Longest held uncharged, unarraigned prisoner outside of Guantanamo

[coffeeseven]

Unfortunately my home town has an older overcrowded jail, an overflow "satellite" jail, juvvie jail and a brand new jail that is already full just months after being opened. All of this downtown within a few blocks of each other. Bummer, eh?

Ground was just broken for a new 150,000 sq. ft. federal courthouse.  It takes up 4 stinkin' blocks!!! It will house the DHS, FBI and other bad for your health folks. With that said, Rockford, IL has the dishonor to have the longest held, uncharged, unarraigned prisoner in the entire United States. 20 weeks, 3 days as of this writing. Feel free to use the links in the web page to voice your opinion, if you are so moved.

http://richardwanke.com/

I only found out about this case because of a comment below another story: A local man having a murder conviction overturned by the Illinois supreme beings after spending 13 years in prison. State's Attorney vows to try him again.
http://www.rrstar.com/homepage/x2113787092/Beaman-experiences-freedom-Chewing-gum-cell-phones-sunrises

Great place Rockford Illinois.

[doobie]

I'm pretty sure Kevin Mitnick was held longer before actually having been charged.  They didn't charge him because they didn't want to charge him with something that wouldn't stick, nor did they want him to get out too "soon."....or maybe I have him mixed up with another hacker....

[coffeeseven]

You may be right. The title Longest currently held uncharged, unarraigned prisoner outside of Guantanamo is just too darn long. 

[doobie]

You may be right. The title Longest currently held uncharged, unarraigned prisoner outside of Guantanamo is just too darn long. 

Hehe, I was thinking that...but yeah...damn that sucks.... better get 'time served' when/if he is charged.

[freerichardwanke]

thanks for linking to our blog
I am a friend of Richard's

please check out the updates on our blog
http://richardwanke.com/

[coffeeseven]

http://www.rrstar.com/communities/x936270661/Wanke-burglary-sentencing-expected-to-conclude-today

ROCKFORD —

Calling Richard Wanke Jr. a conceited man who brazenly robbed people for personal gain, Judge Joe McGraw handed down a 14-year prison sentence for burglary today to the man police have since linked to a murder investigation.

The sentence is the maximum allowed under state law given extended sentencing options, for which McGraw found Wanke eligible because of past burglary convictions.

"You are intelligent, educated, come from an intact family," McGraw said. "You have used your skills and abilities to make yourself a successful burglar, a successful thief. I believe there is a measure of conceit on your part, Mr. Wanke, that you are smarter than law enforcement."

Wanke, 47, of Rockford, received the sentence for stealing a laptop computer from a Rockford College professor in 2006.

The 2007 burglary conviction and sentencing received increased attention by the public, media and area law enforcement officials because of Wanke's suspected involvement in the Feb. 6 shooting death of his former court-appointed attorney, Gregory H. Clark.

Clark, 60, was shot multiple times in the back that afternoon as he cleared snow from the sidewalk in front of his Rockford home. Wanke was free on bond at the time. Court records indicate that Wanke was at odds with Clark and wanted the burglary conviction reversed based on ineffective assistance of counsel, among other complaints. Wanke, in an interview earlier this week, denied any involvement in Clark's death.

Wanke sat quietly and said little during the two-hour hearing. He declined the opportunity to make a statement.

Police believe Wanke and his landlord and former girlfriend, Diane Chavez, 49, are involved, but neither has been charged in connection with the crime. According to statements in court hearings for both Chavez and Wanke, police have provided prosecutors with eyewitness accounts placing them and the vehicle they shared at the scene of the shooting and are awaiting forensic testing.

Today, Wanke's new court-appointed attorney, Glenn Jazwiec, presented statements on Wanke's behalf from two pastors, two of Wanke's friends and Wanke's sister. The statements were entered as evidence in mitigation, but were not read aloud.

Jazwiec called Wanke "a caring friend who tried to do good in life" and supported peaceful activities and the arts.

McGraw said the statements on Wanke's behalf describe him as a "positive" and "benign" person but he believes Wanke is "a man with two faces."

While Jazwiec described Wanke's criminal history as limited, prosecuting attorneys presented testimony from police who investigated multiple burglaries in Winnebago and DeKalb counties in the 1990s involving Wanke.

Kenneth Brown of Rockford, one of Wanke's burglary victims from 1991, said he was relieved that he received a harsh sentence.

"He violated the safety of our home," Brown said. "He was a friend. He came to our house. He had dinner with us. We never felt completely safe after that."

Wanke's 14-year prison sentence, for which he's eligible for day-for-day credit for good behavior, will be followed by two years of mandatory supervised release, McGraw said.

Prosecuting attorney Margie O'Connor said she was pleased with the sentence.

"The judge definitely identified this man's criminal behavior," O'Connor said. "The community needs protection from this man."

[Kat Kanning]

Got a letter from this guy.  I'll post it later.  I tried to send him the newspaper a while back, but the IL prison rejected it.

[William]

Am I misreading this or is the only thing he actually got convicted of was stealing a laptop and for that he was sentenced to 14 years?

[djbridgeland]

Ahh good old Rockford aka Crackford.  The overcrowded jails, a perfect example of how the war on drugs doesn't work. 

Am I misreading this or is the only thing he actually got convicted of was stealing a laptop and for that he was sentenced to 14 years?

Yes I believe that is correct.  If I remember correctly had several short previous sentences for robbery, but still 14 years is pretty excessive. Better hope he didn't get caught with a weapon without a FOID card, that would have been an additional 5 years minimum. 

[rubbermaid]

Actually, Richard Wanke had just one prior 3 yr conviction for burglary from a 1992 incident.  What is interesting is that neither one of the convictions involved violence or a weapon, and he disputes that he was involved in the most recent laptop burglary. The judge refused to allow a change of venue and claimed that he could be impartial, but at the sentencing hearing stated that he found Richard to be a habitual offender maintaining a lifestyle of burglary. Now the attorney's murder was extremely brutal and violent. Richard's past shows no violence of any type; no assault, no domestic abuse, no verbal cursing, etc. And, the police have been keeping an eye on him for the past 17 years. So, if he had been actively burglarizing places all this time, it would have been apparent much sooner than 15 years since the first burglary. The judge did not credit him for any of the various ways in which he set restrictions upon himself to stay clean all these years. The judge did not listen to this info because he never allowed Richard o present it to him, since he barely allowed him any type of a sentencing hearing in the first place. Richard's sentencing hearing was a lynch mob affair where the judge effectively silenced him in every way possible.