Man gets 10 years for home invasion

Calling the case "extremely troublesome," a county judge yesterday sentenced a man to 10 years in prison for following a young woman home, forcing his way into her home and choking her when she screamed for help.

Noting that he had his pants unzipped, had K-Y Jelly in his pocket and asked the woman whether anyone was home, a prosecutor argued that James Ervin Darnell would have raped the Odenton woman had her husband not been upstairs.

Circuit Court Judge Joseph P. Manck acquitted Darnell of attempted rape two weeks ago, saying he couldn't be sure what Darnell intended because the woman's husband stopped the attack. But he...