A champagne man gets 7 years for stealing from the frat house | Courts-police-firefighter

URBANA — A Champaign man has been sentenced to nearly seven years in prison for burglarizing a University of Illinois fraternity house.

Michael A. Barrett, 48, pleaded guilty to residential burglary in the March incident.

Assistant State’s Attorney Chris McCallum said a student reported to UI police that his school bag was missing from where he left it at the Phi Gamma Delta house at 201 E. John St. in Champaign.

He said police reviewed surveillance footage and saw a man enter the home and leave with two backpacks containing computers and notebooks.

Police released a photo of the suspect, who was recognized at the Illinois terminal by a Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District employee because he was wearing the same hoodie as in the video.

McCallum said that after police arrested Barrett, he admitted to entering the home but was forced to take the items.

In exchange for his plea, the state dropped charges of domestic battery and aggravated domestic battery in a separate incident that occurred within weeks of the break-in.