Lake Villa, IL – A dramatic turn of events unfolded as a Lake County judge reversed his decision and released a Gurnee woman on electronic monitoring pending her trial for an attempted armed robbery at a local gas station. This decision came after an initial ruling to detain the woman, citing public safety concerns over her actions during the alleged offense.
On New Year’s Day around 12:25 p.m., sheriff’s deputies responded to an emergency call at the Marathon gas station located at 36809 North Route 83 in unincorporated Lake Villa. According to Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, a female suspect entered the store, threatened the clerk by implying she was armed, and demanded money.
The clerk resisted, prompting the woman to attempt to open the cash register herself. Unable to access the cash, she then threatened the clerk once more and attempted to take his phone, all of which was captured on the store’s video surveillance system.
Authorities later identified the suspect as Christina A. Lintner, 40, of Gurnee, who had fled the scene in a black SUV. Using Flock license plate reader technology, deputies determined the vehicle was likely a Ford Expedition and broadcasted this information across county law enforcement networks. The vehicle was soon spotted by Gurnee police officers, and Lintner was stopped and arrested.
During the investigation, Assistant State’s Attorney Nicholas Shepherd stated that Lintner had used her hand inside her sweatshirt to mimic a gun during the incident. Although Lintner admitted to being present at the location, she claimed she was compelled by another individual to commit the act.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office charged Lintner with attempted aggravated robbery, a Class 2 felony. At the initial detention hearing on January 2, Lake County Judge Michael Nerheim ordered Lintner to be held at the Lake County Jail, citing her actions had potentially endangered anyone in the store at the time.
However, in a subsequent hearing, Lintner’s public defender argued that prosecutors had not proven she posed a continued threat to the community or that no conditions of release could be safely implemented. Upon reconsideration, Judge Nerheim found that he had failed to consider certain mitigating factors, including Lintner having no prior convictions, leading to his decision to reverse the detention order.
Lintner is now confined to home monitoring and is prohibited from possessing any weapons and from making contact with the location of the incident. She is scheduled for a status of preliminary hearing on January 22.
This case highlights the complexity of legal decisions concerning pre-trial detentions and the factors judges must consider in balancing the rights of an individual against the safety of the community.
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