Carpentersville teen sentenced for felony theft
An 18-year-old from Carpentersville blew his chance to stay out of trouble and recently was sentenced to two years in prison for breaking into a home last February and stealing an Xbox, iPod, cellphone and cash.
Doulgas A. Escobar, of the 1400 block of Plainview Drive, will receive credit for 69 days served in the Kane County jail and was fined $350 as part of a plea agreement accepted April 28 by Judge Timothy Sheldon.
In exchange for a guilty plea to felony theft, prosecutors dropped burglary charges that carried a prison term of four to 15 years behind bars, but probation also was an option.
Escobar was arrested Feb. 19 due, in part, to a heads-up crew doing a controlled burn in a Carpentersville subdivision.
The crew saw Escobar and a juvenile running through the woods and Escobar dropped a woman's purse, according to police.
That break-in occurred almost exactly a year after Escobar was arrested on unrelated burglary charges. On Feb. 20, 2010, Escobar was charged with breaking into a Bennigan's restaurant, 455 Airport Road, Elgin.
Escobar, who was 17 at the time of that arrest, was allowed in October 2010 to enter a pretrial diversion program instead of going to jail or prison for burglary charges, according to court records.
Free legal advice: I've used this space in the past to publicize the Kane County Bar Association's monthly “Ask A Lawyer Day.” But residents also can get free legal advice when the Chicago Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service and the Illinois State Bar Association sponsor a Law Week Call-A-Lawyer program from 9 a.m. to noon. May 21. Volunteer attorneys give legal advice over the phone to Chicago area residents who call (312) 554-2001.Attorneys will answer general questions on a variety of issues, including labor and employment law, unemployment compensation, franchise and corporate law, personal injury, family law and workers' compensation.If callers need further legal services, they will be advised to see their attorney or call the CBA Lawyer Referral Service during weekday business hours at the number above, or visit chicagobar.org.Take five: Going to pay a fine or to fill out paperwork at the Kane County Circuit Clerk's Office? If so, you might want to add a few more minutes to your schedule.People visiting the clerk's office at 540 S. Randall Road now must pass through metal detectors with the opening of the county's new traffic court at 530 S. Randall Road, in the old Montgomery Ward building in St. Charles.Before, residents could walk right in but traffic now is funneled through a security station.hhitzeman@dailyherald.com