An after-hours trip into Oregon Elementary School has cost a Mt. Morris man his freedom for the next year and a half.
Franklin T. Houston, 28, of Mt. Morris, was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison after a judge concluded he injured an Oregon police officer while resisting arrest following an after-hours entry into Oregon Elementary School. Houston apologized in court and received credit for 203 days already served; he must serve 50 percent of the 18-month term before becoming eligible for mandatory supervised release. The case has drawn attention locally because it involved an after-hours school entry and a physical confrontation with officers.
As reported by Shaw Local, Associate Judge Anthony Peska handed down the sentence on April 20 and told Houston he was “clearly an intelligent man, but something came in and sidelined your life.” Peska ordered the 18-month term and credited Houston with 203 days already served in the Ogle County Jail. Prosecutors argued a prison sentence was necessary, pointing to Houston’s prior burglary convictions in Winnebago and Ogle counties. In courtroom terms, that is not a résumé that helps at sentencing.
How the encounter unfolded
Court testimony at trial described Houston entering Oregon Elementary and sitting in a girls’ locker-room stall, which alarmed a coach. He left when told to do so and was later approached by officers at Oregon Park West before being stopped in a nearby residential area. Oregon Elementary School lists its address as 1150 Jefferson St., according to Oregon Elementary School. Police say the scuffle during his arrest caused a cut to Officer Breanna Wakeland’s thumb and a sprained wrist…