Random vehicles turning around in their driveway, summer fireworks and loud noises can upset the delicate balance. The mother is fearful whenever she is home alone.

And then there are the night terrors that keep them up, sending the father through the dark house to double check that the doors are locked.

“It’s tough having to look at your kids and see them cry all the time,” the father, who gave up a lucrative traveling construction job following the robbery to take a position that allowed him to stay in town.

His statements came Monday as one of the intruders was sentenced to up to 50 years in prison with a mandatory 17 years and six months before parole eligibility.

“The bottom line is this home invasion was a cowardly act,” said Assistant County Attorney Brad Walz.

In handing down the sentence – two consecutive 25-year terms – Judge Joel Dalrymple noted the crime involved a scheme to steal guns and get them onto the street.

Authorities said Davon Marcell Oliver, 22, of Waterloo, and others forced their way into a Marie Drive home in February 2021, shortly after the father left town for work.

They threatened the mother and made her open her husband’s gun safe, Walz said.

Oliver was caught days later in Waterloo apartment with most of the stolen firearms.

Oliver pleaded guilty to first-robbery and first-degree burglary in December in the middle of his trial under a plea agreement that prosecutors wouldn’t recommend the case to federal court.

He later attempted to take back his plea saying he had been coerced and on Monday told the family that he wasn’t one of the robbers and was looking out for a friend who has a child on the way.

“What happened to your family was definitely not right,” he said. “I wouldn’t want anybody else to go through that.”

During trial, police said Oliver had admitted to his role and had entered the house during the robbery.

The getaway driver in the plot, 22-year-old Dequonterio Jashawn Galloway-Bass, entered an Alford plea in the case in March and was sentenced o up to 25 years in prison with 17 and a half years mandatory. He was also sentencing in an unrelated shooting.

The person who is accused of planning the crime, Daymion Eugene Ohrt, who is related to the victims, is awaiting trial.

Photos: Guns in Northeast Iowa crime cases