Man gets 20 years for robbing cab driver in Addison

A Maywood man was sentenced in DuPage County court Tuesday to 20 years in prison for robbing a cabdriver at knife point less than three months after he was paroled on a prior armed robbery conviction.

Curtis Johnson, 29, pleaded guilty to armed robbery and was sentenced by Judge John Kinsella.

Prosecutors said Johnson called for a taxi to pick him up about 5:15 p.m. Dec. 5, 2011, outside his aunt’s home on College Boulevard in Addison and take him to Lombard.

After entering the cab, Johnson put a knife to the driver’s throat and demanded his wallet and money, Assistant State’s Attorney Steve Knight said in court.

Knight said the driver, who was uninjured, handed over about $100 before Johnson fled.

He said Addison police tracked down Johnson in January after tracing the initial call to his relative.

“The victim later identified Johnson in a lineup, and the defendant confessed, claiming he needed the money to ‘feed me and my daughter,’” Knight said.

Prosecutors said Johnson had been paroled less than three months earlier, in September 2011, from a 12-year prison sentence for an armed robbery in Cook County.

By law, he must serve at least 10 years of the latest term.