A convicted murderer from Indiana walked out the front door of the Cook County Jail to freedom after he was mistakenly released by Illinois authorities following a court appearance here on an unrelated charge, authorities announced Thursday.
Steven L. Robbins, 44, was serving a 60-year sentence for murder and carrying a handgun without a license in Indiana, the Indiana Department of Corrections said.
On Tuesday, Robbins had been released from the Indiana State Prison on a court order to Cook County Circuit Court to face separate Illinois charges, but the charges against him were dropped, officials said.
By one account those charges were drug-related, but on Thursday sheriff’s spokesman Frank Bilecki said Robbins was wanted on an “armed violence warrant” — for allegedly using a weapon while committing a felony.
Sheriff Tom Dart’s office, which runs the jail, is now investigating why Robbins was released from the jail on Chicago’s Southwest Side about 7 p.m. Wednesday night, Bilecki said.
A preliminary investigation indicates there was no “hold” order to keep Robbins in the jail, so staff believed he was free to go.
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