Child Sex Offender 2nd Jail Detainee To Die Of Coronavirus

CHICAGO, IL — A convicted sex offender is believed to have lost his life to coronavirus while in custody of the Cook County Sheriff. Leslie Pieroni, 51, was pronounced dead Thursday evening at St. Anthony Hospital in Chicago. The official cause of death is pending an autopsy, but preliminary reports indicate he died of compilations due to the virus, jail officials said.

Pieroni is the second detainee to die this week as COVID-19 rages behind the walls of Cook County Jail. He was booked into the jail on Dec. 23, 2018 for a November 2018 incident on allegations that he had sexually assaulted a boy under the age of 13. Pieroni was awaiting trial on charges of predatory criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse. At the time of his arrest, the Cook County State’s Attorney said Pieroni was a non-compliant registered sex offender.

Previously Pieroni was sentenced in 2006 to eight years in the Illinois Department of Corrections following his conviction for criminal sexual assault involving two children. He was charged with failure to register as a sex offender and was sentenced to two years probation in February 2018.

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Pieroni is the second person in custody who has died after testing positive for the virus. Another detainee, 59-year-old Anthony Pendleton, died of coronavirus on April 5 at Stroger Hospital. His family filed a federal lawsuit against Sheriff Tom Dart and Cook County on Friday. Despite the 24-hour presence of an armed guard, the lawsuit alleges that Pendleton’s constitutional rights were violated when he was shackled by hand and foot to his hospital bed as he battled coronavirus, causing “gratuitous pain.”

As detainees have had their bonds reduced or been released on electronic monitoring to reduce the jail population, 219 inmates were being treated and monitored by Cermak Health Services, for mild-to moderate symptoms, and 36 others were moved to a recovery facility. Pieroni was one of 21 detainees being treated at local hospitals.

An additional nine Cook County Sheriff’s employees have tested positive for COVID-19.

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Illinois Coronavirus Update April 10: 16,422 Cases; 528 Deaths