PAXTON — An Urbana man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for home invasion for an incident in Paxton on Easter last year.
Daniel D. Cobb, 52, pleaded guilty on Dec. 13 in Ford County Circuit Court to one count of home invasion, a Class X felony punishable by six to 30 years in prison.
State's Attorney Matt Fitton said he argued for a 27-year prison term during Tuesday's sentencing hearing, but he said the 20-year term Cobb received seems to be a "just sentence."
"I do believe it will give the victims some peace of mind that he won't be out for some time," Fitton said. "I think the victims in this case were satisfied."
Cobb was charged in April 2011 for an Easter Sunday incident in which he entered the home of the Revs. Jim and DeDe Wood in Paxton while wearing a ski mask and wielding two knives. The Woods were able to wrestle Cobb to the floor and detain him until police arrived.
The Woods received cuts and abrasions during the struggle, but neither was seriously injured.
Fitton said Cobb was trying to steal a Les Paul guitar that he knew the Woods owned. Police said the Woods, who are the co-pastors at the Vineyard Church's campus in Paxton, were acquainted with Cobb through the church's campus in Urbana, which Cobb had attended.
In return for Cobb's guilty plea in December to the home invasion charge, a second charge of attempted armed robbery, a Class 1 felony, was dismissed.
The Department of Corrections will provide mental health treatment to Cobb while he serves his prison term, according to his sentencing order.
Cobb was ordered to pay restitution of $817 to the Woods within six months of his release.
This was a very, very fortunate situation for the victims and for society as a whole. We need to ban knives to make sure something like this never happens again - all knives.