A Mt. Sterling man contracted for work at Western Illinois Correctional Facility has been sentenced to probation for allegedly smuggling drugs and a cellphone into the prison on Wednesday.
Muddy River News reports that 49-year old Joshua D. Havens was sentenced to to four years in the Illinois Department of Corrections and three years of probation, with the prison sentence stayed pending successful completion of probation. The prison sentence could be accelerated if Havens violates the terms of his probation. Havens was also ordered to pay an undisclosed county fine.
Havens pleaded guilty to one count of unauthorized bringing of contraband into a penal institution by an employee, a Class X felony. As part of the plea agreement, two similar counts were dismissed, as well as one count of manufacturing and distributing a look-alike substance with intent to deliver, a Class 3 felony. According to charging documents, Havens attempted to bring 100 pills that looked like a controlled substance but were not into the prison.
The Illinois State Police arrested Havens, who formerly was a contracted carpenter at the prison, on February 21st as part of an investigation into reports of contraband being brought into the prison. According to a report from the Journal Courier, Havens resigned as a contractor on March 1st after his arrest. Havens wasn’t formally charged until April 26. The charges stem from incidents that occurred on November 30, 2023.