Towne sentenced to a year in prison

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PRINCETON — A Tiskilwa man has been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to the Class 4 felony of obstructing justice.

Sammy J. Towne, 32, entered his guilty plea March 4 in Bureau County Court before Associate Judge C.J. Hollerich. He was sentenced to one year in the Illinois Department of Corrections. He was also ordered to pay fine and court costs totaling $500, which was paid from his bond. Towne also pleaded guilty to the Class A misdemeanor of driving while license suspended, for which he was sentenced to serve a concurrent 90 days in the Bureau County Jail. A charge of filing a false accident report was dismissed.

On Oct. 25, a Bureau County deputy sheriff stopped behind a stopped car to see if the driver was in need of assistance. The driver gave the deputy the name of his cousin and said his girlfriend damaged the car while returning home the previous evening. In the course of investigating the minor accident, Towne admitted he was driving the car but still maintained he was his cousin. The deputy checked the images of driver’s license photos from the Secretary of State office and determined the true identity of Towne. The Secretary of State records showed Towne’s driver’s license was suspended. He was charged with filing a false accident report, driving while license suspended and obstructing justice.

Towne was previously convicted of obstructing justice in Kendall County and placed on probation in 2002. He was also placed on probation in 1998 for a felony drug offense in DeKalb County.