Ottawa man pleads guilty in shots-fired home invasion

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 set for trial Monday in La Salle County Circuit Court on multiple charges led by home invasion, a Class X felony.

Attorneys emerged from closed-door negotiations Thursday, however, and announced “a global agreement” with Boaz that effectively caps his prison time at eight years.

Boaz first pleaded guilty to one count of burglary and was sentenced to seven years in prison for a vehicle burglary in September 2023 in Ottawa.

Then, Boaz pleaded guilty to a second count of burglary for a break-in at a Grand Ridge tavern, as well one count of home invasion for the Nov. 2 forced entry in the 1100 block of Pine Street, during which shots were fired. The controlling sentence is the 16-year term for home invasion.

Boaz is, however, eligible for day-for-day good time, and the prison terms will run concurrently, not back-to-back. Attorneys also entered a stipulation that the crimes were driven by addiction, making Boaz eligible for treatment while in the Department of Corrections.

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

La Salle County State’s Attorney Joe Navarro said he consulted with the law enforcement agencies involved, and all were amenable to a negotiated plea. He further noted that the case against cohort Fernando Martinez was stronger, leaving room for a trial-averting agreement that keeps Boaz off the streets.

“I’m satisfied with the terms of the plea agreement,” Navarro said.

Boaz declined an opportunity to address Chief Judge H. Chris Ryan Jr. before sentencing. He did, however, apologize to Ryan for an in-court explosion of temper at a pretrial hearing. Ryan accepted the apology and declined to tack on additional time for contempt of court.

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

In recent weeks, Boaz had shown no inclination to plead guilty. He appealed twice – unsuccessfully – to be released from the La Salle County Jail and fought against the admission of incriminating video footage. Based on open-court statements, it appeared as if prosecutors had assembled a largely circumstantial case against Boaz.

Last Wednesday, however, a jury deliberated for only 30 minutes and convicted Martinez of home invasion for the same Nov. 2 break-in. Martinez faces up to 50 years when he stands for sentencing Dec. 13.

That gave Boaz eight days to ponder whether to risk a similar outcome or to cut his losses. Whatever his thinking, Boaz did emerge from private conference with Hamer, and attorneys soon announced that they had a deal.

The investigation was launched early Nov. 2, 2023, when an Ottawa woman heard intruders enter her home in the 1100 block of Pine Street. Intruders entered her bedroom, and one put a gun to her head, demanding the combination to the “big gun safe” in the bedroom. She said she didn’t know it, and the gunman struck her behind her left ear.

The woman was, however, able to send text messages to her live-in boyfriend, who raced home with two companions in tow. He entered the home with a .38-caliber pistol and fired at one of the intruders, who all fled. None of the victims or witnesses could positively identify the intruders.

However, Martinez turned up later at Morris Hospital with a gunshot wound to his right arm. Boaz was found near the Pine Street break-in bathed in sweat – on a near-freezing night – and with a leaky story about having been with a family member. Investigators discerned that that was a lie.

Boaz later was captured on surveillance video with Martinez while the pair discussed the break-in. A stream of text messages from Boaz’s phone directed an accessory to thwart the investigation and not to cooperate with police.