93.3 KWTO Keeping Watch Over the Ozarks
One of two homeless men accused of breaking into a home in Springfield will spend decades in prison for his role in the crime.
Investigators say Justin Lentz and another suspect, William Rush, broke into the home of an elderly couple on North Farm Road 171 in February of 2023.
The couple told police that when they answered the door, the two men forced their way inside, sprayed them with chemicals, physically assaulted them, duct taped them together in the kitchen, then robbed them.
After the initial robbery, Lentz and Rush allegedly took the couple into the basement, tied them up again, and assaulted them further before fleeing in the victim’s Ford Mustang.
The two were able to free themselves and call authorities, who tracked the stolen Mustang to a nearby neighborhood, and were able to arrest both men.
Lentz pleaded guilty to ten different charges in the case back in April of this year, and was sentenced this day to 20 years in prison.
Rush, his co-defendant, will begin a jury trial on October 7. He faces similar charges to Lentz.