The first prison sentence in relation to the burglary of the Hank and Donna Matz residence in August was handed down in White County Court Monday. 
42 year old Mark S. Keller of Carmi was sentenced to 17 years in state prison and three years of mandatory supervised release on one count of residential burglary. In addition, Keller has been ordered to make restitution to the Matz family along with Charla Beth Sullivan and Michael Bassemier, who have both entered open pleas of guilty in relation to the case. The White County Sheriff’s Department investigated the case.
White County States Attorney Denton Aud stated that residential burglary is usually a Class 1 felony, but due to Keller’s past criminal record, the charge was made a Class X felony, increasing Keller’s sentence.
Aud went on to state “Mr. Keller committed not only a serious property offense but did so in a manner that disturbs even the most morally decadent sectors of society. Mark Keller did not merely steal jewelry and things; he stole from a widow and her family what should have been their opportunity to properly grieve the untimely loss of the family patriarch, Hank. Throughout this case, my office has been in constant communication with Donna Matz before ultimately arriving at this disposition; I pray that she and her family will finally be able to begin to grieve the loss of Hank. I would like to thank the White County Sheriff’s Department and my staff for their amazing work on this case, as well as the efforts of Donna Matz, her son Joe, the rest of the Matz family and their friends, and the members of the community who stepped up and did the right thing by assisting in this case.”
