Chaney-Monge Student 'Had Nightmares About Being Beaten Again,' Judge Releases Crest Hill Defendant From Jail

CREST HILL, IL — Against the wishes of the Will County State's Attorney's Office of Jim Glasgow, former Will County Public Defender turned Will County Associate Judge, Shenonda Tisdale, has granted freedom to a 31-year-old Crest Hill man accused of harming a junior high school student with a belt inside of his house.

Last week, prosecutors charged Efrain Solis Jr. with aggravated battery and two crimes of domestic battery. He comes from the 1800 block of North Center Street and was kept in the Will County Jail from Oct. 26-28 following his Crest Hill police arrest.

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According to the prosecution's petition to deny pretrial release under the SAFE-T-Act, Crest Hill police officer Heidi Outlaw, as the Chaney-Monge School resource officer, was notified on Oct. 26 by the school's social worker of a student who came to school with multiple bruises and other injuries after being struck by a belt on Oct. 23.

The victim was 12 years old. Court documents indicate that photographs were taken to capture the bruising on the student's arms and legs. The victim advised Crest Hill police she was supposed to go to basketball practice afterschool, but instead went for dinner with a friend and the friend's mother.

The victim's mother later arrived at Chaney-Monge School and became upset at the student for missing practice and lying about her whereabouts. Later, Solis began to beat the student with a belt while the child was doing the dishes, court files show.

Solis initially struck the child's rear-end, then at least 10 times with a belt to her legs, and then at least five times in the arms and shoulders, once to the neck and once to the ear, prosecutors revealed.

"You did this to yourself. This is what happens when you make me angry," Solis told his child beating victim, according to the prosecutors, who indicated he also pulled her hair.

The Chaney-Monge student later felt dizzy, she suffered a headache and her ears were ringing, court records indicate. She also told Crest Hill police and her school's social worker how she had lots of shivers and "I think I was in shock," court documents advised.

The student revealed she had nightmares about being beaten again, prosecutors pointed out.

Court records indicate the child's mother was shown the photos of the child's bruises and maintained that the injuries came from basketball. The mother "stated to officers that she and defendant come from a household where that type of punishment was common," prosecutors relayed to the judge.

Judge Tisdale left the court documents blank when asked to explain the reasons why she ruled against the prosecution's petition to deny pretrial release, considering that the defendant was charged with a detention-eligible offense.

Solis was ordered released from the county jail and told to come back to the courthouse for his next pretrial hearing on Nov. 20. The judge also ordered Solis to have no harmful or offensive contact with the victim or other minors whose initials were contained in the court filing from the judge.