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Randolph County State's Attorney felony case resolutions

Posted April 09, 2015 11:00 pm

By Staff Report The Herald Tribune

People v. Corey L. Wilson:

On March 23, 39-year-old Corey L. Wilson, of Sparta, was found guilty of the offense of aggravated domestic attery following a bench trial before the Honorable Richard A. Brown.

Wilson was found guilty of placing his hands around the neck of a family or household member and restricting the airway/normal breathing of the victim.

The charges stemmed from an incident occurring in Sparta on January 24. Due to Wilson's prior criminal history and the nature of the allegation, he is eligible for up to 14 years in prison, is not eligible for probation and must serve 85 percent of the mandatory prison sentence to be determined by the Court.

"We were pleased with the verdict of the Court and will be requesting a fairly lengthy prison sentence at the sentencing hearing on May 8, 2015," said Randolph County State's Attorney Jeremy Walker. "I want to thank the Sparta Police Department for their investigation in this matter, as well as the victim for her cooperation in this prosecution.

"Additionally, we had two witnesses to the abuse and I believe their cooperation and testimony helped secure the conviction."

"This case is a prime example of the importance of victim cooperation and participation in the prosecution," Walker added. "After this incident the victim moved out of state and it would have been impossible to convict without her.

"Myself and the Sparta Police stayed in contact with her and she voluntarily came back to testify. This was a serious incident and look forward to seeing the final outcome at the sentencing hearing."

Jereme M. Owens:

On March 25, 30-year-old Jereme M. Owens, of Granite City, pled guilty to the offense of unlawful possession of heroin before Judge Brown.

A charge of obstructing justice was dismissed; however, no other agreements were made and the case is set for a sentencing hearing on April 20.

Owens admitted to possessing less than 15 grams of heroin found by officers of the Sparta Police Department following a traffic stop on January 31.

"We are seeking a prison sentence," said Randolph County State's Attorney Jeremy Walker. "Mr. Owens, I assume, will be asking the Court for probation at the sentencing hearing.

"Based on the information I have, Mr. Owens has been sentenced to the Department of Corrections before and I do not believe justice would be served by an additional sentence of probation."

"However, that decision will be made by the Court," Walker added. "We did dismiss a charge related to Mr. Owens allegedly lying about his name during the traffic stop; however, the charge would not have increased any possible sentence Mr. Owens will receive by the Court."

Jeremy D. Bauer

On March 25, 33-year-old Jeremy D. Bauer, of Chester, pled guilty to the offense of burglary before Judge Brown.

No agreement was reached as to the sentence and Bauer will be sentenced on April 20. Bauer admitted during his plea to entering a building in Chester on January 11 with the intent to commit a theft.

"Mr. Bauer, based on the information we have, is not eligible for probation and is looking at a mandatory prison sentence," said Randolph County State's Attorney Jeremy Walker. "The State will be requesting a sentence of seven years.

"The only concession we made would be to not seek an extended term sentence (a sentence which exceeds the normal range of penalties based on a prior conviction)."

"A young lady witnessed this act and her observations and quick reporting of the incident to the Chester Police Department made this case," Walker added. "Based on her report, the Chester PD was able to quickly identify Mr. Bauer, locate him and recover the item taken from the victim.

"I appreciate both the civilian witness and the Chester Police Department's quick action in this matter. It certainly made a big difference."

Cortez Nesbitt and Melodie Nesbitt:

On March 26, 39-year-old Cortez Nesbitt, of Tilden, and 36-year-old Melodie Nesbitt, of Tilden, appeared before Judge Brown and pled guilty to different charges relating to a drug transaction occurring in Sparta on July 16, 2014.

Previously, these matters had been joined for a single prosecution by motion of the state and order of Judge Brown.

During the plea, Nesbitt admitted to delivering less than 1 gram of cocaine to a confidential informant in Sparta on July 16, 2014 within 1,000 feet of public housing.

The charge was originally a delivery exceeding one gram, but less than 15 grams. Cortez Nesbitt admitted to possessing less than 15 grams of cocaine, but the delivery charge, as it related to Melodie Nesbitt, was dismissed.

Due to the fact no agreement was reached on the sentence, both defendants will be sentence during the week of May 4.

"The better case of the two was against Mr. Nesbitt," said Randolph County State's Attorney Jeremy Walker. "Due to poor quality of the video of the transaction, I felt it was better to obtain a plea than force a trial.

"Additionally, Ms. Nesbitt was not as involved in the transaction as Mr. Nesbitt and felt she was deserving of a reduction," Walker added. "Judge Brown will make the final decision of their punishment and the State will be seeking a prison sentence regarding Mr. Nesbitt."

Antonio R.E. Anthony:

On March 27, 19-year-old Antonio R.E. Anthony, of Sparta, pled guilty to the offense of retail theft before the Honorable Gene Gross.

No agreement was reached as to the sentence and Anthony will be sentenced by the Court on April 27. The charges stemmed from the theft of items from the Sparta Walmart on February 14.

Due to the fact Anthony was previously convicted of retail theft, he was convicted of a felony and will be eligible for up to three years in the Department of Corrections.

"Mr. Anthony is a young man who has, unfortunately, created a lot of problems for himself over the past year or so and we feel it is necessary to request he be sentenced to the Department of Corrections," said Randolph County State's Attorney Jeremy Walker. "The Court may not do so, but he is already on probation and has already violated his probation due to a previous incident.

"I do not believe in giving probation to those who continually show they will not abide by the opportunity to get help and avoid a more severe sentence."

The Sparta Police Department handled the investigation in this matter.

Teresa J. Conway:

On March 31, 35-year-old Teresa J. Conway, of Perryville, Mo, pled guilty to the offense of unlawful possession of methamphetamine before Judge Brown.

No agreement was reached as to the sentence and Conway will be sentenced by the Court on May 18.

Conway admitted to possessing less than 5 grams of methamphetamine located by officers of the Sparta Police Department during a traffic stop on July 20, 2014.

"Based on the information we have, I do not believe Ms. Conway is a candidate for probation and feel a prison sentence is the appropriate punishment for the crime," said Randolph County State's Attorney Jeremy Walker. "However, the Defendant will request probation and the Court will determine the appropriate sentence."

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