Bliss gets jail time, avoids prison, after March burglary call revealed drug stash

In Henry County Circuit Court Tuesday, Judge James Cosby handed down a sentence to Ian Bliss, 23, who pleaded guilty to one count of Possession of a Controlled Substance in an open plea agreement in August.

In exchange for the plea, the State agreed to drop three other charges against Bliss that included the more serious offense of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.

Bliss was sentenced to 180 days in jail and 48 months probation. He will also be required to pay fines and assessments in excess of $10,000, maintain employment, enter into a drug treatment program, and submit to DNA testing.

Bliss was arrested in March following a break-in to his Kewanee residence. After police responded to the call, they arrested Dillon Schilling, 27, of Galva, but a subsequent search of Bliss’ home led to his arrest on charges of illegal possession of drugs, including cannabis and cocaine and illegal possession with intent to deliver.

In an attempt to make the argument for a prison sentence for Bliss, Henry County Assistant State’s Attorney Katie Reynolds called Schilling as a witness.

Schilling was arrested in March for reportedly attempting to burglarize Bliss’s residence at 236 Wiley Ave. A tipster reported the break-in to the police after Bliss witnessed Schilling breaking into the home via a surveillance camera.

Schilling was arrested by the Kewanee Police Department after a loaded shotgun was found perched on top of his UTV. The search also turned up two loaded handguns, $1,380 in cash, and pre-packaged bags of cannabis.

He is currently facing six felony charges stemming from the incident, but in a proffer agreement with the State Attorney’s Office that allowed him to provide investigators with information with some assurances that he will be protected against prosecution, the Galva man testified at Bliss’s sentencing hearing as to his past dealings with the defendant that included buying an ounce of cocaine several times a week.

In his testimony Schilling told the Court that he met Bliss sometime around 2012 in high school when they attended parties together. According to his testimony, Bliss sold drugs at those parties out of a backpack.

Later, Schilling said, Bliss was the source of cocaine that he purchased through friends. At some point, Schilling testified that he began to purchase drugs, as much as an ounce several times a week, from Bliss directly and that on several occasions, he visited Bliss’ home where he had witnessed canisters of cannabis, guns and stacks of money. Schilling also admitted that he sold some of the drugs purchased from Bliss to support his habit.

Schilling further testified that on occasion he would meet Bliss at Windmont Park or a back road to purchase the drugs if Bliss felt the “heat” was on him.

Defense Attorney Jon Giraudo questioned the testimony from Schilling, telling the Court that he wasn’t informed that Schilling would be testifying, something the State denied. Giraudo also asked the court to look into Schilling’s history before taking his testimony at face value.

Reynolds informed the court that Schilling had no prior impeachable offenses, but Judge Cosby later pointed to the six felony charges stemming from his March arrest.

Reynolds was seeking six years in prison, one year of mandatory probation and $14,000 in fines and assessments for Bliss, telling the court that she took exception to Bliss’s unsworn statement to the court in which Bliss claimed he began selling drugs to pay the bills.

“This has been going on since 2012. He’s a drug dealer,” Reynolds said, adding that it’s safe to assume Schilling wasn’t the only one buying drugs from Bliss. “He’s a drug dealer and should be sentenced to the Department of Corrections.”But the Defense argued that Bliss had no criminal history and was unlikely to commit another crime.

“It’s a serious offense, but we’re not dealing with a serious offender,” Giraudo said, reminding the court that Bliss’ criminal history consisted of a “petty traffic ticket'' and that Bliss has taken accountability for his actions and was released on bond several months ago without incident.

Giraudo further argued that because his client hasn’t had any bond violations, has held down a full-time job and understands the implication of his actions, he is a good candidate for probation.

“Are we scared of this individual or are we mad at him?” Giraudo said. “He does deserve to be punished, but I don’t believe we have to throw him away to the Department of Corrections.”

Giraudo asked the court for a suspended 180-day jail sentence for his client that would “literally give him the proverbial rope,” along with appropriate probation and fines.

Judge Cosby said the record should reflect that his decision was based on the factual basis for the plea, as well as the presentence investigation and Bliss’s unsworn statement.

The fact that Bliss pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a controlled substance, probation is presumed, Judge Cosby said.

“Mr. Bliss is sitting here today with the presumption of probation as a starting point,” noting that if Schilling’s testimony is to be believed, Bliss has been dealing drugs since he was 13 years old.

“Obviously, that’s not the life anyone wants a 12 or 13-year-old to live,” the judge said.

Judge Cosby said taking the factors into account, including the charge of possession, the defendant's lack of prior criminal history and whether his actions of possession caused serious harm, he would not sentence him to a prison term.

The judge also said that he wouldn’t rely on Schilling’s largely uncorroborated testimony.

The judge remanded Bliss to the Henry County Jail to begin serving his 180-day sentence. He is eligible for day-to-day credit. Once released, Bliss will be subject to drug testing as directed by court services and cannot possess or consume alcohol or drugs. He must also complete a GED certification program.

This article originally appeared on Star Courier: Bliss gets jail time, avoids prison, after burglary call revealed drug stash