Pardoned death row inmate Rolando Cruz appeared in...

Pardoned death row inmate Rolando Cruz appeared in Livingston County Court today after missing 2 earlier hearings on charges stemming from a May traffic stop near Pontiac. Cruz was granted a continuance until Oct. 6 after asking for time to seek a lawyer. The 40-year-old is charged with driving under the influence, driving with a suspended license, illegal transportation of alcohol and speeding. A warrant for his arrest was issued in June after he missed 2 court appearances on the charges. He was arrested last month in Norridge. Cruz is free on a $5,000 bond. He spent 7 years on death row after being convicted of the 1983 murder of a 10-year-old Naperville girl. He was later acquitted in a retrial and was pardoned in December by then-Gov. George Ryan.