Kane County Reporter

Republican state Sen. Don DeWitte (R-West Dundee) is calling for stricter penalties for criminals in Illinois.

“The spike in violent crime across this state is one of the top issues that me and all of my colleagues behind me are hearing about from our constituents,” DeWitte said at a news conference earlier this month. “Crime is increasing because of the severe lack of enforcement, because of the weak penalties that do not act as an effective deterrent.”

DeWitte’s talked about the stabbing death of 18-year-old Manuel Porties Jr. during a fight in Schaumburg that was recorded on video.

In the video, Porties is punched in the face and falls, and the 17-year-old charged in connection with the crime then stabs Porties in the neck as he was lying on the ground.

“Schaumburg Police pushed for felony murder charges,” DeWitte added. “Even though there was video of the attack, the Cook County State's attorney refused to file felony murder charges, or any charges for that matter. Let that sink in. Sadly, there are stories like this across our state.”

Porties’ father said prosecutors told the family they declined to file murder charges due to “mutual combat.”

“How is it mutual combat when my son didn’t have anything to combat with the only thing he had was his two hands,” the father said. “He stood over my son and finished him, and that’s not murder?”

The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office said the evidence was “insufficient to meet our burden of proof to file murder charges.”

DeWitte has also been active as a member of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR)  questioning the Illinois State Board of Education's (ISBE) authority to level financial punishments against schools that buck state mask mandates, though he doesn't oppose the use of masks.

Back in September, JCAR formally requested that ISBE "place all policy and guidance in administrative rule," and offer the committee an update within 30 days, according to ABC20. In addition, the committee asked for clarification on the steps and processes ISBE follows when penalizing districts that defy Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s recently re-imposed school masking mandate.

“I believe it’s our job to oversee the rule-making process by state agencies, making sure they abide by the original intent of the legislation or in this case what appears to be a mandate handed down by the administration,” DeWitte said at a recent JCAR meeting on the subject of mask mandates. “It is important to get into the record that just because we’re questioning ISBE’s authority to take financially punitive steps against school districts that choose to exercise local control with regard to the mask issue, it does not mean we do not recognize the benefit that masks provide.