Ex-husband gets 5 years for break-in
A Mount Prospect man charged last year with stalking his ex-wife and breaking into her Arlington Heights home was sentenced to five years in prison Monday after pleading guilty to a single charge of residential burglary.
Anton Pettersen, 55, of the 700 block of Cathy Lane in Mount Prospect, received five years in the Illinois Department of Corrections after Monday’s plea deal.
He’d originally been charged with stalking, criminal trespass to a residence, damage to property, violation of an order of protection and residential burglary in June 2010.
Prosecutors said Pettersen showed up at his ex-wife’s home and rang the front doorbell despite the fact she had an order of protection against him. After getting no response, he then went to the back door and broke a window to gain entry.
His ex-wife ran upstairs to the bathroom where she barricaded herself and called 911. Pettersen tried but failed to gain entry to the bathroom as well, prosecutors said.
Pettersen has prior convictions for aggravated assault, driving under the influence of alcohol and telephone harassment.
Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Ina Kantor said the original stalking charge stemmed from Pettersen’s contacting his ex-wife by mail.