Woman escapes from custody during court hearing

A woman escaped from custody Friday morning during a court hearing on the Southwest Side.

Alicia Gines, 19, fled the courtroom and escaped from the Leighton Criminal Courthouse about 10:45 a.m., according Cara Smith, of the Cook County sheriff’s office.

The sheriff’s office is trying to locate Gines, and also wants to find out what systems failed that let her escape in the first place. The sheriff’s office was unsure if Gines was wearing handcuffs before she made her escape.

Gines was charged with robbery in 2017 and placed on electronic monitoring, the sheriff’s office said. She failed to show up to a court appearance on Sept. 25 and was wanted on a warrant when she was arrested yesterday.

Gines fled the courthouse Friday morning while she was waiting for appear before a judge, according to the sheriff’s office. She was still missing Friday night.

Surveillance video showed Gines leaving the courthouse without handcuffs.