Murder suspect Darius Sullivan (L) was a regular in the court of Kankakee County Judge Nancy Nicholson (L) | Illinois State Police/Kankakee County
Murder suspect Darius Sullivan (L) was a regular in the court of Kankakee County Judge Nancy Nicholson (L) | Illinois State Police/Kankakee County
Before being arrested and accused of murder and attempted murder last week, 25 year-old Darius Sullivan had been arrested 21 times and charged 43 times with various crimes around Kankakee County over the past seven years.
Sullivan's crimes included felony burglary and residential burglary, felony possession of a stolen firearm, felony criminal damage to government property, misdemeanor theft, misdemeanor theft and resisting a peace officer, according to a review of Kankakee County Court records.
He'd been cited ten times for driving without a valid driver's license and eight times for driving without auto insurance.
Many of Sullivan's cases were still open with the court, with several active warrants for his arrest.
Most recently: Kankakee County Judge Nancy Nicholson issued a warrant for Sullivan's arrest on July 12, 2021 after he failed to appear in court to face a May 5 misdemeanor battery charge in Bradley.
In April, Sullivan was cited by Illinois State Police for driving on a suspended license, without insurance and with marijuana in the car.
He wasn't asked to post cash bond, but promised to appear before Judge Thomas W. Cunnington. After Sullivan didn't show up for court on June 16, Cunnington issued a warrant for his arrest.
In February, Sullivan was cited by Bourbonnais Police for driving on a suspended license, without vehicle registration or insurance. He wasn't asked to post cash bond, but promised to appear before Judge Nicholson on March 30.
Sullivan didn't show up for court.
Felony burglary and firearm possession at 19
Sullivan was 19 and living with his parents in Pembroke Township when he was first arrested by Kankakee city police on July 14, 2014, charged with felony burglary and felony possession of a stolen firearm.
Represented by Peotone lawyer Kirsten E. Steeves, Sullivan agreed to a plea deal on a month later-- pleading guilty to felony burglary if they would drop the gun charge. He received 36 months of probation.
The following spring-- on May 20, 2015-- Sullivan was arrested again, this time by the Kankakee County Sheriff for felony criminal damage to government property. Two months later, in August, he pled guilty and was sentenced to 30 months of probation, to run concurrent with his previous sentence.
Sullivan wasn't arrested in 2016, but he was back in court in Feb. 2017, charged with felony theft after being arrested by the Kankakee County Sheriff. He pled guilty that June and was sentenced to 30 months of probation, released by Kankakee County Judge Clark Erickson.
In May 2018, Sullivan was arrested again by Kankakee City Police, charged with resisting a peace officer, a misdemeanor.
On March 18, 2020, Sullivan was cited by the Kankakee County Sheriff for blowing a stop sign, driving on a suspended license and without insurance. Kankakee County Judge William S. Dickenson ordered him released without posting cash bail, finding Sullivan was indigent.
After Sullivan didn't show up for his trial before Kankakee County Judge Cunnington that September, Cunnington issued a bench warrant for his arrest.
Later that day, Sullivan showed up at court security and told officers that he had been "exposed to COVID-19" and was waiting for a test result. Cunnington nixed the bench warrant and agreed to continue the case.
Nicholson, of St. Anne, served as a Kankakee County assistant state’s attorney since from 2012-2021 and also from 2004-2010 before her appointment as associate judge in Feb. 2021. She is a 1993 graduate of Bradley-Bourbonnais H.S.
Cunnington, 67, serve as a Kankakee County assistant state's attorney and spent 30 years in private law practice before being appointed as an associate judge on Nov. 4, 2011. He was elected a circuit court judge in Dec. 2018 and became the circuit's chief judge on Jan 1, 2022.
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Murder suspect Darius Sullivan has been arrested 21 times in Kankakee County since 2014
| Date | Charge/Offense | Arrested by |
| 5/5/2021 | Misdemeanor Battery | Bradley Police Department |
| 4/22/2021 | Driving with marijuana | Illinois State Police |
| 4/22/2021 | No auto insurance | Illinois State Police |
| 4/22/2021 | No valid driver's license | Illinois State Police |
| 2/23/2021 | No auto insurance | Bourbonnais Police Department |
| 2/23/2021 | No auto registration | Bourbonnais Police Department |
| 2/23/2021 | No valid driver's license | Bourbonnais Police Department |
| 7/11/2020 | Possession of Marijuana | Porter County (IN) |
| 3/18/2020 | Disregared Stop Sign | Kankakee County Sheriff |
| 3/18/2020 | No auto insurance | Kankakee County Sheriff |
| 3/18/2020 | No valid driver's license | Kankakee County Sheriff |
| 8/29/2019 | Driver no seat belt | Illinois State Police |
| 8/29/2019 | No valid driver's license | Illinois State Police |
| 7/21/2019 | No auto insurance | Kankakee County Sheriff |
| 7/21/2019 | No valid driver's license | Kankakee County Sheriff |
| 7/21/2019 | Speeding 35+ MPH above | Kankakee County Sheriff |
| 6/4/2019 | Passenger no seat belt | Illinois State Police |
| 4/10/2019 | No auto insurance | Bradley Police Department |
| 4/10/2019 | No auto registration | Bradley Police Department |
| 4/10/2019 | No valid driver's license | Bradley Police Department |
| 11/22/2018 | Driver's license expired | Manteno Police Department |
| 11/22/2018 | Speeding 15-20 MPH above | Manteno Police Department |
| 11/12/2018 | Improper Turn Signal | Kankakee County Sheriff |
| 11/12/2018 | No auto insurance | Kankakee County Sheriff |
| 11/12/2018 | No valid driver's license | Kankakee County Sheriff |
| 10/27/2018 | No valid driver's license | Bradley Police Department |
| 5/6/2018 | Pedestrian walking on highway | Kankakee City Police |
| 5/6/2018 | Resisting a Peace Officer | Kankakee City Police |
| 3/1/2017 | Misdemeanor Property Damage | Kankakee County Sheriff |
| 2/21/2017 | Felony Residential Burglary | Kankakee County Sheriff |
| 2/21/2017 | Felony Theft | Kankakee County Sheriff |
| 2/21/2017 | No auto insurance | Kankakee County Sheriff |
| 2/21/2017 | No valid driver's license | Kankakee County Sheriff |
| 9/28/2016 | No auto insurance | Illinois State Police |
| 9/28/2016 | No car seat for child | Illinois State Police |
| 9/28/2016 | No valid driver's license | Illinois State Police |
| 8/13/2016 | Using cell phone while driving | Kankakee City Police |
| 2/3/2016 | Disregared Stop Sign | Momence Police Department |
| 5/12/2015 | Felony Criminal Damage to Govt. Property | Kankakee County Sheriff |
| 5/12/2015 | Misdemeanor Theft | Kankakee County Sheriff |
| 11/21/2014 | Petition for Child Support by Xandria Harris | Kankakee County |
| 11/20/2014 | Improper Lane Usage | Kankakee City Police |
| 6/27/2014 | Felony Burglary | Kankakee City Police |
| 6/27/2014 | Felony Possession of a Stolen Firearm | Kankakee City Police |
Sources: Kankakee County Court, Porter (IN) County Court
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