An ailing family member and a job offer have been cited in the latest attempt by former Elburn police Officer David Wright to be released from Kane County Jail while he awaits trial on sexual assault charges.
According to a motion filed recently, Wright is the closest relative geographically to his elderly mother, who resides in a health care facility in DeKalb. He also has been offered a job by the owner of a trucking company in Rockford should he post bond. Both factors were mentioned in the request by Wright’s attorney to reconsider a judge’s earlier ruling to uphold Wright’s $500,000 bail.
The motion was set to be heard Thursday but was pushed to Jan. 28 in order to comply with a new law that requires that prosecutors receive at least three days notice of such requests so that crime victims can be notified.
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Wright, 54, last of Campton Hills, has pleaded not guilty to a total of 33 counts that allege he sexually assaulted and abused a female relative from 2005 until the time of his April 2015 arrest. Wright spent 23 years with the Elburn Police Department before the village fired him in connection to his arrest. An earlier request to lower his bail was denied in October. Wright previously has said in court that his family had approximately $500,000 in medical debt and lived paycheck to paycheck before his arrest.
Prosecutors have also filed a notice stating the “conduct alleged in counts one through 33 constitute separate and distinct acts,” a move that increases the overall minimum sentence to 143 years should Wright be convicted of multiple charges.
Dan Campana is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.