Elgin teen gets 10 years for pizza robbery

An Elgin teen who held up a pizza delivery driver at gunpoint was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison.

John E. Wright, 17, pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated robbery under a plea deal accepted by Kane County Circuit Judge Timothy Q. Sheldon. Wright was the second man to be sent to prison in connection with the Jan. 26, 2008, holdup on the 900 block of Carol Avenue in Elgin.

Prosecutors said Wright and four other men ordered pizza and breadsticks from Pizza Hut, then put on masks and waited for the driver. One of the men had a 9 mm gun as the delivery driver was robbed of about $70, food and the keys to his car. The driver also was hit in the head with the gun.

Investigators traced the robbery to a cell phone number used to place the order and were able to identify all five men involved, according to the state's attorney's office.

By statute, Wright must serve at least half of the 10-year sentence. He was credited with 404 days already served in the county jail awaiting trial.

In September, one of Wright's co-defendants, Johnny L. Mitchell, 20, also of Elgin, pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery and was sentenced to eight years in prison.