Rene Chandler sits in the back of a police SUV shortly after he was apprehended in Portland. – Supplied photo

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Wanted for aggravated criminal sexual assault

From staff reports

A 34-year-old Chicago Lawn man wanted for the aggravated criminal sexual assaults of two women in the city, as well as for robbery and escape from electronic monitoring, is now in custody after the Cook County Sheriff’s Fugitive Apprehension Unit tracked down his location in Oregon, Sheriff Thomas J. Dart announced earlier this week.

On Wednesday, Sept. 27, Rene Chandler, of the 6800 block of South Bell, was apprehended in Portland by the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force after members of the Sheriff’s Fugitive Apprehension Unit developed leads on his whereabouts.

After he was taken into custody, task force members recovered an illegal firearm along with more than $19,000 in cash, several driver’s licenses, and numerous stolen credit cards and Social Security cards, Dart’s office said in a statement.

Rene Chandler sits in the back of a police SUV shortly after he was apprehended in Portland. – Supplied photo

Upon further investigation, officers learned Chandler used numerous fictitious names, identifications and Social Security numbers to elude capture, officials added.

Chandler was wanted on four arrest warrants out of Cook County. Two were connected to charges of aggravated criminal sexual assault stemming from two separate cases in 2018. The third stemmed from a 2019 robbery charge, and the fourth stemmed from his escape from electronic monitoring in 2020. He also has three active warrants out of Colorado for charges including theft and bribery.

In April this year, Chandler was indicted on current charges he faced in Cook County. Chandler is currently held in custody in Multnomah County Jail while further investigations are being conducted at both the local and federal level regarding additional charges.