CHICAGO WOMAN ARRESTED
AT COOK COUNTY JAIL
Monday, July 5, 2010— A Chicago woman is free on bond after she was arrested this weekend for threatening to kill her children, Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart announced Monday.
Stephanie Porter, 44, of the 8200 block of South Muskegon in Chicago is charged with disorderly conduct and breach of peace. She was arrested Saturday at the maximum security Division 9 building of Cook County Jail, where she was visiting her son.
Porter was accompanied by a 17 year old girl, that she told officials was her daughter, but who turned out to be her son’s girlfriend. During that visit she was overheard commenting that she was late for her visit due to her other children, adding that she wanted to kill them. She continued that she wanted someone to help her get them “away from me.” The comments were overheard by other visitors who were concerned enough to alert jail staff.
A sheriff’s police investigation found she regularly disciplined her 14 year-old son and 5 year-old daughter by punching and biting them, and had also assaulted her son with knives in the past. Neither child is enrolled in school, because their mother did not think it was important.
Porter has an extensive criminal background with multiple convictions for charges ranging from assault to larceny.
Porter appeared in bond court on Sunday, where she posted 10% of her $1,000 bond.
Her next court date is set for July 19th I in Maywood. The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services has taken custody of her two children and are continuing an investigation.