Wheaton Man Sentenced to 12 Years for Holding Glen Ellyn Couple Hostage

The Wheaton man convicted of entering a Glen Ellyn home in September 2012 and holding two people hostage for more than three hours was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Sunday, the Daily Herald reports.

According to the paper, Jeffrey H. Beard, 65, of the 1400 block of Avery Avenue in Wheaton, told the court that "I wasn't thinking… I let my emotions get the best of me; his attorney said he “reacted very, very poorly” when seeing the woman, an acquaintance he believed to be exclusively dating, having sexual contact with another man. 

Beard entered the house armed with a gun and confronted the pair and there was a brief struggle, authorities said. Beard allegedly threatened to shoot the man and woman, at one point putting the gun to the woman's head. 

At some point during the altercation, Beard discharged the gun during a struggle, according to the State’s Attorney’s Office. No one was hit or injured.

The Glen Ellyn Police Department said that the other man was able to flee the home and flagged down officers. The man then returned to the residence to check on his girlfriend, officials said. 

Glen Ellyn Police arrived shortly after and surrounded the home and the woman was able to flee from the residence, according to the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office. In addition, members of the DuPage County Sheriff's Department also responded to the incident.

When he attempted to flee the scene, Beard was tasered before Glen Ellyn Police were able to take him into custody, according to Glen Ellyn Deputy Chief of Police Bill Holmer. 

DuPage County Judge Kathryn Creswell said “it would certainly seem that what occurred was out of character” for Beard, in imposing less than the 30 years he might have faced had prosecutors not agreed to cap their sentencing recommendation, the Herald said.

Read more at the Daily Herald website.