Marengo man sentenced to 12 years for Streamwood home invasion, standoff

A Marengo man who held his ex-girlfriend and three other people hostage in her Streamwood home in 2010 was sentenced to 12 years in prison Tuesday.

Lawrence Cottone Jr., 46, pleaded guilty to home invasion using a dangerous weapon in exchange for the sentence, which Cook County Judge Joel Greenblatt handed down in a Rolling Meadows courtroom Tuesday, the day Cottone’s trial on home invasion and unlawful restraint was set to begin.

“Your thoughtless, selfish and cowardly actions on the afternoon and early evening of July 5, 2010, struck terror into the hearts of innocent people, including two children,” said Greenblatt, who granted the victims an extended order of protection which prohibits Cottone from having any contact with them for the next nine years.

“In addition you held an entire community at bay. The only saving grace was that nobody was injured or killed,” Greenblatt said.

Cottone entered the home carrying a bludgeon-type weapon about 4:30 p.m., threatened the occupants and refused to leave, said Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Mike Gerber. Cottone let the victims leave after about 3½ hours, but remained in the home another two hours before he surrendered, Gerber said.

No one was injured during the standoff which resulted in several neighbors leaving their homes and police cordoning off a portion of the neighborhood.

Cottone, who has no criminal background, received credit for the 597 days he has spent in custody since his arrest. He declined to speak during the hearing. His ex-girlfriend also declined to comment.

Because the victims suffered no physical injuries, Cottone may be eligible for parole after serving 50 percent of his sentence, Gerber said, adding the decision rests with the Illinois Department of Corrections.