A man is accused of causing an estimated $5,000 in damage to a vacant Kingston rental property he used to live in before suffering injuries in a rollover car crash while driving under the influence, court records show.
Matthew P. Morris, 39, was charged with residential burglary, a Class 1 felony, according to records filed in the DeKalb County court on March 9. If convicted, he could face up to 15 years in prison.
He also was charged with criminal damage to property, causing between $500 and $10,000 in damage. If he’s convicted on that charge, he could face up to 3 years in prison.
The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office responded to two separate calls for emergency service at 5:21 p.m. March 7. Morris was the reason for those calls, authorities allege in court records.
Deputies responded to a reported rollover crash at the corner of Wolf and Kingston roads in Kingston Township. Morris was injured in that crash, taken to a hospital and charged with driving under the influence, records show. Police said a hospital blood analysis showed he had a blood alcohol content level of 0.21, more than twice the legal limit.
Police wrote in court records that Morris allegedly became “combative and had to be sedated in the ambulance and hospital.”
The second 911 call, which police described as simultaneous with the crash response, was to report property damage.
The caller alleged they saw Morris break into a vacant property, which they told police he had moved out of six months prior, according to court records. The front door, which had been locked with a deadbolt, was kicked in. Four windows were broken and a ceiling tile and light fixture were damaged, court records allege.
Court records show Morris faces other charges in DeKalb County.
On Dec. 4, Morris was charged with aggravated battery, threatening a public official, resisting a police officer, disorderly conduct and a misdemeanor DUI charge, court records show.
On Dec. 29, Morris was charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct and criminal trespassing on property adjacent to the one he’s charged with damaging on March 7.
He was granted pretrial release on all of those charges, but that changed on March 12 after prosecutors argued he violated the terms of his release with the new charges.
During a pretrial release hearing for the residential burglary charge, prosecutor Heather Darsie of the DeKalb County State’s Attorney’s Office told DeKalb County Judge Jill Konen that multiple petitions to revoke Morris’ pretrial release had been filed. Darsie argued that Morris had violated the terms of multiple pretrial release orders he’s received for other pending cases.
Konen said pretrial services helped her review those cases when deciding to revoke Morris’ pretrial release.
Morris appeared from the DeKalb County Jail wearing a neck brace during his pretrial release hearing.
He has two active orders of protection against him in DeKalb County, records show. Police listed him as having “cautions for drug use, violent tendencies, armed and dangerous and assault.”
On March 13, he appeared before Konen and filed a notice for discovery and to demand a speedy trial. He’s expected to appear before Circuit Court Judge Philip Montgomery at 9 a.m. March 19.

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