Porter sentenced to 16 years in prison

PRINCETON — A Princeton man was sentenced to 16 years in prison after pleading guilty to the Class 1 felony of residential burglary and to the Class 2 felony of aggravated battery.

Malcolm L. Porter, 29, entered his guilty pleas on Nov. 6 before Associate Circuit Judge C.J. Hollerich. The guilty pleas stem from a July 2009 incident in Ohio, Ill.

On July 13, an Ohio, Ill., woman reported an individual had been in her residence at about 2 a.m. and that he had accosted her and removed some items. When the Bureau County Sheriff’s Department responded, the Ohio woman identified the person in her home as Malcolm Porter. At about that time, Porter was stopped by the Princeton Police Department for a speeding violation.

Because of the time and proximity of his traffic stop and because he had been identified by the victim, Porter was placed under arrest. Inside Porter’s vehicle, officers found articles of clothing, a checkbook and cell phone belonging to the victim.

While in the Bureau County Jail on the residential burglary charge, Porter became disruptive following a visitation. As he was being directed back to his cell by a correctional officer, Porter turned and struck the officer in the face with his hand. No hospitalization or injury occurred to the officer. Porter was then charged with aggravated battery.

At his Nov. 6 hearing, Porter was sentenced to 12 years on the residential burglary charge and four years for the aggravated battery charge. The sentences will run consecutively for a total of 16 years. Porter was also ordered to pay court costs within one year of his release from the Department of Corrections.

Porter has a prior felony conviction for delivery of a controlled substance in 2005 in Bureau County, for which he was sentenced to seven years in prison.