ILLINOIS
Daily Herald
By Lee Filas
A Benedictine monk accused of attempting to lure four teens into his car on two occasions in Antioch pleaded not guilty Tuesday to child abduction charges that could put him in prison for up to three years.
Thomas J. Chmura, 57, with a listed address at St. Benedict’s Abbey in Benet Lake, Wis., entered his not guilty plea as his attorneys unsuccessfully petitioned a Lake County judge to lower his bond to $50,000 and allow him to reside at his adopted father’s home in Lansing, Ill.
Chmura currently is being held in Lake County jail in lieu of $150,000 bond after his initial $50,000 bond was revoked last week.
Assistant Lake County State’s Attorney Victor O’Block argued that Chmura’s bond should remain as is, noting there may be fifth person harassed by Chmura to get into his car prior to his April 26 arrest.
“The defendant has admitted to coming to Antioch on five to 10 occasions and offer girls rides,” O’Block said.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.