Statement from Mayor Keith Pekau in Response to Two Recent Dangerous Arrests in Orland Park:
On Friday evening, I was notified by Police Chief Mitchell that two arrests were made, including an individual who was a three-time convicted felon, after police identified a gun clearly visible under the driver seat of the vehicle. The most frustrating part of the whole situation is that both of the people arrested are already out on $5,000 D-Bonds—meaning they paid just $500 and are back sleeping in their own beds.
One of those who was arrested Friday night was on federal electronic monitoring and parole for armed robbery and attempted murder. I am fed up with our Cook County State’s Attorney who lets these violent criminals walk free. We’re seeing the outcome of these actions play out—it puts our community and police officers in danger.
I spoke with one of our officers who said the force arrested one of the “baddest guys” they’ve ever come in contact with. These are the people Cook County puts back on the street when the person should have been held without bail and put back in federal custody. It’s shameful.
Criminals who come to Orland Park will not have a free pass. The work done by the Targeted Response Unit and the Orland Park Police Department is admirable, and is the reason why our community feels safe, because we know we have outstanding law enforcement professionals cleaning up the Cook County State’s Attorney’s mess.
The two individuals arrested Friday night were:
- Nickolas Burch of Chicago: 2 counts of Armed Habitual Criminal (Class X), which carries a minimum 6-year prison sentence. Also charged with resisting/obstructing.
- Kelly Turner of Indiana: 1 count of Aggravated UUW (Class 4), also charged with resisting/obstructing and child endangerment.
One thing is clear, the current leadership in Cook County is allowing communities like ours to be exposed to violent criminals who think they have no bounds. In Orland Park, we will continue to make every effort to proactively keep our residents safe.
More information can be found in the Orland Park Police Department’s press release.
