20-year sentence in Crystal Lake assault

A 35-year-old Crystal Lake man was sentenced to 20 years in prison Friday after pleading guilty to a 2008 home invasion and sexual assault.

Robert Minerly must serve 85 percent of the 10-year sentence for sexual assault. He is eligible for time off for good behavior on the 10-year home invasion sentence.

Prosecutors said that on Aug. 14, 2008, Minerly broke into a room at the Crystal Lake Motel, 110 S. Virginia St., where the victim was sleeping.

Minerly choked her with a rope, gagged her with a sock, assaulted her and fled.

He was arrested about a week later and linked to the scene by DNA evidence and the victim’s description of a Toyota baseball cap that he wore during the assault, police said.

Minerly, a registered sex offender from previous offenses in the 1990s, must also pay a fine of $1,450 as part of the sentencing.