Bob Hernandez In Court: Jeff Tomczak Wants Client Freed From Jail

JOLIET, IL — One of Joliet's most prolific criminal defense lawyers, Jeff Tomczak, stepped up to the podium as several Will County Sheriff's deputies opened doors and pushed Bob Hernandez into Courtroom 405 in his new wheelchair for Wednesday's court proceedings.

Tomczak announced that he was entering not-guilty pleas for all of his client's criminal charges. Hernandez is charged with violating a stalking no-contact order, two different criminal cases involving possession of crack cocaine, and one count of possessing a crack pipe.

In February, Will County Judge Donald DeWilkins ordered that Hernandez needed to be detained for an indefinite period of time in the Will County Jail pursuant to the SAFE-T-Act because releasing Hernandez would be a danger to the community of Joliet's citizens.

Wednesday marked the first time that Hernandez has ever appeared in court using a wheelchair. Tomczak told Will County Judge Dave Carlson that he will be filing a petition later in the day asking that Hernandez be released from the jail because of medical concerns.

"The petition is based on changes on medical issues that have arisen," Tomczak said. "Right now, that's all I can say."

Judge Carlson announced that he was assigning all of Hernandez's criminal cases to Courtroom 403, where Will County Judge John Connor presides over drug court cases. A hearing was set for Friday morning in hopes of securing Hernandez's freedom from Judge Connor.

Meanwhile, Valerie Terlep was also in the gallery for Wednesday's Hernandez hearing, and she was wearing her special T-shirt that contains one of the Hernandez mugshots.

Her shirt reads, "My Kids Are Victims Of You!"

Terlep told Joliet Patch outside of court that she hopes that Judge Connor does not decide to release Hernandez back into the Joliet community. Hernandez's brother and his father also attended Wednesday's court proceedings, and they spoke with Tomczak afterward.

Bob Hernandez, who lives at his parents' house in the 800 block of Westminster Road, off Black Road, has remained in the Will County Jail since Joliet police arrested him for the second time, on Valentine's Day, which was Feb. 14.

Related Joliet Patch coverage:

Bob Hernandez Arrested Again By Joliet Police, Now He's In Jail

Stalker Bob Hernandez Needs To Stay In Jail: Glasgow's Prosecutors