La Salle knife suspect detained, ‘no place to lock him in with GPS,’ judge says

A homeless man wanted for allegedly wielding a knife in La Salle was apprehended Tuesday and ordered jailed Wednesday.

Tony D. Sander, 27, appeared Wednesday in La Salle County Circuit Court for a detention hearing. La Salle County prosecutors charged him in connection with a pair of a September incidents in La Salle in which Sander allegedly wielded a knife or possessed one despite a felony record that precludes him from carrying weapons.

During the detention hearing Wednesday, Assistant La Salle County State’s Attorney Jeremiah Adams termed Sander a “danger to the community.”

Sander, who recently served a prison sentence for aggravated battery (he’s no longer on parole), allegedly wielded what La Salle police called “a large butcher knife” on Sept. 7 and threatened to stab people. In open court Wednesday, it was further revealed that Sander announced he was “going to kill two white dudes” who angered him.

Twelve days later, La Salle police were dispatched to the 1100 block of Crosat Street in reference to a man with a knife. Sander approached an officer with a knife and “initially refused to drop the knife” while continuing his approach. Only when the officer produced a Taser, but did not deploy it, did Sander drop the knife.

He subsequently was charged with one count of unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, a Class 3 felony carrying two to five years in prison, and one count of aggravated assault, a Class 4 felony carrying one to three years.

On Wednesday, Assistant La Salle County Public Defender Heidi Nelson called the Sept. 7 case “an isolated incident” induced by alcohol consumption. In the assault case, Nelson said, Sander merely was complying with police orders when he produced the knife.

Nelson further said Sander hadn’t been any recent trouble – his previous felonies are years behind him – and suggested that Sander could be released with GPS monitoring and assorted conditions including no alcohol or substance abuse.

But Adams raised a question: How do you use GPS monitoring and home confinement with someone who has no home?

“I don’t know any combination of conditions this court could set to mitigate that threat,” Adams said.

Sander’s judge agreed. Chief Judge H. Chris Ryan Jr. said he was troubled by Sander’s criminal history but also saw no practical way to monitor Sander’s whereabouts.

“I’m not punishing because he’s homeless,” the judge said, “but I’ve got no place to lock him in with GPS.”

Sander, who had been polite and respectful in addressing the judge, suddenly grew frustrated with the news that he’d be held pending trial.

“I’m ready to go now,” Sander told corrections officers, who whisked him to the La Salle County Jail before Ryan could conclude the hearing.

The judge seemed unbothered by Sander’s abrupt departure and ordered him returned for arraignment Oct. 11.