MONROE — Two Illinois men who pleaded guilty to armed robbery of a man in Monroe in January 2017 were given prison sentences Aug. 1. 

Elijah Lewayne Martin, 20, Freeport, and Demarco Dwayne Owens, 20, Aurora, both pleaded guilty May 25 to one Class E felony county each of armed robbery with use of force. 

Green County Court Judge Thomas Vale sentenced Martin to five years in a state prison followed by four years of extended supervision. Owens was sentenced to four years in prison and three years of extended supervision. Both had a misdemeanor charge of possession of THC dismissed, but “read in,” meaning the judge could consider them at sentencing.

Martin and Owen were charged after an incident in the 1900 block of 15th Avenue in the early morning hours of Jan. 21, 2017.

According to police reports, the victim was walking to a residence when he was approached by two men wearing hooded sweatshirts and face masks. When one man, later determined to be Owens, grabbed the victim by the torso, Martin pointed a gun at the back of the man’s head. The pair told the victim he would be killed if he didn’t empty his pockets. The man told police he complied, producing a cell phone, $500 and a pack of cigarettes. He said the two men then briefly debated whether to shoot him before deciding to leave. The victim also said Owens punched him in the eye before leaving.

Police located and questioned Owens and Martin, who admitted to robbing the victim. However, both claimed they had not stolen money from the man, but instead had taken marijuana that the victim was in the process of delivering. 

The marijuana was found in their possession during their arrest. 

Vale had ordered the Department of Corrections to complete a pre-sentence investigation, which was submitted to the court before he gave the sentence. This type of report is commonly ordered in felony charges and is intended to provide an in-depth look at the defendant’s personal and criminal history and a recommendation for sentencing. 

There were also letters of support submitted on Martin’s behalf. One was written by Kyle Knauer, a parole agent in Rockford from the Illinois Department of Corrections. Knauer wrote that he believed Martin was “a suitable candidate for ongoing supervision.” Knauer shared in his letter that Martin had “zero issues” under his year-long parole, meant to end Feb. 9. 

Another was from Gabriela Sosa, the staffing supervisor from Best Practices Staffing of Illinois where Martin was employed. Sosa described Martin as a “team player” who was “motivated” and willing to take on any task. Supervisors trusted him to train new employees, she wrote.

“He is cooperative, honest, result-oriented and has a good sense of responsibility,” Sosa wrote.

Both Martin and Owens were also ordered to pay restitution at the rate of 25 percent of prison wages and pay off the balance during their periods of extended supervision following release.