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| Judge Susana Ortiz | susanaortizforjudge.com |
An Albany Park man who’s accused of threatening his daughter with a stolen handgun was released on a recognizance bond even though the daughter showed police video footage of the crime, according to police and court records.
We first heard initial details about the incident in this tweet that Chicago Sun-Times reporter Tom Schuba sent from bond court as it happened.
After digging up the official records, it turns out there was even more to the story than just the threat. We are not naming the accused man in order to protect the identity of his daughter.
Police were called to the family’s home around 10 p.m. on July 8th after the daughter told a 911 operator that her intoxicated father pulled a gun on her during an argument. Arriving officers were led to a bedroom in the home where the daughter and her mother recovered a loaded 9-millimeter handgun as cops watched from the doorway.
Another interesting exchange: A man charged with pointing a stolen gun at his daughter gets a $10K recognizance bond, meaning he’ll be set free on his signature. Assistant state’s atty quickly notes the office’s objection to Ortiz’s order.— Tom Schuba (@TomSchuba) July 7, 2019
According to police, the daughter showed them cellphone video in which the father is seen in their garage “menacing his daughter” with the handgun, waving the weapon in the air and yelling, “you want to see who the a**hole is?” The father was seen walking toward the daughter in an aggressive manner that caused unnamed witnesses to restrain him, police said.
The daughter said the father later pointed the gun directly at her after she stopped recording because her hands were shaking.
Police secured the gun and contacted the 52-year-old father who surrendered nearby without incident, according to court records.
After being read the Miranda warning, the father allegedly told police that he had the gun in his possession that night because his daughter was involved with a boyfriend who wasn’t good for her. He also told investigators that the recovered gun was his and that he took it from a distant relative who was going to use it, according to an arrest report. The Chicago Police Department gun desk determined that the gun had been reported stolen in a different state last November.
Prosecutors charged the man with felony possession of a stolen firearm and misdemeanor aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
A defense attorney argued the father should be released without having to pay a bond because he should enjoy the benefits of the presumption of innocence.
Judge Susan Ortiz apparently agreed as she released the father on a recognizance over the objections of prosecutors.
