Joliet murder defendant charged 2nd time with possessing sharp object at jail

A Joliet man charged with the 2021 murder of man in Elwood has been charged again with possessing a sharp object in the jail, this time a filed down hair comb, police said.

Derrell Draper, 39, was in an area of the Will County jail called the discipline pod when a correctional officer discovered he was in possession of a shank, or a filed down hair comb, said Will County Deputy Chief Dan Jungles.

Draper was in the discipline pod for committing numerous rule infractions at the jail, Jungles said.

Prosecutors charged Draper with possession of contraband in a penal institution, as well as aggravated battery for spitting on a correctional officer, court records show.

Draper has previously been charged with possession of contraband on June 28, 2021. In that case, a correctional officer discovered Draper possessed a 5-inch aluminum shank, Will County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Kathy Hoffmeyer said.

Draper has been in jail since Feb. 27, 2021, after an Elwood Police Department investigation led to prosecutors charging him with the murder of Robert Bigger, 30, of Shorewood. Elwood is south of Joliet.

Elwood Police Chief Fred Hayes said Draper and Bigger were co-workers at a Home Depot warehouse in the village. Bigger was found shot to death in a car near the warehouse, he said.

The killing of Bigger was the first murder in Elwood in nearly 12 years.

During Draper’s time in jail, he’s been charged with lewdly exposing himself to a female correctional officer and battering another inmate.

On Tuesday, the day after Draper was accused of possessing a shank, Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak granted a motion from prosecutors to strike Draper’s motion requesting his removal from solitary confinement at the jail.

Jonathan Bedi, Draper’s attorney, submitted the motion which alleged his client’s constitutional rights are being violated by staying in solitary confinement at the jail for more than 15 months. The motion said Draper is being deprived of hygiene products, exercise, outdoor activity, barbershop services and social interaction.

Will County Assistant State’s Attorney Kevin Meyers said in his motion that Bertani-Tomczak has no jurisdiction over the Will County Sheriff’s Office.

Citing case law, Meyers contended when a judge “does not have jurisdiction over an entity, any relief granted against it is void.”