EDWARDSVILLE — Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine announced Monday that a Collinsville man convicted of home invasion for twice breaking into the home of a military veteran and robbing him has been sentenced to 42 years in prison – plus another 6 months for contempt of court.
Jaleen Gladney, 28, received the sentence during a hearing before Circuit Judge Kyle Napp. Following a trial, a jury in December found Gladney guilty of one count of home invasion causing injury, one count of home invasion while armed with a firearm, one count of attempted residential burglary and one count of possession of weapon by a felon.
“This violent offender targeted and preyed upon a member of our community who should be venerated, not victimized,” Haine said. “This was a despicable crime, and I thank the jury and the judge for issuing their verdict and this lengthy prison sentence.” According to testimony and evidence presented at trial by Assistant State’s Attorney Katie Warren and Assistant State’s Attorney Morgan Hudson, Gladney twice forced his way into a home on 24th Street in Granite City, on July 8 and July 9 of 2023. Gladney attacked the resident, robbed the resident of money and property, and at one point threatened to shoot the resident.
The second home invasion happened just hours after the first. In the second one, the victim initially thought it was police officers at his door, returning as part of their investigation. Gladney was taken into custody a couple of days later, on July 11, when he was caught peering into the windows and attempting a third time to enter the door of the victim’s home. He was carrying a handgun and wearing a mask.
Authorities suspect that Gladney may have somehow known that the victim had money in his home. The victim was trying to save money for an upcoming medical procedure. Hudson asked the judge to impose a lengthy prison term, arguing that Gladney has a long history of burglaries, and that there was an “incredibly high” chance that the victim in this case could have been shot.
“This situation absolutely could have gone another way,” Hudson argued.
Hudson added: “This defendant has spent his entire life breaking into people’s homes, stealing things that don’t belong to him, and generally wreaking havoc on the working people of this community – in this case, a 65-year-old veteran who fought for our country’s freedom. He deserves no mercy with this sentence.”
Haine commended prosecutors Warren and Hudson, along with the Violent Crimes Unit of the State’s Attorney’s Office, for their work on the case. He also commended Granite City Police Department and other agencies that assisted in the investigation.
The judge imposed the 6-month contempt-of-court sentence after issuing repeated warnings to Gladney regarding his courtroom behavior, which included an attempt to make an objection to the judge’s remarks. The sentence for contempt will have to be served prior to the start of his sentence for the criminal offenses.
“Crimes of this nature are an affront to all residents of Madison County, because our citizens deserve to feel safe in their homes,” Haine said. “When the safety and sanctity of our homes and neighborhoods is threatened in Madison County, there will always be a full investigation and strenuous prosecution. It is absolutely not acceptable to terrorize the residents of this county.” This charge and the statements made herein are based upon probable cause. The defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
