Area church forgives burglar, but law doesn't
All it took was a heartfelt letter of apology for Erick Johnson to win forgiveness from a Union-area church he ransacked and burglarized on Easter morning.
Unfortunately for the Lake in the Hills man, a McHenry County judge wasn't so easy Friday.
Johnson, 36, was sentenced to nine years in prison for the Easter morning break-in that left shattered glass and cracked eggs scattered throughout portions of the church facility and church leaders without thousands of dollars in electronics.
Judge Sharon Prather handed down the maximum sentence Johnson faced on his burglary conviction, despite his apologies and blame for his actions on a 15-year battle with drug addiction. The judge said she would have more sympathy had Johnson ever sought treatment for his problem.
"Mr. Johnson is a 36-year-old adult that could have faced his problems many years ago," she said.
Johnson was out on parole in April when he broke into St. John's Lutheran Church early April 8 and stole two computers, a 32-inch television and sound system components.
During the burglary, Johnson shattered about 100 drinking glasses, damaged tables and broke eggs church leaders planned to use for a Easter breakfast after services.
"I felt a little violated," St. John's Associate Pastor Caleb Schauer said. "It hurt that someone would come in on Easter Sunday and ruin the day."
Johnson pleaded for leniency and forgiveness Friday, something he got from the church after his wife appeared before the St. John's congregation and read a letter of apology from her incarcerated husband.
"If they wanted to be a part of our congregation, we'd have no problem with that," Schauer said.
Prather, however, had a problem with Johnson's long criminal record that includes as many as four previous prison stays for burglaries and other property crimes.
"You've got a bad history, and you were out on parole when this offense happened," she told him after issuing the nine-year term. "There aren't many mitigating factors in your case, unfortunately for you."