A Chicago Ridge man who had avoided prison despite having a lengthy criminal record was sentenced to 5 years in the penitentiary Thursday for threatening a DuPage County probation officer.
James Johnson, 24, of Chicago Ridge, was found guilty last month of telling the probation officer that he would track him down and attack him. The probation officer had called Johnson to tell him that he faced revocation of his probation and possible resentencing on a battery charge because he had never kept appointments with the probation officer.
Because of threats reported earlier, the telephone conversation was taped.
Assistant State’s Attorneys Phil Montgomery and William Belmonte asked Judge Ann Jorgensen to sentence Johnson to 6 years.
“He has belonged to a gang, he has been unemployed for two years, and his actions are not only an affront to the probation officer, but to you, judge, and the entire justice system,” Montgomery said.
“For his numerous past offenses he has received probation twice, supervised release seven times and conditional discharge once,” the prosecutor said.
“The public is not safe with him out there.”
Carol Anfinson, Johnson’s attorney, blamed the probation officer for initiating the argument and asked Jorgensen for probation.
“He is capable of change and adapting to society,” she said.
Johnson apologized to the judge and said he never meant to harm the probation officer, but that “I was protecting my family.”
But Jorgensen said: “In good conscience I can’t consider probation. Your actions are an affront to the courts and I sentence you to 5 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.”
