Oswego Church Burglar Gets 12 Years in Prison

OSWEGO, IL — A Chicago man accused of breaking into a church was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Kevin T. Johnson, 50, of the 4500 block of N. Malden Avenue in Chicago, was convicted of one count of burglary after entering a plea of guilty Oct. 26.

Johnson was charged after an investigation into the Jan. 24, 2016 forced entry into St. Anne’s Catholic Church, located at 551 Boulder Hill Pass in Oswego, according to a news release from Kendall County State’s Attorney Eric Weis.

Officers learned that Johnson gained entry into the church by smashing through a window located on an entry door, Weis said. Johnson was captured on video by a surveillance camera entering locked desk drawers by using a screwdriver.

Johnson also entered a room which contained the collections from parishioners where he emptied envelopes containing cash and left envelopes containing checks, according to Weis. Church authorities reported the damage to police when they came to work in the morning following the break-in. Johnson’s image, captured by the surveillance cameras, was positively identified by Oswego Police Officers who made contact with him days later on another incident.

“These crimes affect not just the church but all the members of the parish. It is a theft from the church community as a whole,” Kendall County State’s Attorney Eric Weis said in a news release.

Johnson was sentenced to 12 years in prison as a class X offender due to his prior criminal record, which included a prior burglary from a church in Lake County back in 2005. He must serve three years of mandatory supervised release as well as $2,848 in restitution to be paid after his release.