An Aurora man with a lengthy criminal history over the last 20 years has been sentenced to 26 years in prison for his role in a 2014 home invasion on Richard Street.
Earnest Jeffries, 40, was found guilty by a jury in October on armed robbery, home invasion and unlawful restraint charges at the conclusion of a trial. He faced up to 63 years in prison. Kane County Judge Clint Hull issued the sentence on Thursday.
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According to authorities, Jeffries and a second man, 41-year-old Steve Simmons, forced their way into the home where two residents were sleeping around 3:30 a.m. on Aug. 28, 2014. After kicking in the apartment’s back door, the pair beat, tied up and held a male resident at gunpoint, taking $2,800 in cash along the way. The man freed himself and fought with Simmons and Jeffries before they fled in Jeffries’ Cadillac. A female resident called police during the fight.
Aurora police spotted the car speeding from the scene before it crashed. Jeffries was arrested after fleeing the scene, but Simmons was not immediately apprehended. DNA from the tip of a latex glove found at the scene was connected to Simmons nearly a year later. Simmons pleaded guilty to home invasion in October and received a 10-year prison sentence. He is currently being held at the Robinson Correctional Center on the conviction, as well as one for a separate drug case. He is not eligible for parole until 2020, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections.
Jeffries has been sent to prison a total of six times since the early 1990s on a variety of charges ranging from robbery to drugs to attempted criminal sexual assault, court records show.
Dan Campana is a freelance writer for The Beacon-News