8 years prison for repeat St. Charles car burglar
A 28-year-old man has blown his second chance after being arrested in a series of vehicle break-ins around St. Charles and Geneva in 2013.
Christopher C. Mentenick, formerly of Schaumburg and now of the 100 block of South 18th Street, St. Charles, recently pleaded guilty to a 2015 vehicle burglary in Geneva and was sentenced to eight years in prison, according to Kane County court records.
Mentenick pleaded guilty to the felony in exchange for prosecutors dismissing less severe charges from Mentenick's arrest in early August 2015: possession of burglary tools and resisting arrest.
Mentenick was accused of breaking into a 2007 Ford Taurus on the 2600 block of Blackman Road in Geneva, and running from police who were called to the scene. He also was charged with possession of burglary tools: black gloves, flashlights and pocket knives that could be used with the intent of a car burglary, according to court records.
Mentenick was charged with eight vehicle burglaries between Aug. 7 and 10, 2013, in unincorporated St. Charles in which iPads and credit cards were stolen.
Facing prison, Mentenick entered the county's pretrial diversion program, which gives first-time, nonviolent felony offenders a chance to have their records wiped clean if they apologize, complete the program and stay out of trouble.
Under the plea agreement accepted by Judge James Hallock, Mentenick also must pay $430 in court costs and fines. He can have his sentence cut in half for good behavior while behind bars. He also gets nearly two years' credit for time served at the Kane County jail.
A message left with his attorney, Glenn Jazwiec, was not immediately returned Wednesday.