Rolland Houke speaks to Allen County Common Pleas Court Judge Terri Kohlrieser during his sentencing hearing Thursday morning.
Jessica Orozco | The Lima News
LIMA — A Toledo man was sentenced to a four-year prison term for his role in a September burglary that ended in him getting shot.
Rolland Houke, 30, was sentenced for the second-degree felony on Thursday. According to police, Houke, along with co-defendant Demarkus Hardison, broke into an apartment on the 3100 block of Elijah Parkway on Sept. 6, 2022.
According to police, the estranged wife of one of the men lived in the home. Houke was shot after asking a male occupant to leave the home, though it is unclear who fired the shot.
Both men fled the home toward Toledo and police found Houke at a Findlay hospital. Hardison was arrested in Toledo.
Carroll Creighton, assistant Allen County public defender, said on Thursday that while Houke committed the offense while on post-release control after serving a 14-year prison sentence, he shows genuine remorse for his actions and has changed since then.
Houke concurred, telling Allen County Common Pleas Court Judge Terri Kohlrieser that he has reconnected with his family and feels sorry for what he did. He said during the incident he attempted to make the male occupant of the home leave without any violence.
“I’m not a violent person, your honor,” Houke told Kohlrieser.
Kohlrieser said the court received eight letters from various family members in support of Houke, and one from the defendant himself. She said the female victim of the offense does not hold any “ill will” toward Houke.
Houke is ordered to pay court costs. He will receive 110 days of jailtime credit.
Hardison’s case has not yet been resolved. A final pre-trial is scheduled for 8 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 23.
