Alpha man sentenced to 30 years in Prison for criminal sexual assault of a minor was denied his Motion to Reconsider Sentencing on Monday. Joseph West, 32, of Alpha remains in the Henry County Jail awaiting transfer to the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC). Defense Attorney Camp filed a Motion to Reconsider Sentencing after West was sentenced to three consecutive 10 year IDOC terms for the Criminal Sexual Assault of a Family Member under 18 years old. Judge Terry Patton denied the Motion to Reconsider Sentencing. After the motion was denied, Attorney Camp instructed the Court Clerk to File a Notice of Appeal.
The Defense Motion was based on two grounds, Excessive Sentence and Double Enhancement. The Defense believes the sentence was excessive with what was testified at trial and double enhancements used to determine the sentence were not applicable. Judges in Illinois use Aggravating and Mitigation Factors to determine the sentence for a crime. Criminal Sentencing Enhancements increase the possible sentence for a crime, they are additional facts that increase the potential penalty of a crime. Judge Patton said “I don’t see this as double enhancement”. State’s Attorney Runty said “There are many classifications of victims in society”, the sentence was not double enhancement.
Joseph West was found guilty on all three counts of Criminal Sexual Assault of a Family Member under 18 years of age at a Bench Trial on August 30, 2022. He must serve 85% of his sentence by law. Read about Aggravating and Mitigating Factors used in sentencing here.
