Over the objection of prosecutors, Judge Linda Abrahamson on Thursday agreed to lower the bail amount for Elgin kidnapping suspect Luis Palomar a week after increasing it amid new allegations against the 17-year-old, according to prosecutors and court records.
Palomar is free on $200,000 bail after Abrahamson’s decision, which included placing Palomar on electronic home monitoring while he lives with his aunt in Elgin. Palomar cannot leave the residence except for court appearances and meetings with his lawyer. He returns to court Oct. 26 for arraignment on several charges, including home invasion, aggravated battery and robbery related to a February incident involving a young woman he previously had a relationship with, according to court records.
Authorities have said the woman had been with Palomar at an Elgin residence when four people entered and, with Palomar’s help, forced her into a vehicle and drove her to a Raymond Drive apartment. Once they reached the apartment, according to prosecutors, Palomar burned the woman with a cigarette, beat her severely enough to cause bleeding on her brain, and stole her cellphone and cash. Palomar used “torture” to “inflict extreme physical pain” upon the woman in order to cause her pain and suffering, the indictment against Palomar states.
Last week, prosecutors detailed Palomar’s August arrest in Carpentersville on a burglary charge, as well as frequently missed phone contacts with court services officials, in requesting a bail increase. Abrahamson granted that motion, which sent Palomar back to jail. However, his attorney filed a subsequent motion seeking the reduced amount and the opportunity for Palomar to move from Lake In The Hills to Elgin in order to be electronically tracked.
Dan Campana is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.