CHARLESTON -- A man avoided a conviction for an offense requiring prison but was ordered to pay restitution when he admitted burglarizing a rural Coles County home.
Nathaniel R. White, 42, for whom court records list an address of 4357 N. County Road 1540E, Charleston, pleaded guilty to a burglary charge in connection with the Dec. 21 break-in.
With the agreement reached in the case, the charge was reduced from residential burglary, which would have required a prison sentence of four to 15 years with a conviction.
White was instead sentenced to 2 1/2 years of probation on the charge that could have resulted in up to four years of probation or a two- to five-year prison term.
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Also, the probation was of the type called second chance, which can lead to no record of a conviction if completed successfully.
Records in the case say a security camera at the rural Mattoon home recorded a man entering.
The man was masked but the camera also recorded a business van the man drove, leading to White being identified as a suspect, according to the records. He then admitted burglarizing the home when questioned, they said.
In addition to the restitution, probation terms included an evaluation for substance abuse treatment and a requirement that White follow its recommendations.
White was also ordered to pay $500 in fines. Jail time was stayed, meaning he won't have to serve it if he follows the sentence's other requirements.
Coles County Circuit Judge James Glenn sentenced White, accepting the terms of a plea agreement that Assistant State's Attorney Rob Scales and defense attorney Fred Johnson recommended.
In other cases in court recently, Glenn also accepted guilty pleas from:
- Troy E. Fitzsimmons, 43, for whom records list addresses of homeless in Mattoon and in Montgomery County, to a charge of failure to register as a sex offender.
Fitzsimmons admitted violating registration requirements by not recording his address with police within three days of moving to a Mattoon residence in October.
He was placed on probation for two years with terms including various fines and stayed jail time. The prosecution also agreed not to seek revocation of probation he received in 2017 for sex offense convictions.
Glenn accepted a plea agreement that Assistant State's Attorney Tom Bucher and Public Defender Anthony Ortega recommended.
- George T. Drum, 44, whose address on record is 807 N. 33rd St., Mattoon, to a theft charge alleging he stole a neighbor's mail on Oct. 22.
The charge was a felony because Drum's criminal record includes a prior burglary conviction and he was sentenced to 18 months of probation. It included various fines and stayed jail time.
State's Attorney Jesse Danley and Drum, who represented himself, recommended the plea agreement.
Case records say Drum admitted stealing the mail and burning it because he was angry with the neighbor.
- Crystal M. Hornback, 40, whose address on record is 830 Division St., Charleston, to an obstructing justice charge accusing her of lying to police about the whereabouts of man for whom they were looking on Jan. 11, 2018.
Hornback was sentenced to 2 1/2 years of conditional discharge, which is supervision similar to probation but with fewer restrictions. Scales and Ortega recommended the plea agreement.