For Diamond Island resident Jim Vail, normally the summer is a time of carefree fun on the lake for him and his family.

After undergoing the ordeal of having to clean up their cottage after it and another island residence were broken into last spring, questions about their safety and privacy in what was supposed to be their tranquil escape from the rest of the world have hung over their heads like a dark cloud this season, Vail said.

What was even more painful was seeing the effect the incident had on him and his wife Lisa’s three children, he added.

“Their normal and enjoyable summer was intermixed with anxiety, tears and fears that this could happen again,” Vail said. “Unfortunately, at this time, I don’t have the answers for them that could solve that.”

While Cass County Judge Michael Dodge couldn’t provide answer for Vail’s family either, he did provide them with a measure of justice for the break-in.

Dodge sentenced the perpetrator, 47-year-old Kurt DeYoung, of Cassopolis, to 210 days in jail and two years of probation during the defendant’s sentencing hearing Friday afternoon. DeYoung was punished for two charges of third-degree home invasion, which he pleaded guilty to on July 10.

DeYoung’s arrest for the crimes stemmed from an incident that began on April 8, after the Cassopolis man was reported missing by his family when he didn’t return from a fishing excursion on Diamond Lake. Authorities with the Cass County Sheriff’s Office and Marine Division conducted a search over the next few days for the man.

“It was believed that you may have drowned during a storm on the lake,” Dodge said. “They [police] thought you probably were dead and they would be looking for your body.”

DeYoung was eventually discovered five days later inside of one the summer cottages on Diamond Island. DeYoung claimed that he had taken shelter inside two of the structures on the island after his boat had broken down and he had fallen into 40 degree waters.

However, after forcing his way inside the pair of cottages, DeYoung proceeded to ransack the buildings, taking and drinking the alcoholic beverages contained in each home. According to Vail, DeYoung also damaged all four beds inside their residence, leaving blood and other body fluids on each mattress.

“You took advantage of these people’s homes and invaded them in a way that created a lot of damage,” Dodge said.

At the time he was found, the defendant had a blood alcohol level of .40, which would land most people in the hospital, said Chief Assistant Prosecutor Frank Machnik.

DeYoung admitted that he had been suffering from an addiction to alcohol, and that he needed to treatment for his problem, he told the judge.

“I’ve hit rock bottom,” DeYoung said. “The only way out of this is up. It’s the only choice I have now. This is the only choice I have left.”

DeYoung was given credit for 122 days already served. A hearing to determine the amount of restitution he owes to the victims will be held at a later date.