In Du Page County Illinois, a Judge sentenced a man to serve 22 years in prison for stealing a remote control device from a common area of an apartment complex. While that may seem to be not even remotely fair on its face, this case is an excellent example of how extended sentencing works, and how one can be sentenced based upon one’s entire criminal history, and not necessarily just upon the actual, factual, crime.
It appears that he stole the device while committing a burglary of the premises. According to prosecutors, he committed burglaries in as many as six other DuPage area suburbs. In Chicago and elsewhere in Illinois, residential burglary is a non-probation-able class 1 felony. Other burglary charges are class 2 felonies, normally punishable by prison or probation dependent upon the circumstances. However, when one has been previously convicted of two or more class 2 felonies, then a third or subsequent class 2 felony may be charged and sentenced as a class X felony, which carries a mandatory prison term of anywhere from 6 to 30 years.
In this case, when the man fled the scene of the crime, he left a glove. Unlike the story of Cinderella, police did not have to go door to door to find the person who fit the glove, but instead, they used their offender DNA database to identify him. Perhaps he can use the next 22 years in jail to learn an actual useful trade, rather than pursuing his failed career as a criminal.
If you have been charged with a criminal offense, whether it is the first time, or not the first time, then you need the services of top notch criminal defense attorneys to protect your rights and your freedom. Call the lawyers at Mitchell S. Sexner & Associates LLC for a free, no obligation, and confidential consultation at either our Chicago office, Arlington Heights office or another location near you. Call (312) 644-0444 today.
