A Carmi man was sentenced Monday afternoon to almost 12 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
25 year old James L. Parker of Carmi was sentenced in his absence after failing to appear for his sentencing hearing. Parker received five years and eleven months each for Domestic Battery and Retail Theft, both class 4 felonies. The sentences were ordered to run consecutively, meaning he’ll have to serve one sentence before beginning the other, and therefore Parker was ultimately sentenced to 11 years and 10 months in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
Parker was arrested in February on warrants for two different cases. The domestic battery offense, a case investigated by the White County Sheriff’s Department, occurred in November of 2021, while the retail theft, a case investigated by the Carmi Police Department, occurred one month later. After pleading guilty, he was out of custody awaiting his sentencing hearing. While awaiting sentencing, Parker was also sentenced to the offenses of Unlawful Possession of a Stolen or Converted Vehicle, a class 2 felony, and Theft, a class 3 felony, in May of this year. After failing to appear at his sentencing hearing Monday Afternoon, the court proceeded with the hearing during which State’s Attorney Denton Aud called Chief Jason Carter to testify regarding the two allegations. The hearing ended with arguments being made as to sentencing alternatives by State’s Attorney Aud and Public Defender Brian Shinkle, Parker’s attorney. Ultimately Judge T. Scott Webb decided to sentenced Parker to one month short of the maximum allowed on both offenses and ordered them to run consecutively, concluding that it was the court’s opinion that, having regard to the nature and circumstances of the offense and history and character of the defendant, that consecutive sentences were required to protect the public from further criminal conduct by Parker.
James Parker was apprehended by officers from the Carmi Police Department and White County Sheriff’s Department Monday evening.
