Wilmington's Carl Ellis Loses Bid To Begin 12-Step Outpatient Treatment Program, Judge John Connor Rules

WILMINGTON, IL — Carl Ellis, the 33-year-old Wilmington man who has been the focus of numerous Joliet Patch crime stories in recent years, just lost his motion to modify his pretrial release conditions in order to attend a 12-step program for treatment.

Will County Judge John Connor, who often utilizes the SAFE-T-Act to jail criminal defendants accused of violent crimes, rejected the recent motion submitted on behalf of Ellis by his downtown Joliet lawyer, Cosmo Tedone.

Tedone's motion stated in part, "the defendant wishes to modify his pretrial release conditions to be able to begin a 12-step outpatient treatment program with Abraxas Family Services."

After considering the motion, Judge Connor rejected it, citing the dangerousness standard of the SAFE-T-Act for his decision. "Defendant's two major violations of prior pretrial release conditions including cutting off monitor and false DCFS call," Judge Connor wrote in last week's ruling.

Ellis was returned to the Will County Jail, his home since Oct. 5, and his next pretrial hearing is set for April 21 in front of Judge Connor. "All prior conditions of detention remain in effect," the judge wrote.

On Oct. 9, Joliet Patch produced the following story and headline, "Wilmington's Carl Ellis Remains Jailed After Knocking Woman Out, Destroying His Ankle Bracelet: Prosecutors."

At the time, Patch reported that Ellis learned that he will remain in the Will County Jail in connection with his latest crime wave, in which he destroyed his electronic monitoring device, harming a woman by knocking her out cold and then taking the woman's 1-year-old child away from her, according to court files. The child was eventually found safe.

"Here, defendant struck (his victim) with such force that (she) was knocked unconscious," prosecutors from Will County noted. "This incident was witnessed by both (the victim's) grandmother as well as the minor child who is one years old and is the child in common between defendant" and the victim.

The Will County State's Attorney's Office charged Ellis with three crimes of domestic battery and one crime of escape. He also faces a charge of criminal damage to government supported property.

The criminal complaint noted that Ellis, on Oct. 5, knowingly damaged his Electronic Monitoring Device without the consent of the state of Illinois and his damage was more than $500. His escape charge indicated that Ellis was a person charged with a felony who was conditionally released through an electronic monitoring program, and that he escaped by removing the device from his ankle.

His three domestic battery charges indicate he struck a young woman in the head, grabbed her body and hit her in the head even more. Prosecutors pointed out that Ellis already has three prior domestic battery convictions, including one from last year in Will County, one from 2017 in Will County and one from 2016 in Grundy County.