One of two men has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after prosecutors said the duo were armed with guns and stormed into a home in North Chicago that was occupied by children.
Kentrell B. Burrage, 23, and Austin M. Orta, 21, both of Racine, Wisconsin, were charged in January 2024 with home invasion and aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Dino Katris said the North Chicago Police Department was dispatched around 9:40 p.m. on January 28, 2024, for a report of a home invasion.
The victim reported that two men wearing masks entered her home while armed with guns.
The woman said she had received a text message demanding she give up her daughter.
She knew the sender of the text was likely Burrage, who was her ex-boyfriend.
Katris said the victim, approximately 10 minutes later, heard a knock on her door and looked out the peephole but did not see anyone.
She opened the door to look outside when Orta pushed his way into the apartment, Katris said.
Burrage and Orta forced their way inside while holding handguns at their sides, Katris said. The two reportedly stayed inside the apartment for up to 15 minutes.
Four children were present in the house during the home invasion. One of the children reported seeing a gun, Katris said.
Officers were on 14th Street and spotted two individuals running toward an SUV in the parking lot. The SUV matched the description that the victim provided.
The vehicle, registered to Burrage, fled the area without headlights and officers conducted a traffic stop, Katris said.
Burrage and Orta were taken into custody and the victim positively identified them as the suspects.
Two loaded handguns, which were stolen, were located within arm’s reach of the two men in the car, Katris said.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office filed petitions to detain both men pending trial, calling them real and present threats to the community, and a judge remanded them to the Lake County Jail.
Burrage was out on bond in Wisconsin on a gun charge at the time of the incident.
Court records show Burrage pleaded guilty on March 19 to one count of home invasion while armed with a dangerous weapon, a Class X felony, in exchange for a 10-year sentence in the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC).
He will receive 417 days of credit for time served awaiting trial and is projected to be paroled from the IDOC in January 2029.
Orta’s case remains active and he is scheduled to appear in court again on May 6 for a case management conference and May 19 for a jury trial.