ST. CHARLES – Another man was sentenced to prison Thursday in a 2005 home invasion.
A jury convicted James C. Szczesny, 26, on one count of home invasion last year. On Thursday, Associate Judge Leonard Wojtecki sentenced Szczesny, of St. Charles, to eight years in prison. Due to sentencing laws, Szczesny likely will serve about half that.
Prosecutors say Szczesny broke into a home on Aug. 25, 2005, in the 200 block of North 15th Street in St. Charles, and beat three of the residents.
Szczesny was not alone in his actions. Sean P. Zeleny, now 26, also was convicted of home invasion and is serving an eight-year prison sentence at Big Muddy River Correctional Center. He is expected to be eligible for parole in July 2011.
Two others are charged in the case. Lauren Hruby, 24, has pleaded not guilty and awaits trial. Another man, Sean Kenney, also is charged in the case, but has testified at both trials and could testify at Hruby's trial.
In turn, Kenney is expected to receive probation for his role that night.
Hruby allegedly drove the three men to the home and waited outside in the car, prosecutors said.
The fight revolved around the drug overdose that killed Szczesny's brother earlier in 2005, according to trial testimony.
Hruby also is fighting aggravated drunken driving charges in an unrelated case.