CHICAGO — A man released on bail during the COVID pandemic to await trial on allegations that he shot and carjacked a man on a suburban expressway was arrested in Logan Square last month after, Chicago police say, he burglarized two cars.
Orlando Maisonet, 25, was initially ordered detained for violating the conditions of release in the attempted murder case, but a judge last week decided to release him again. She put him on an ankle monitor this time.
The attempted murder charge stems from an incident that unfolded on I-57 near 127th Street in Calumet Park late on September 9, 2020.
The Illinois State Police said Maisonet struck another man’s car, and the two got into an altercation. Shots were fired during the fight, and Maisonet drove away with the victim’s vehicle, state police said when they announced charges in the case.
While the victim suffered injuries that were not life-threatening, Maisonet received a gunshot wound to his head, according to court filings from his attorney.
ISP investigators located Maisonet at a hospital and arrested him. He remained hospitalized even after prosecutors charged him. A grand jury approved 13 counts against him, including multiple counts of attempted murder, vehicular hijacking, and gun violations, court records show.
With Maisonet suffering “almost daily seizures” after being shot and with the pandemic still raging, Maisonet’s defense attorney asked a judge to reduce his bail. The lawyer argued that he had no violent crime convictions, was not receiving adequate medical care in jail, and, should he contract COVID, his weakened health would increase the chances of “a negative outcome.”
Eventually, someone identified as a “friend” posted $75,000 for Maisonet to get out of jail on April 7, 2021, a bail slip shows.
Late last month, around 11 p.m. on September 26, Chicago police responded to a call of criminal damage in progress in the 2000 block of North Whipple.
A witness reported that a group of masked men ran from the scene and pointed toward Maisonet. The cops stopped him for a conversation. Another man walked up while they were chatting with Maisonet and told the officers that he saw Maisonet break into a car outside his home and another car a few houses down, according to a CPD arrest report.
Prosecutors charged Maisonet with two counts of felony burglary for allegedly intending to peel the vehicles’ steering columns, complaints on file with the court said.
Judge Barbara Dawkins decided that Maisonet would be released on the burglary allegations, but records show she held him in custody for violating pretrial release. Last week, under the orders of Judge Tiana Blakely, he was released on electronic monitoring.
He’s due back in court on November 3 for the burglary case and December 18 for the attempted murder allegations.
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