Metro-east man gets 17 years after violent attack on former father-in-law

A 40-year-old Edwardsville man was sentenced to 17 years in prison for home invasion and aggravated battery after a jury found he attacked his former father-in-law in the man’s Glen Carbon home.

Madison County Circuit Judge Kyle Napp sentenced Timothy P. Rodgers on Monday to 12 years for home invasion and five years for aggravated battery, with the terms to run concurrently, according to State Attorney Tom Haine’s office.

Jurors in October convicted Rodgers in an assault that prosecutors said stemmed from anger over his divorce from the victim’s daughter. Prosecutors said Rodgers broke into the home on Dec. 20, 2021, slammed the victim’s head against a tile floor, head-butted him and body-slammed him.

At the sentencing hearing, Assistant State’s Attorney Gina McNabnay asked Napp to impose a 20-year prison term, arguing Rodgers was violent and posed a danger to the victim, the victim’s family and the community.

Defense attorneys argued at trial that Rodgers was the victim of a setup intended to harm him in family court, but jurors rejected that claim.

McNabnay and Assistant State’s Attorney Sean Williams prosecuted the case. Haine praised the prosecution team and the Glen Carbon Police Department, which investigated.

“No one should have to endure violence in their own home,” Haine said. “Protecting the safety of residents is the top priority for this office, as it is for the police agencies that serve our community.”