Friday, August 15, 2008 8:58 PM CDT
Mattoon man picks up another prison term for possession of stolen vehicle
By DAVE FOPAY, Staff Writer
dfopay@jg-tc.com
CHARLESTON — A man already serving prison time for other offenses received a new prison term for his conviction for having a stolen vehicle.
Joseph M. Bass, 20, whose most recent address on record was on 16th Street in Mattoon, was sentenced to five years in prison for the charge of possession of a stolen vehicle of which he was found guilty earlier.
Bass was accused of having a stolen sport utility vehicle on Sept. 28, and Circuit Judge Teresa Righter found him guilty of the offense at a bench trial in June. At his sentencing hearing on Wednesday, another charge of possession of a stolen vehicle was dismissed when Bass pleaded guilty to a trespassing charge, and for that offense he was sentenced to jail time already served.
In December, Bass was sentenced to two years in prison for a conviction for delivery of cannabis, and he’s also serving a prison term for a conviction for impersonating a police officer. Records show he served earlier prison sentences for a Coles County aggravated battery conviction and a Cook County robbery conviction.
In the most recent case, Assistant State’s Attorney Tracy Nemitz prosecuted and Public Defender Lonnie Lutz represented Bass.
In other property crime cases in court recently, guilty pleas were entered by:
- Jessica M. Bookland, 22, 2213 Country View Drive, Charleston, to theft charges accusing her of stealing jewelry from two people in August of last year.
In both cases, burglary charges alleging Bookland went to a Charleston pawn shop to sell the stolen items was dismissed, but there was no agreement on sentencing, which Righter scheduled for Oct. 27. The theft convictions can result in a three- to seven-year prison sentence or up to four years of probation.
State’s Attorney Steve Ferguson is prosecuting the cases and attorney Jeannine Garrett represents Bookland.
-Seth J. Dunst, 21, 4 Quail Run, Charleston, to a forgery charge alleging he wrote a check on the account of a Mattoon business on Oct. 17.
Dunst agreed to a two-year probation sentence that will being once he’s released from the prison term he’s serving for a conviction for aggravate criminal sexual abuse. Terms of his probation sentence included payment of nearly $4,300 in restitution, substance abuse treatment and other counseling.
Circuit Judge Gary Jacobs accepted a plea agreement that Assistant State’s Attorney Kerri Davis and Lutz recommended.
-Sarah B. Gerould, 29, 812 N. Ninth St., Mattoon, to a misdemeanor theft charge alleging she took money from a woman on Sept. 15, 2006.
A felony charge of unlawful use of a debit card was dismissed, and terms of Gerould’s two-year probation sentence included 15 weekends in jail beginning Aug. 24, payment of nearly $1,400 in restitution and fines, counseling and no contact with the victim. Righter accepted a plea agreement that Ferguson and Garrett recommended.
- Ashley B. Prahl, 23, of Gays to a property damage charge alleging she damaged a car on Jan. 20. The charge was reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor, and terms of Prahl’s two-year probation sentence included payment of just more than $2,700 in restitution and substance abuse treatment. Righter accepted a plea agreement that Assistant State’s Attorney Mick McAvoy and Lutz recommended.
Contact Dave Fopay at dfopay@jg-tc.com or 348-5733.
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