year-old Benjamin McComas at a Cleveland light rail station on December 14.
Allen was charged with aggravated murder and arraigned on a $1 million bond.
Court records show he had been arrested earlier in December on charges including drug possession, breaking and entering, vandalism, obstructing official business, and possessing criminal tools.
His bond in that earlier case was lowered from $15,000 to $5,000 before The Bail Project posted $500 to secure his release on December 9. Allen was arrested for the alleged murder five days later.
Allen’s criminal history includes multiple convictions and guilty pleas dating back to 2019, including attempted burglary, burglary, assault on a peace officer, resisting arrest, and drug possession.
In Texas, a 21-year-old repeat offender is back behind bars following his alleged involvement in three shootings over the course of one month.
Authorities say Abraham Herrera played a role in two drive-by shootings and later engaged in a standoff with SWAT in Hays County.
The first shooting occurred November 3 in Kyle, where deputies found a homeowner seriously injured after multiple rounds were fired into a house. Investigators described the shooting as a random act of violence.
Nine days later, SWAT responded to reports of shots fired in Buda, where Herrera allegedly fled into nearby woods and refused to surrender. Officers later recovered an AR-15-style firearm and ammunition.
Despite being charged, Herrera was released from jail two days later. Investigators later linked shell casings from the Kyle shooting to the firearm recovered during the standoff.
Herrera now faces multiple felony charges, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, with his total bond set at $409,500.
