A Chicago man who burglarized a downtown Naperville jewelry store during the vandalism and looting that occurred June 1, 2020, following a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest was sentenced to six years in prison, the DuPage State’s Attorney’s Office said.
Police found Joshua Captain, 24, of the 9100 block of South Drexel Avenue, inside the 120 Water St. business going through drawers and merchandise when they saw the store’s windows had been broken out , the state’s attorney’s office news release said. When Captain was ordered to stop, he ran to a back room and barricaded himself inside.
Officers were able to enter through a back door and took Captain into custody, at which time it was found he had hundreds of dollars in cash covered in blood and jewelry boxes in his pockets, the release said.
Captain pleaded guilty on June 29, 2021, to one count of felony burglary and was sentenced to the prison term on Friday by DuPage County Judge Daniel Guerin.
Under state law, he will be required to serve 50% of his sentence before being eligible for parole.
“While June 1, 2020, was a day of peaceful protest across the country, Mr. Captain decided to instead break into and loot a local business,” State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in the release. “My office fully supports the public’s right to peacefully protest. There was nothing peaceful, however, about this defendant’s attempt to take advantage of the legitimate protests that occurred that day as a cover to commit a violent crime.”