Aurora man gets 7th burglary conviction
An Aurora man was convicted of burglary for the seventh time this week in a Kane County court.
Earnest E. Cooley, 47, of the 200 block of East New York Street, was convicted of residential burglary on Tuesday and faces a minimum of six years in prison, according to a release from the Kane County state's attorney's office.
Cooley broke into a home on the 1600 block of Bilter Road in an unincorporated area near Aurora on the morning of Nov. 8, 2012, and took two digital cameras, a pair of binoculars, coins and other items.
Later that same day, he sold some of the items to a pawnshop in Aurora. Police later found the stolen items at the shop and were able to trace them back to Cooley. When questioned by police, he admitted to the burglary, according to the release.
Cooley next appears in court for sentencing at 9 a.m. Sept. 12. He faces between six and 30 years in prison - a potentially extended term because of his criminal history.
Cooley was sentenced to 14 years in prison for a 2005 residential burglary in Peoria County, as well as various burglary charges in Cook County. He was sentenced to prison five times between 1990 and 2002.
He remains in the Kane County jail.