Accused Roscoe bank robber was released from jail the day after his arrest
The judge had ruled the Chicory Ridge resident was neither a flight risk nor a danger to community safety.
After a joint investigation by Belvidere Police detectives and the FBI, a 41 year old Roscoe man was charged with robbing First National Bank in Belvidere, IL on November 23 and arrested on Tuesday, November 26, 2024. The Belvidere Police Department solemnly announced that the suspect was "being held without bail until his court appearance." Rockford media repeated the announcement.
In fact, Matthew D. Barnett was released from jail about 3:30 p.m. the next afternoon and remains a free man, with a pre-trial hearing set for April 30, 2025. After a video court session at 1:15 p.m. in Nov. 27, Boone County Associate Judge Ryan Swift ordered Barnett's release under the provisions of the Pretrial Fairness Act. The law says, “Detention only shall be imposed when it is determined that the defendant poses a specific, real and present threat to a person, or has a high likelihood of willful flight.” The case remains pending in the 17th Judicial Circuit Court in Boone County. We have emailed Barnett for comments but have not received a response. He has been represented in court by Assistant Public Defender Seth Wiggins.
Except for being an accused bank robber, Barnett might not seem very threatening. He has not participated in the Chicory Ridge Garage Sales in recent years. He has no previous criminal record, except for 10 traffic cases, including one alleged DUI. He has been in civil court a few times: in early November, a Winnebago County court modified his child support arrangements from 2011.
One factor that lowers the "likelihood of willful flight" is his ownership of a $242,000 Chicory Ridge home. In 2018, Barnett purchased a home that was described by Redfin as a "Well Maintained Ranch in Chicory Ridge! 3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths and Almost 1900 sq. ft. Custom Kitchen." He took out another mortgage loan three days after his arrest. The home on Merilot Drive is located on more than a quarter of an acre.
But Tricia Smith, Boone County State’s Attorney, wasn't convinced of Barnett's status. She told us, "My office filed a Petition to Detain the defendant per the Pretrial Fairness Act arguing both flight risk and community safety. We respectfully disagree with Judge Swift’s decision to not to detain on either basis and to release the defendant from custody on Pretrial conditions. We are currently exploring an appeal of the court’s decision."
Barnett was arrested by Detective Steve Jones and booked at 5:35 p.m., several hours after the Belvidere Police Department searched his residence. Based on the evidence they found, the Boone County States Attorney’s Office authorized him to be charged with "Robbery in violation of chapter 720 ILCS 5/18-1 (Class 2 Felony)," which is punishable by 3 - 7 years in Illinois state prison.
The Belvidere Police say, "The investigation is ongoing and additional charges are possible." They encourage anyone with information about the robbery to contact them at 815-544-2135, or the Belvidere Investigations Unit at 815-547-6381 or to provide information anonymously to Boone County Crime Stoppers at 815-547-7867.
What happened that morning in Belvidere?
According to Belvidere Police:
On November 23, 2024 at approximately 10:45 am Boone County 911 received a phone call from First National Bank, 1725 South State Street, security stating the bank had just been robbed.
Belvidere Police responded to the area and discovered a white male, 5’10” – 6’00”, medium build, wearing; a grey and yellow striped Carhartt beanie, black hoodie (red lining) with red WISCONSIN on the front, black pants (possibly sweatpants), black socks, dark colored sandals, and a white surgical mask, entered the bank handed the teller a note demanding money.
The suspect was given an undisclosed amount of United States Currency then left the bank. The suspect got into a blue 4-door Kia with a temporary registration plate, exited the bank parking lot and last seen northbound on S. State Street towards W. 6th Street.
Barnett is 5'11" and weighs 170 pounds. It is unknown whether he owns a blue Kia, a Carhartt beanie or a WISCONSIN hoodie. Police obtained a search warrant to investigate further.
About the Pretrial Fairness Act
Barnett had better reaffirm the judge's faith in him by showing up at his next court date without having committed any crimes. The severity of the crime (bank robbery) in this case will test the limits of the Pretrial Fairness Act. It is part of the ambitious SAFE-T Act, which was passed by the Illinois General Assembly in 2021 in the wake of George Floyd's death under the knees of police. The Illinois law took effect in 2023 after several more amendments.
One of the law's provisions: the elimination of cash bail in Illinois. Even its opponents are not necessarily opposed to that. They agree that lack of money can unjustly keep low-income people in jail, not because they're dangerous or a flight risk (or even guilty), but only because they don't have enough money for bail.
Winnebago County States Attorney J Hanley, though he strongly criticized the Pretrial Fairness Act, said, “It’s worked out pretty well,” a year after the law took effect, according to WIFR. Hanley has said that Illinois "would do well to model its pretrial fairness law after New Jersey’s 2017 move to a cashless bail system," which gives judges more discretion to keep people behind bars when they feel it's justified.
Critics of the law, including Hanley and State Representative John Cabello, say that judges need more discretion in working with the Pretrial Fairness Act. But Hanley says that about 66% of the time, judges decide to detain “detainable” defendants, while state's attorneys request detention 65-70% of the time. “I think we’re kind of right about where we should be,” said Hanley in a WIFR story from September 2024.
Both opponents and advocates of the reform agree that, beyond simply ending cash bail, the Pretrial Fairness Act seeks to reduce the number of people incarcerated before a guilty verdict by limiting the circumstances in which a judge can order pretrial detention. Critics say that judges shouldn't be so limited.
"As we’re not gonna get rid of the Safety Act, so let’s try to make it better,” says Cabello.
In a WREX story, Hanley emphasized, “For the most part, individuals who are a danger to our community are not being released; they are being held in jail without the possibility of posting cash bail.”
