Harrisburg man sentenced to 7 years on meth conviction

A 36-year-old Harrisburg man has been sentenced to seven years in prison following his guilty plea on a Class 3 felony charge of methamphetamine possession, according to a news release from the Saline County State's Attorney's office.

On Aug. 16, Rodney S. Stewart, of Harrisburg, entered a plea of guilty in Saline County court. Judge Walden E. Morris sentenced Stewart to seven years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, with 1-year mandatory supervised release.

The news release noted that Class 3 felonies generally carry a possible sentence of 2-5 years, but because of Stewart's criminal record, he was eligible for and received an extended term sentence.

The charge against Stewart arose out of an incident in which Stewart was found in possession of less than 5 grams of methamphetamine by Harrisburg police officers.

Sgt. Nathan Moore of the Harrisburg Police Department led the investigation, and Assistant State's Attorney Jason Olson handled the successful prosecution.</group><group id="A0971CE9-D