Joliet Man Who Lives In Car Wins SAFE-T Act Hearing, Joliet Victim Found At Self Storage World: Prosecutors

JOLIET, IL — Last week's Joliet police arrest of 34-year-old Antoine Cox came after officers found his female victim hiding behind the trash can at the Self-Storage World business in the 2100 block of West Jefferson Street, court records show.

The Will County State's Attorney's Office has charged Cox with two counts of aggravated battery and two counts of domestic battery. Although prosecutors filed a petition to deny pretrial release against Cox, Will County Judge James B. Harvey ruled against it and in favor of the Joliet domestic violence defendant.

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According to the prosecution's filing, on Oct. 13, Joliet officers responded to the Walgreens at 2101 W. Jefferson St., where the victim said her ex-boyfriend, Cox, got into an argument with her because he did not like what she was saying. He then began punching her and pushed her out of the car, hit her in the face and threw all of her belongings to the pavement in the parking lot, court files allege.

Prosecutors noted that the incident happened in the Walgreens parking lot, where both people had been sleeping in their vehicles. The woman told Joliet police how Cox "drinks alcohol every day and is violent with her," the petition said, adding, "Throughout their two-year relationship, similar altercations had occurred approximately five times."

Joliet police said the victim had red marks on her chest and a scrape on her left hand from where she had fallen. She insisted that Joliet police bring her to a storage unit and not a domestic violence shelter, the court records show.

Then, that same date, at 3:46 a.m., officers were called to the Self-Storage World at 2112 W. Jefferson St. in the Marycrest Shopping Center for a disturbance in progress.

Officials say the same victim had called 911, and dispatchers heard screaming. At the storage units, Joliet police separated Cox and the victim, and she told them that she was behind the trash can when the garbage truck arrived to pick up the trash and uncovered her hiding spot. She told police that Cox was inside his vehicle and he saw her, prompting him to get out of his car and begin to put her personal belongings back into his car, court records alleged.

"A verbal argument ensued and that is when (she) called 911," prosecutors noted.

As part of his ruling, Judge Harvey ruled that Cox can go on electronic monitoring and home confinement monitoring from midnight to 4:30 a.m. Monday through Friday and all day Saturday and Sunday. Cox must also stay away from the woman and her residence and "maintain absolute sobriety during pendency of case," the judge instructed.