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Randolph County state's attorney case updates

Posted July 30, 2016 11:00 pm

By Staff Report

People v. Shawn T. LaRose:

On July 18, 21-year-old Shawn T. LaRose, of Chester, pleaded guilty to the offense of obstructing justice (Class 4 felony) before Judge Richard A. Brown.

Pursuant to the terms of the negotiated plea, LaRose was sentenced to two years of probation with a condition to seek alcohol/substance abuse counseling.

Misdemeanor charges of battery and possession of cannabis were dismissed by the State pursuant to the plea agreement.

During the plea, LaRose admitted to providing a false name to a police officer with the intent to prevent his apprehension during a traffic stop on February 28 in Steeleville.

"This is the first felony conviction for Shawn," said Randolph County State's Attorney Jeremy Walker. "We have tried with misdemeanors in the past to get his attention, but it does not seem to work.

"Therefore, we would not reduce this felony charge and he is now a convicted felon."

Walker also noted that his office doesn't enjoy placing a felony on someone's record in a case like LaRose's.

"However, we generally have a progressive system of justice," Walker said. "All lenient measures have failed and we now try it on felony probation.

"I hope this is the end of it, but if not, we have two years to pursues further penalties, which include up to three years in DOC."

The Steeleville Police Department handled the investigation in this matter.

People v. Ryan B. Robison:

On July 19, 30-year-old Ryan B. Robison, of Lexington, Tenn., pleaded guilty to the offense of aggravated battery (Class 3 felony) before Judge Richard A. Brown and was sentenced to two years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

During the plea, Robison admitted to striking a person 60 years of age or older in the face with a closed fist while in Sparta on May 8.

"The victim in the case was a family member of the defendant," said Randolph County State's Attorney Jeremy Walker. "Based on the criminal history of the defendant, we felt a sentence to corrections was necessary.

"However, we backed off the number of years due to the fact the defendant has an eight-year prison sentence waiting for him in Tennessee, based on a violation of his probation created by this case.

"Therefore, we send him to prison in this case, and Tennessee will get their sentence on top of what we did for a total of 10 years.

The Sparta Police Department handled the investigation in this matter.

People v. Trevonta D. Nicholson:

On July 19, 22-year-old Trevonta D. Nicholson, of Sparta, pleaded guilty to the offense of burglary (Class 2 felony) before Judge Richard A. Brown.

No agreement was reached as to the sentence and a sentencing hearing is scheduled for August 25 at 1 p.m.

During the plea, Nicholson admitted to entering a business in Sparta with the intent to commit a theft on May 3.

"Mr. Nicholson has a prior burglary conviction, thus he cannot receive probation and we are simply arguing about the number of years in corrections," said Randolph County State's Attorney Jeremy Walker. "I anticipate a request near the maximum of seven years, but will await the presentence report and argue accordingly on August 25."

The Sparta Police Department handled the investigation in this matter.

People v. Jonathan E. Doane:

On July 19, 25-year-old Jonathan E. Doane, of Evansville, pleaded guilty to the offense of aggravated battery (Class 3 felony) before Judge Richard A. Brown.

No agreement was reached as to the sentence and the matter has been set for a sentencing hearing on September 19 at 1 p.m.

During the plea, Doane admitted to causing bodily harm to a child under 13 years of age on September 15, 2015 while in rural Evansville.

During the plea, the State struck language in the charging document regarding great bodily harm, lowering the class of felony from a Class X (mandatory prison sentence) to the Class 3 felony.

"When the case began, it was unclear how the victim in the case would recover," said Randolph County State's Attorney Jeremy Walker. "However, and luckily, the victim has made a great recovery and is no longer experiencing any effects from the injuries sustained in this incident.

"Due to that fact, we could no longer prove the element of great bodily harm as the minor recovered from the incident and is not expected to experience any lasting effects."

The Randolph County Sheriff's Office and Illinois Department of Children and Family Services handled the investigation in this matter.

People v. Terrance D. Godfrey:

On July 22, the State moved to dismiss this case with leave to reinstate.

Godfrey was charged with the offense of attempted escape relative to an incident occurring at Chester Memorial Hospital on April 25, 2015, while he was in the custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections.

"When this case started, Mr. Godfrey was only serving a 10-year sentence of residential burglary out of Jackson County," said Randolph County State's Attorney Jeremy Walker. "What was not known to me was the fact he had other charges pending in Jackson County, which resulted in an additional 89-year and five-month sentence to corrections."

During a court appearance in April of this year, Walker noticed Godfrey's out date on the DOC paperwork had changed to 2014. He then reached out to Jackson County State's Attorney Michael Carr and told him he believed the 89-year sentence would withstand an Appellate Court review.

"Finally, I reached out to (DOC) and they agreed at this point a continued prosecution in this matter would be a waste of resources," Walker said of the attempted escape offense. "Therefore, we moved to dismiss the case with leave to reinstate, which would allow us until April 25, 2018 to reinstate the case.

"I would anticipate only doing so if the Appellate Court reverses the 89-year sentence from Jackson County."

The Illinois Department of Corrections handled the investigation in this matter.

People v. Michael T. Stephanidis:

On July 25, 34-year-old Michael T. Stephanidis, of Carbondale, pleaded guilty to the offense of driving while license revoked (Class 4 felony) and was sentenced to two years in the Illinois Department of Corrections before Judge Richard A. Brown.

During the guilty plea, Stephanidis admitted to driving a car in Red Bud on January 23 at a time his license was revoked due to a DUI conviction, and having been convicted of driving while revoked on two previous occasions.

"Mr. Stephanidis has a terrible driving record and several DUI convictions on his record," said Randolph County State's Attorney Jeremy Walker. "In fact, Mr. Stephanidis is currently serving time in DOC for a DUI he received after this arrest in Jackson County.

"As that penalty exceeded our possible sentence, we pleaded him to two years in Corrections and hope between our sentence and the Jackson County case he will learn his lesson."

The Red Bud Police Department handled the investigation in this matter.

People v. Timothy L. Zacheis:

On July 25, 34-year-old Timothy L. Zacheis, of Tilden, was sentenced to 10 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections following a sentencing hearing before Judge Richard A. Brown.

Zacheis had previously pleaded guilty to the offense of burglary (Class 2 felony) on June 16, but no agreement was reached as to the sentence.

During the sentencing hearing, the State requested an extended term sentence of 14 years in corrections, while the defendant requested a sentence of three years in corrections.

"The pre-sentence report indicated Zacheis had numerous prior felony convictions, which made him eligible for twice the normal penalties for a burglary conviction," said Randolph County State's Attorney Jeremy Walker. "Based on those convictions, we felt the maximum sentence was necessary to quite frankly keep Mr. Zacheis off the street as long as possible to avoid repeat behavior."

The Randolph County Sheriff's Office handled the investigation in this matter.

People v. James T. E. Crain:

On July 26, 16-year-old James T. E. Crain, of Percy, pleaded guilty to the offense of unlawful possession of a stolen vehicle before Judge Richard A. Brown and was sentenced to four years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

The case was transferred to adult court and became an open proceeding after the court granted the State's Motion for Discretionary Transfer under the Juvenile Court Act to try the defendant as an adult.

During the plea, Crain admitted to possessing a stolen vehicle in Percy on June 19, which was stolen from Effingham County at a time he knew the vehicle was stolen.

"It is very unusual to transfer a case from juvenile court to adult court," said Randolph County State's Attorney Jeremy Walker. "And I will not get into those reasons as they are contained in juvenile file, which are closed to the public and we cannot discuss them publicly.

"Mr. Crain will spend his time in corrections in a juvenile facility, until he reaches the age of 18. At that time, he will be transferred to an adult correctional facility within IDOC."

The Percy Police Department, with assistance from numerous local agencies and the Illinois State Police, handled the investigation in this matter.

People v. Craig A. Huhman:

On July 28, 37-year-old Craig A. Huhman, of Sparta, was sentenced to 12 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections following a sentencing hearing before Judge Richard A. Brown.

Huhman had previously pleaded guilty to the offense of criminal sexual assault (Class 1 felony) relative to an incident occurring in October 2015 in Sparta.

At the plea on June 28, Huhman admitted to having sex with a 13-year-old minor. During the sentencing hearing, the State requested the maximum sentence of 15 years, and the defendant made no specific request for a sentence.

"This offense is what we call a 85 percent offense as the defendant will have to serve 85 percent and will not be eligible for day-for-day credit," said Randolph County State's Attorney Jeremy Walker. "In addition to the sentence to corrections, the defendant will have to register as a sex offender for life upon release and will be on parole for a minimum of three years, but can be on parole for life."

People v. Jason L. Zacheis:

On July 28, 33-year-old Jason L. Zacheis, of Steeleville, was sentenced to four years in the Illinois Department of Corrections following a sentencing hearing before Judge Richard A. Brown.

Zacheis had previously pleaded guilty to a theft under $500 (enhanced to a Class 4 felony based on a prior conviction) relative to an incident occurring in Steeleville on March 4.

During the sentencing hearing, the State requested a four-year sentence to DOC, while the defendant requested a term of probation.

"Mr. Zacheis had four prior felony convictions and three previous trips to DOC," said Randolph County State's Attorney Jeremy Walker. "We successfully argued that while this matter was not relating to a great deal of money, you must incarcerate those who continually break the law."

The Randolph County Sheriff's Office handled the investigation in this matter.

People v. Christopher L. Wyant:

On July 28, 29-year-old Christopher L. Wyant, of Mt. Vernon, pleaded guilty to the offense of unlawful possession of a controlled substance (Class 4 felony) and was sentenced to two years of probation, with a condition to seek alcohol/substance abuse counseling before Judge Richard A. Brown.

During the plea, Wyant admitted to possessing less than 15 grams of heroin located during a traffic stop effectuated by a Randolph County Sheriff's Deputy on March 26.

"Mr. Wyant had no priors and was placed on first offender probation status, meaning if he stays clean and out of trouble for two years, the felony will not be placed on his record," said Randolph County State's Attorney Jeremy Walker. "We will do everything we can to help Mr. Wyant with any addiction issues while he is on probation and look forward to hopefully dismissing the case in two years.

"That being said, if there are continued problems, we can adjust the sentence to include three years in corrections."

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