MONROE — The boyfriend of a missing Monticello mother has been returned to Green County Jail, two weeks after being released to Stephenson County Jail in Illinois, where he posted $2,500 bond on felony charges there.
The new charges and arrest warrant for Derek Hammer are related to two felony counts of bail jumping, according to court records and district attorney Craig Nolen. That will keep him in custody at least through a scheduled hearing, in which Hammer’s defense attorney is seeking to quash the warrant that returned Hammer to Green County.
Hammer had been in Green County Jail for nearly two years, even as the probe into the missing woman, Melissa Trumpy, continued both sides of the state line.
Rock County Judge Ashley Morse, who is now overseeing the case, lowered his bond and Hammer was released last month into the waiting arms of Stephenson County deputies — before he again posted bond there last week.
Hammer faces the charges amid lingering suspicion related to the disappearance of his former girlfriend, Trumpy a 37-year-old mother of three.
In addition to the new bail jumping charge, he faces a host of felony charges in Green County and elsewhere, including bail jumping, possession of cocaine with intent to deliver, possession of THC with intent to deliver, maintaining a drug trafficking place, and possession of a firearm as a felon.
Trumpy also has been charged with drug crimes related to her time with Hammer in Monticello.
Green County District Attorney Craig Nolen has consistently argued against reducing Hammer’s bond, claiming that Hammer poses a flight risk. Conditions of bond previously imposed on Hammer include him having no contact with Melissa Trumpy or her family. He also can’t consume alcohol or drugs and must not leave Carroll or Stephenson Counties in Illinois.
What’s more, Hammer is restricted from travel north of Wis. 11 in Green County, and may only be present in Dane County to have contact with his attorney, according to court records.
As of press time, Hammer’s next appearance in Green County Circuit Court for the new charges was scheduled for Thursday, March 9, before Circuit Judge Faun Phillipson. His next date on the other felonies is scheduled for April 14 before the Rock County judge. According to court records, Hammer also has a scheduled appearance in Stephenson County on March 15.
Nearly 2,000 people have signed a Change.org petition to keep Hammer locked up pending the outcome of the Trumpy investigation. Still, he has not been officially named a suspect or person of interest in the missing woman’s case.
Hammer was sentenced in 2018 to at least 35 months behind bars for battery by strangulation and possession of an explosive device in Nevada. He was apparently granted parole after just four months in prison and returned home to Illinois, according to published reports.
Benny Affrunti, the father of two of Trumpy’s children, has said his children are afraid of Hammer and have been subpoenaed to testify in court.
In a recent social media post, Affunti addressed those who see some similarity between the case and the blockbuster South Carolina murder trial of Alex Murdaugh, in which a powerful man in a rural area was held accountable for his crimes.
“Another wealthy and powerful, influential family that has in the past enjoyed elite privilege,” Affrunti wrote, in a recent posting. “Alex Murdaugh like Derek Hammer lived his life as though he was above the law and the rules and laws that apply to the rest of the country didn’t apply to him.”
Numerous searches by officials and volunteers have failed to produce any sign of Trumpy. Carroll County Sheriff’s Dept. and Stephenson County Sheriff’s office in Illinois are among the numerous agencies assisting in the probe.