Released by SAFE-T Act, jailed by ICE: Man accused of hiding woman’s body in bleach-filled trash can arrested by immigration agents in Chicago

A 52-year-old Waukegan man accused of hiding a girl’s physique in a trash can stuffed with bleach couldn’t be jailed beneath Illinois’ new no-cash bail regulation when he was arrested in April. However on Saturday, his luck ran out.

Federal immigration brokers arrested Jose Luis Mendoza-Gonzalez at a Chicago market over the weekend, saying he’s a Mexican nationwide residing in the USA illegally. And in contrast to native prosecutors and judges, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) isn’t constrained by Illinois’ SAFE-T Act.

Mendoza-Gonzalez is now in federal custody.

Authorities say he hid the physique of 37-year-old Megan Bos of Antioch, who disappeared in February. After almost two months of investigation, police allegedly discovered her decomposing physique in a bleach-filled trash can behind Mendoza-Gonzalez’s house. He instructed investigators she overdosed at his house, and as a substitute of calling for assist, he hid her within the basement for days, broke her cellphone, then moved her physique outdoors, prosecutors declare.

Regardless of the disturbing allegations, Mendoza-Gonzalez was launched from custody inside days as a result of not one of the prices towards him—abuse of a corpse, concealing a demise, and obstruction—qualify for pretrial detention beneath the SAFE-T Act.

That outraged Bos’ household and elected officers.

“We’ve misplaced all widespread sense in terms of implementing regulation and order,” Antioch Mayor Scott Gartner stated after Mendoza-Gonzalez was launched in April. “When the SAFE-T Act was being debated, there have been voices sounding the alarm about what might occur if it had been to change into regulation.”

“There’s different extenuating circumstances on this case. Not solely the kind of crime, how lengthy the crime was hid, the truth that the individual that was arrested for this isn’t a U.S. citizen and you recognize, can perhaps flee from the nation,” Gartner stated in April.

Whereas nationwide retailers have reported that Bos was discovered decapitated, the Lake County Coroner’s Workplace instructed Lake and McHenry County Scanner in April that the declare was not true.

Unique reporting you’ll see nowhere else, paid for by our readers. Click on right here to help our work.