MONROE — An Illinois man was sentenced Nov. 21 to five years on probation and one year in the county jail for his role in two burglaries in 2016, including a break-in at Fuzzy’s Audio and Visual in Monroe and the theft of over $27,000 worth of cellphones from a Darlington store.
At the time of his sentencing, Robby Lamont Patton, 30, had already spent 16 months in custody, some of it in Green County, where he was held on a $10,000 cash bond.
He pleaded no contest to two Class F felony counts of burglary, with other charges dismissed as part of a plea agreement that also combined charges from Lafayette County into his Green County case.
When given the opportunity to speak in court, Patton told the judge he was “just ready to get this over with” so he could get out, get a job and make money. Patton is eligible for Huber work release privileges while serving his jail sentence. He owes restitution as a condition of probation.
His attorney, Guy Taylor, said that including pretrial detention, Patton’s total time in custody will be “just 13 days short” of a prison recommendation previously discussed for the plea deal.
Probation gives Patton a chance to “be reintegrated into society and get a job,” Taylor said. “I found him to be very polite, very reasonable. I think he will be a very good employee.”
Green County District Attorney Craig Nolan joined Taylor in recommending probation.
“Ultimately, Mr. Patton is betting on himself,” he said.
Under questioning from Judge Thomas Vale, Patton said he had worked as a teamster for three years, as well as some other industrial jobs.
Vale said Patton’s job history was notable because most defendants in his position have spotty to no work experience. Vale agreed with the joint recommendation of probation, citing as one reason the “lengthy sentence” Patton already served while his cases were pending.
Patton’s convictions stem from his involvement in burglaries committed with other people from the Aurora area.
The burglary of Fuzzy’s Audio and Video in Monroe happened in the early morning hours of Dec. 20, 2016, according to court records. Patton and two accomplices shattered the front door, setting off an alarm, and spent all of 40 seconds inside the store before leaving empty-handed.
One of his accomplices, Trejamario Deshad Allen Cook, 27, later gave investigators Patton’s name, and DNA from a face mask found at the scene also matched to Patton. The third accomplice was a juvenile.
Patton, who raps under the name Robio, released a song a few months after the burglary dissing Cook and calling him out for the betrayal of talking to police. In his music video for “Redd Cook,” which appears to have been shot on the streets of a westside neighborhood in Chicago, Patton threatens Cook and raps, “I put my name behind you. I can’t wait to find you.”
Cook is currently in a state prison in Dane County for the Fuzzy’s burglary as well as a burglary several months later of the Monroe Radio Shack.
Patton was also convicted of conspiring with two others to burglarize the Darlington Tri-Com Cellular store in September 2016.
Vanity LaStar Garcia, 28, made a fake 911 call to distract police, telling them she was in the Union Grove Cemetery in Darlington and being chased by two people wanting to kidnap and rape her. While she made that call, Patton and another co-defendant threw rocks through the glass door of the store and stole 44 cellphones with a total value of $27,711.12.
For her role, Garcia was sentenced in January 2018 to three years on probation along with imposed and stayed prison time. The third co-defendant, Melvin Leon Whetstone, 34, still has a warrant out for his arrest on burglary and theft charges.