Sex assault, robbery suspect who jumped bail in 2020 captured in Portland, authorities say
A Near South Side man who allegedly fled home confinement in 2020 while awaiting trial for several separate felony charges, including two separate sex assaults, was arrested earlier this week in Portland, Oregon, according to Cook County sheriff’s officials.
Rene Chandler, 34, had been missing from Cook County since April 2020 when he disappeared after posting a $500 bail after a judge granted his release from jail as officials began releasing supposedly low-risk detainees as COVID-19 closures swept the country. This past April, near the third anniversary of his release, a grand jury indicted Chandler for felony escape charges.
A U.S. Marshals Service fugitive task force arrested Chandler on Wednesday in Portland after the trackers from the Cook County sheriff’s fugitive apprehension unit learned of his location, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office.
During this arrest, authorities recovered more than $19,000 cash, several driver’s licenses, and numerous stolen credit cards and Social Security cards that they said he used to elude capture for three years, authorities said. Chandler also has three active warrants out of Colorado for charges including theft and bribery, sheriff’s officials said.
Chandler remained at Multnomah County Jail as of Friday evening.
At the time of his disappearance, Chandler was facing three felonies, including two 2018 sex assaults on separate women in the Near North and Gold Coast neighborhoods, according to court records and published news reports.
While out on bail for the alleged assaults, Chandler allegedly robbed a third woman in April 2019 and was ordered held in custody for the new charge and violating terms of his bail. He remained in jail for about a year before his court request for a COVID release was granted in early April 2020.
Weeks later, an arrest warrant was issued after, according to court records, Chandler was found to have cut off his electronic home monitoring bracelet and left his mother’s home.
It was unclear whether Chandler was expected to fight or accept extradition back to Illinois to face charges.
