Dustin Paul Bell
WHITE CO., Ill.---A Carmi man has entered a plea to two counts involving sex offenses.
Dustin Paul Bell, 27, entered a plea today (Monday, March 16, 2015) at a regularly-scheduled pretrial hearing to the two offenses with which he was charged in January, one on the 6th and one on the 16th: Failure to Register as Sex Offender, Class 3 felony, and Unlawful Solicitation to Meet a Child, Class 4 felony.
White County State's Attorney Denton Aud said the sentencing range on a Class 3 felony is between 2 - 5 years if a defendant is sentenced to the Illinois Department of Corrections. The sentencing range on a Class 4 felony is between 1 - 3 years if a defendant is sentenced to the Illinois Department of Corrections. However, both offenses are probation eligible under the law. The State agreed to a sentencing cap of no more than 4 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections with the Court being bound by the cap. A pre-sentence investigation report was ordered, as well as a sex offender evaluation. His sentencing hearing has been set for May 11, 2015 at 1:30 p.m.
He was required to register as a sex offender after previously being convicted of a Class A misdemeanor sex offense in Saline County in 2007. Count I stems from the fact that he was absent for more than 3 days from his residence in Carmi without notifying the Carmi Chief of Police of said absence in violation of the Sex Offender Registration Act. Count II stems from the fact that he used a computer with the intent to meet a child without the consent of the child's parents and the meeting was arranged for a purpose other than a lawful purpose.
You can read about Bell's charges in this month's issue, on stands right now in white County at Rock Bottom, Pundrake and East Side Package in Carmi, One-Stop in Enfield, Mimmo's in Norris City, and outlying areas Davis Enterprises in Omaha in Gallatin County and Liquor Barn in Grayville in Edwards County; or, you can click this link to get straight to the article if you have an online membership to the e-Edition. If you don't have one, click that link anyway to get started; it's easy, and it's inexpensive---$2.99 gets you a 24-hour pass, $5.99 gets you a full month with all articles we've published over the past 2.5 years!