DuPage
County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin announced that bond was denied yesterday for
a recently convicted gunrunner accused of fleeing after cutting off his
electronic GPS monitor following his brother’s funeral. Bruce Berrier, 23
(d.o.b. 12/28/1998) formerly of Villa Park, appeared in Bond Court yesterday
morning where Judge Craig Belford ordered he be held without bond. Berrier has
been charged with one count of Indirect Criminal Contempt of Court, one count of Escape/Violate Electronic Home Monitoring
Detention Program (Class 3 Felony), one count of Failure to Return to a Penal
Institution (Class 3 Felony) and one count of Criminal Damage to Government
Supported Property (Class 4 Felony.) If found guilty of Indirect
Criminal Contempt of Court, Illinois Statutes allow for indeterminate
sentencing in excess of six months in the IDOC, to be determined by the Court.
On July 2, 2021, Berrier entered a plea of guilty to one count of
Gunrunning, a Class 1 Felony. On December 14, 2021, he was sentenced to ten
years in the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) to be served at
seventy-five percent. On January 10, 2022, while still in custody at the DuPage
County Jail awaiting transfer to the IDOC and over the State’s objection,
Berrier was granted permission by the Court to attend his brother’s funeral
services on January 11, 2022. At approximately 8:00 a.m., January 11, 2022,
after being fitted with an electronic GPS monitoring device, Berrier was
released from custody from the DuPage County Jail. As per the Court’s order,
Berrier was to return to the DuPage County Jail at 2:00 p.m. the same day. It is alleged that at approximately 1:27 p.m., Berrier
cut off his electronic GPS monitoring device. Shortly after, Berrier’s
electronic GPS monitoring device was found by the Elmhurst Police Department. It is further alleged that Berrier failed to return to the
DuPage County Jail by 2:00 p.m. as ordered by the Court. Judge Kleeman
issued a $150,000 arrest warrant on the Criminal Damage to Government Supported
Property charge. The
following day, January 12, 2022, the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office
filed a Petition for Indirect Criminal Contempt. Subsequently, Judge
Reidy issued a no-bond Arrest Warrant for Berrier. On
January 13, 2022, Judge Kleeman issued a $500,000 arrest warrant for Berrier on
the escape charges. On January 22, 2022, Berrier was located at the Jewel Osco in
Glendale Heights and taken into custody. The cases against Berrier will be in front of Judge Reidy.
If found guilty, any sentence Berrier receives will be served consecutively to
his previously imposed ten-year sentence.
“Thanks to the outstanding work of all the law
enforcement agencies involved, Bruce Berrier’s alleged attempt to avoid the
consequences of his previous criminal activity was short-lived,” Berlin said.
“The quick and peaceful apprehension of a man serving a lengthy sentence in the
Illinois Department of Corrections for gunrunning sends the message that in
DuPage County, we will use every tool at our disposal to not only see to
it that justice is served but more importantly, ensure the safety of the
public. I thank The U.S. Marshal’s Office, the Elmhurst, Villa Park, Lombard,
Downers Grove, Berwyn, Cicero and Glendale Heights Police Departments and DuPage
County Sheriff James Mendrick and his office for their
collaborative efforts in this case. I also thank my office’s Chief of
Investigations Robert Guerrieri and Deputy Chief of Investigations Dave Zdan as
well as Assistant State’s Attorney Alyssa Rabulinski for their efforts in
securing charges against Mr. Berrier.”
Berrier’s next court appearance is scheduled for February 14, 2022, for arraignment
in front of Judge Reidy.
Members
of the public are reminded that this complaint contains only charges and is not
proof of the defendant’s guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is
entitled to a fair trial in which it is the government’s burden to prove his or
her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.