A Chicago sex offender recently arrested for allegedly touching two women inappropriately was freed hours later on his own recognizance. The accused man has a long history of sexual misconduct dating back to 2017.
On Sunday at around 12:05 p.m., David Buckner, 27, was arrested after two women, ages 25 and 39, alleged that he touched them inappropriately on the platform of the Roosevelt CTA station, located between the Loop and Chicago’s Southside, according to CWB Chicago, citing police records.
Buckner was charged with two counts of misdemeanor battery but was released a few hours later on his own recognizance.
As arrest records and reports show, Buckner has a lengthy history of sexual misconduct.
In the summer of 2017, Buckner was charged with sexually assaulting four women on Chicago public transit. When he was being interviewed by police, Buckner admitted to “probably” molesting 75 women on the transit system in the past two months, the Chicago Tribune reported at the time.
In one instance in May 2017, authorities say that he had approached an 18-year-old girl standing at a bus stop and asked for a hug. When the woman started walking away, he bear-hugged her, kissed her on the forehead, and then grabbed her buttocks.
A month later, he was also accused of committing similar assaults against three women, ages 21, 23, and 29, all within the span of a week.
“Records show that Cook County Judge Dennis Porter ordered Buckner into a secure state-run treatment center about a year later. Porter found Buckner not guilty by reason of insanity on May 8, 2019. He was released on December 29, 2020,” CWB Chicago reported.
Buckner was again arrested in November 2021 for failing to register a sex offender but had his charges dropped after he complied.
In June, two women accused the 27-year-old of allegedly kissing one of them on the neck and grabbing her buttocks before bear-hugging the other, who tried to intervene.
Buckner was arrested and charged by prosecutors but released two days later after posting a $500 bail deposit.
Four months later, Buckner is now again accused of inappropriately touching women.
Residents in Chicago and Illinois are worried that the state’s bail laws will only be weakened further when Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s (D) SAFE-T Act is implemented on January 1, 2023.
The legislation is set to eliminate cash bail for most crimes, which may result in many criminals who have allegedly committed major crimes being released onto the streets. As Breitbart News reported, critics say that police stations and jails will become revolving doors for alleged criminals come the new year.
“The same so-called reform package makes it harder to charge murder accomplices and allows for anonymous and unsworn complaints to be filed against law enforcement officers,” said Illinois Republican nominee for governor, Darren Bailey, who opposes the no-cash bail legislation.
Bailey and Pritzker are set to square off in Illinois’ gubernatorial election on November 8.
You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.
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