DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin and Addison Chief of Police Roy Selvik recently announced that Judge Joshua Dieden has granted the state’s motion to detain pre-trial a Chicago man accused of breaking into his ex-girlfriend’s apartment and forcibly kidnapping her last March.
Tomie Nickles, III, 33, appeared in First Appearance Court and was charged with one count of home invasion causing injury (Class X felony), one count of residential burglary (Class 1 felony), two counts of kidnapping (Class 2 felony), six counts of domestic battery (Class 4 felony) and two counts of unlawful restraint (Class 4 felony).
On March 8 at approximately 4:20 a.m., the female victim was asleep in her Addison apartment when she was awakened by a crash. It is alleged that when she got out of bed, she saw her ex-boyfriend, later identified as Nickles, standing in the hallway of her apartment by the bedroom door.
It is alleged that Nickles, who had told the victim that his name is Michael Tara, then grabbed the woman by the arm and neck, dragged her from her apartment and through the courtyard to a vehicle which was parked outside of the residence. It is further alleged that Nickles forced the victim into the front passenger seat of the vehicle and began driving.
It is alleged that while the victim was in the vehicle, Nickles was holding her by the neck and face and pushing her face into the front passenger window. It is further alleged that Nickles eventually drove the victim back to her residence, allowed her to leave the vehicle and then fled the area. Upon returning home, the victim immediately called the Addison Police Department.
Through the course of their investigation, authorities identified Nickles as a suspect. On March 8, DuPage County Circuit Court Judge Robert Rohm issued an arrest warrant for Nickles. On June 3, the US Marshall’s Task Force arrested Nickles on the outstanding warrant. He appeared in First Appearance Court on June 6.
“I can’t begin to imagine the terror this innocent woman must have felt when she was allegedly suddenly awoken in the middle of the night, violently kidnapped from her home and physically assaulted during the ensuing car ride,” Berlin said. “While the psychological damage allegedly caused by Mr. Nickles can certainly be debilitating, we are all extremely thankful that the physical injuries she sustained, allegedly at the hands of Mr. Nickles, were not life-threatening. I wish her strength as she continues on her road to recovery.
“Make no mistake, this type of violent behavior will not be tolerated in DuPage County and will be met with the full force of the law. I commend the Addison Police Department for their truly outstanding work in determining the true identity of the man who allegedly committed this horrific act of violence against an innocent woman. I thank the U.S. Marshall’s Task Force for their efforts in apprehending the defendant in this case.”
“Thanks to the efforts of our Investigative Division and U.S. Marshal's Service, this violent offender was identified, located and detained,” Selvik said. “This brutal act, committed against an innocent victim simply sleeping in their home, is extremely unnerving. We are grateful to State's Attorney Bob Berlin and his staff for their support and for preventing someone with no regard for human life from wandering free."
