A Lake Villa man was sentenced Friday to 20 years in prison after going on what authorities called a “reign of terror” one night – firing a gun at and fleeing officers, damaging properties and stealing vehicles in and around McHenry.

In July – after a trial that began in March over the “complicated” case of Nicholas Lopardo – Judge Tiffany Davis found him guilty of several counts against him, including four Class X felonies of armed violence and aggravated discharge of a firearm.

In total, Lopardo, 27, was sentenced to 125 years in prison for his array of crimes – which also included residential burglary, aggravated fleeing, criminal damage to property and possession of a stolen firearm.

But his various sentences – ranging from three to 20 years – will be served at the same time. And because he’s required to serve 85% of his sentence, Lopardo is likely to serve about 17 years.

He was also ordered to pay nearly $13,000 in fines and fees, including damage he caused to homes, according to court records.

Lopardo, however, was cleared by Davis of the most serious charges against him, three counts of attempted murder. The judge explained that because Lopardo was voluntarily intoxicated, he could not have been capable of forming a specific intent to kill. The three charges related to when Lopardo fired at three vehicles driving by, two occupied by police officers.

The judge on Friday also dropped two more charges of criminal damage to government property against Lopardo.

During the night of his crime spree on March 31, 2023, Lopardo embarked on “nothing short of a reign of terror” for the next four hours, McHenry County State’s Attorney Randi Freese said during closing arguments earlier this year.

The case involved 20 crime scenes, dozens of victims, 46 witnesses, hundreds of pieces of evidence “and nearly three dead bodies,” Freese said. “But by the grace of God, this is not a murder trial.” Lopardo, she said, created ”pure chaos.”

“He plays ‘Grand Theft Auto,’ McHenry County version,” Freese said.

The chain of events started around 1 a.m. when, according to authorities, Lopardo was rejected by a woman at a friend’s house on Charlotte Avenue. He fired a gun four times into the ground then fled in his black Jaguar at high speeds with no headlights, Freese said.

After fleeing the Charlotte Avenue house, he drove to a residence on Colby Drive, parked and abandoned his Jaguar, still running with a half bottle of Jack Daniels on its roof, and stole a Suburban, officials said.

Prosecutors said he then continued by damaging farm property near the intersection of Barreville and Justen roads. He crashed the Suburban into a building on nearby conservation property and shot up and eventually ditched that car, which was found with a shattered windshield caused by bullets fired from the inside, Freese said.

The two police vehicles at which Lopardo was accused of shooting had been dispatched because of his actions, prosecutors said.

One of the people Lopardo shot at gave a statement in court Friday. The woman was delivering newspapers when Lopardo shot at her car. Now, she said in a letter read in court by Assistant State’s Attorney Brian Miller, she fears “what is beyond the darkness,” prohibiting her from going fishing at night and working late shifts.

The spree ended, prosecutors said, when Lopardo was found roaming the nearby Irish Prairie neighborhood, where he shot at and threw rocks into multiple homes with “innocent families” inside, Freese said.

During Friday’s sentencing, Lopardo, who is the father of an 8-year-old girl, apologized for his actions that night. Speaking through tears, he attributed his early “downward spiral” as a young teenager to his parents’ divorce.

“I am truly sorry,” he said. “I feel an unfathomable amount of guilt.”

Before the sentencing, Lopardo’s attorney, Robert Ritacca asked the court for a new trial, arguing that there was no physical evidence, DNA or fingerprints proving Lopardo was at some of the crime scenes.

One of the crime scenes was the farm property where the Luke Bryan concert was held Friday. Ritacca argued the victim had a “financial incentive” to testify against Lopardo because of the concert. Ultimately, the motion for a new trial was denied by the court.