Man shot by homeowner in St. Charles Twp. burglary gets 7.5 years

A 27-year-old man who was shot by the owner of a St. Charles Township home the man was burglarizing in March was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison.

Michael G. Huston, of the 300 block of Walnut Street, St. Charles, faced up to 15 years in prison on the residential burglary charge.

Kane County Judge James Hallock accepted Huston's guilty plea Thursday. Prosecutors dismissed the less serious charge of possession of burglary tools, records show. Huston was arrested March 17, after being shot in the side while trying to burglarize a home on the 38W0-99 block of Mallard Lake Road.

The 43-year-old homeowner fired two shots at Huston, hitting him once, after he broke into the home through a walkout basement door, authorities said.

The homeowner declined interview requests, but other neighbors said they considered him a "hero" for defending his home and family.

Huston gets credit for 178 days served at the Kane County jail while his case was pending.

He also must pay $830 in fines and fees, but can have his sentence halved for good behavior behind bars. Until this conviction, he had no previous arrests or convictions in Kane County, records show.