Hill Correctional Center inmate gets 7-year sentence for battery of correctional officers
GALESBURG — A former Hill Correctional Center inmate was sentenced to seven years in prison Tuesday in Knox County Court after pleading guilty to three counts of aggravated batter to a correctional officer.
On Tuesday, Ike Larry Jr., 27, pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated battery to a correctional officer and was sentenced to the maximum sentence of seven years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, according to a release sent Monday from State's Attorney Jeremy Karlin's office.
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On April 2, 2021, Larry, an inmate in the Hill Correctional Center, was discovered in another inmate’s cell without authorization. A magnet piece had been placed over the locking mechanism of the cell door that prevented it from securing shut. Larry attacked three correctional officers that attempted to remove him from the cell, resulting in all three being sent to OSF St. Mary Medical Center for treatment.
In a hearing in October 2021, Larry and Kelvin A. Gathings III, 31, appeared before 9th Circuit Judge Nigel Graham and were appointed public defenders. Graham stated the men used “closed fists” to strike several correctional officers at the Galesburg prison on April 2. Karlin did not mention the case against Gathings in the Monday release.
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Larry will serve the seven-year sentence after he completes the original sentence 25-year murder sentence in connection with a 2017 shooting in St. Clair County. Additionally, Larry was transferred to a different correctional center and also received administrative punishment.
In a statement, Knox County State’s Attorney Karlin said, “Everyday correctional officers within the state prison and county jail are called upon to perform difficult tasks, under difficult circumstances with, often, the most difficult of people.
We will do our best to prevent and combat violence against correctional officers. We will make sure that punishment will run consecutive to any sentence that an inmate is currently serving.”
This article originally appeared on Galesburg Register-Mail: Hill inmate gets 7 more years prison for battery against guards
