1996 warrant finally served

Let's give a big hurrah to the guys at the McHenry County Sheriff's Department who finally collared a dangerous criminal in Illinois and hauled her 115 miles back to the jail for court on January 8.

Michelle Abbeduto, 33, of Bourbonnais, was arrested on a 13-year-old warrant.

Come on, guys!!! Is that any news at all? What's the real news here?

The real news is that there may be 5,000 open warrants at the sheriff's department. The Northwest Herald reported today that Abbeduto was arrested after "...finding the old, unserved warrant last week..."

Just exactly what kind of record-keeping system is there at the sheriff's department? Is this where experience counts? That warrant has been gathering dust since before Keith Nygren was appointed Sheriff in 1997. In that time, didn't anyone create a system for tracking warrants and aging them?

My guess is that Abbeduto has "been in jail" (in her mind) since 1996. Does it make a lot of sense to incarcerate her now on a $150,000 bail? Maybe it does; maybe it doesn't.

Somebody ought to be asking the question, Does this warrant need to be reviewed before we go out and collar the subject? Like, is the victim still around? Even still alive? Willing to prosecute? How is a case handled when the victim was a minor (14 years old), but is now an adult? Do the victim's parents have to consent to any testimony by their now-adult daughter?

Are there any other witnesses? If so, will they testify now - 13 years later?

Or will the case wind its way through the court system and, after months and months of continuances, finally be tossed by a judge or abandoned by the State's Attorney's Office?

Or maybe the Fugitive Apprehension Unit did confirm that the victim is still in this geographic area and is willing to appear in court to testify against Abbeduto.

Was it news that Abbeduto "likely rung (sic) in the New Year in jail"?