Ottawa man pleads guilty in home invasion involving shooting – Shaw Local

A second intruder in a Nov. 2 home invasion in Ottawa pleaded guilty Thursday and was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Michael Boaz, 21, of Ottawa, was arraigned Monday in La Salle County Circuit Court on multiple charges of trespassing, a Class X felony.

However, lawyers emerged from closed-door negotiations on Thursday and announced a “global agreement” with Boaz that effectively limits his prison sentence to eight years.

Boaz initially pleaded guilty to burglary and was sentenced to seven years in prison for vehicle burglary in September 2023 in Ottawa.

Boaz then pleaded guilty to a second count of burglary for breaking into a Grand Ridge tavern and one count of home invasion for the Nov. 2 forced entry in the 1100 block of Pine Street that resulted in a shootout. The decisive punishment is a 16-year prison sentence for house burglary.

However, Boaz is eligible for a daily sentence, and the sentences will run concurrently rather than consecutively. Attorneys also determined that the crimes were caused by addiction, making Boaz eligible for correctional facility treatment.

With 288 days of credit for time served, Boaz could be released from prison in early 2032.

La Salle County Prosecutor Joe Navarro said he consulted with the law enforcement agencies involved and all were open to a plea agreement. He also noted that the case against his colleague Fernando Martinez was tougher and left room for a plea agreement that would keep Boaz off the streets.

“I am satisfied with the terms of the consent agreement,” Navarro said.

Boaz declined to address Chief Justice H. Chris Ryan Jr. before sentencing. However, he apologized to Ryan for his angry outburst in court at a preliminary hearing. Ryan accepted the apology and declined to serve additional time for contempt of court.

Public defender Ryan Hamer declined comment on Thursday’s plea.

Boaz had shown no inclination to plead guilty in recent weeks. He twice unsuccessfully appealed for his release from the La Salle County Jail and fought the admission of incriminating video footage. Based on public testimony, it appeared prosecutors had put together a largely circumstantial case against Boaz.

Last Wednesday, however, a jury deliberated for just 30 minutes and convicted Martinez of home invasion on Nov. 2. Martinez faces up to 50 years at sentencing Dec. 13.

This gave Boaz eight days to consider whether he should risk a similar outcome or cut his losses. Whatever his opinion, Boaz emerged from a private conference with Hamer and the lawyers soon announced they had an agreement.

The investigation was initiated early November 2, 2023, when an Ottawa woman heard intruders entering her home in the 1100 block of Pine Street. Intruders entered her bedroom and one held a gun to her head and demanded combination with the “large gun safe” in the bedroom. She said she didn’t know and that the shooter hit her behind her left ear.

However, the woman was able to send text messages to her boyfriend, who ran home with two companions in tow. He entered the house with a .380 pistol and shot one of the intruders, who all fled. None of the victims or witnesses were able to clearly identify the intruders.

However, Martinez later showed up at Morris Hospital with a gunshot wound to his right arm. Boaz was found near the burglary on Pine Street, drenched in sweat – on a near-freezing night – and with a leaked story that he had been with a family member. Investigators determined that this was a lie.

Boaz was later arrested along with Martinez on surveillance while he, Martinez, was discussing the burglary. A stream of text messages from Boaz’s phone instructed an aide to thwart the investigation and not cooperate with police.