Chicago judge releases repeat offender accused of shooting dog after end of cash bail statewide

A Chicago judge released a violent repeat offender who has been accused of shooting a dog and evading police while in possession of a backpack that contained a loaded 9 mm handgun, loose ammunition, and two 50-round drum magazines. 

The decision follows the controversial elimination of cash bail in the state of Illinois which was passed through the legislature last week under the "Pretrial Fairness Act."

Cook County Judge Mary Marubio released Darrick Bender, 19, after prosecutors requested for Bender to remain behind bars until his trial. Judge Marubio denied the request and ordered him to follow a curfew and not to go near the dog's owners, according to the Washington Examiner.

Bender, who is accused of shooting an American Staffordshire terrier in Vittum Park on Chicago's Southwest Side, was charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, and reckless discharge of a firearm endangering others, according to court documents.

Police found Bender's backpack, which contained a loaded 9 mm handgun, loose ammunition, and two 50-round drum magazines during the arrest.

According to the Washington Examiner, Bender was the suspect in an incident that occurred the month prior in which he allegedly robbed a 52-year-old woman's vehicle at gunpoint.

Prosecutors charged Bender with possession of a stolen motor vehicle and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, but dropped those charges one week later on September 7, court documents show.

Effective September 18, the "Pretrial Fairness Act" eliminated cash bail as a prerequisite for pretrial release in all 102 counties in Illinois. Judges still retain the power to keep suspects accused of major crimes behind bars, but have to go through case examination to make that call.

The new policy's defenders contended that cash bail unfairly disadvantaged minorities and the poor, while critics feared it would return dangerous criminals to Illinois' streets.

Chicago's Progressive Mayor Brandon Johnson was in support of the elimination of cash bail, claiming it "does not make communities safer, and it never has."

The Windy City runs rampant with crime. Between January and September of this year alone, 432 people have been killed in Chicago, a database obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times shows.