An Aurora man has been sentenced to 100 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for breaking into a Naperville-area woman’s house, sexually assaulting her, and forcing her to travel to a nearby bank to withdraw funds.
Sentencing and charges
Judge Michael Reidy handed out the sentence to Thaddeus Jones, 26, at a DuPage County Court on Tuesday, according to a press release by the DuPage County State’s Attorney.
A jury had previously found Jones guilty of two counts of home invasion, eight counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, one count of robbery, and one count of possession of a stolen motor vehicle.
What happened in the incident?
The incident took place on March 23, 2018.
DuPage County sheriff deputies responded to a residence in unincorporated Naperville at around 7:15 a.m., after getting a report of a home invasion.
Authorities learned that Jones had sexually assaulted a woman after breaking into her home, and then forced her to drive him to her bank to withdraw money.
The woman was able to escape once Jones drove them back to her house. Jones fled the scene in the woman’s car and would be found hours later at a motel in Naperville.
He was taken into custody and has remained inside the DuPage County Jail since.
“Earned every single year” of the sentencing
“Make no mistake, Mr. Jones most certainly earned every single year of the one-hundred-year sentence handed down by Judge Reidy this afternoon,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin said in the press release. “The vicious, violent attack and sexual assault Mr. Jones administered to this innocent woman will haunt her for the rest of her life. While the victim in this horrific case will never forget what happened to her, it is my sincerest hope that perhaps today’s one-hundred-year sentence will provide her with some measure of closure knowing the man responsible will never again pose a risk to society.”
Jones will be eligible for parole in 2096.
Photo courtesy: handout, DuPage County State’s Attorney
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