Charges are dropped in case set for 1st jury trial

Cook County prosecutors on Friday dropped charges against Ronald Montgomery, who had been scheduled for the county’s first COVID-era jury trial next week.

Montgomery was set to go to trial Monday on a charge of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon. Instead, the case was dismissed completely.

A spokeswoman for the chief judge’s office confirmed that instead, jurors are slated to hear a 2019 burglary case before Judge Arthur Hill.

Glenn Whitmore, 56, is accused of breaking into a garage in the Vittum Park neighborhood on the Southwest Side. According to Whitmore’s arrest report, the resident caught Whitmore in the act and said a bag containing more than $1,000 worth of tools was missing, but police searched the area and could not immediately find it.

Prosecutors did not explain their decision on the Montgomery case during the videoconferenced court hearing Friday. Montgomery’s attorney, Peter Lewis, told the Tribune that he was not given any explanation for the decision either.

In a statement, a spokeswoman for the state’s attorney’s office said “we determined that we could not meet our burden of proof to move forward with the prosecution of this case.”

Lewis said earlier in the week he believed the resumption of jury trials was a “publicity stunt” and said he was extremely skeptical that enough people would show up for jury duty.

Officials expect some 50 potential jurors to appear for selection Monday morning. If all goes smoothly, it could pave the way for more frequent jury trials this spring and summer after more than a year without a jury trial because of COVID19 concerns.