IL Govenor Quinn’s early prison release program claims another life…

We’ve got a governor who has ordered prisoners released early from prison – even those with a history of violence and weapons offenses – while at the same time our governor vetoes a right-to-carry bill overwhelmingly approved by a bipartisan supermajority.

Quinn’s scheme to turn out prisoners months or years early on their sentence claimed another life in recent days.  One of Quinn’s early release choir boys shot and killed a man in Decatur.

Governor Quinn no doubt considers the program a success or he wouldn’t have re-implemented it after a previous program was shut down after the public’s outcry over some prisoners serving only days of their sentence before being turned out early.

Can you spell “out of touch”?

Can you spell “clueless”?

We knew you could.

Decatur, IL  (Herald and Review) — Olivia Matthews, girlfriend of 22-year-old Marvin E. Perry, was in a state of shock Friday afternoon as she sat on the porch of her near-northside home, just a few feet from where she last saw the father of her 17-month-old daughter.

Perry was gunned down about 9:30 p.m. Thursday as he stood near the front yard of an apartment building next door to Matthews’ house in the 1200 block of North Union Street. There reportedly were many people around, some arguing, when the gun went off.

Perry stumbled toward the house and dropped to the ground in the driveway of her home, Matthews said.

“I had my hand on his chest,” Matthews said, as tears rolled down her cheeks. “He was breathing. I said, ‘Don’t leave me. Don’t leave me.’ ”

So, why was Jones in the pokey to begin with?

A few hours later, parolee Joshua A. Jones, 25, was arrested on a warrant by Decatur police officers and U.S. marshals.

 

 

Jones was released from prison May 3 after serving 19 months of a four-year sentence for dealing cocaine and heroin as part of a plea deal in which firearms charges were dropped.

In that 2011 case, he ran from police while carrying a handgun and refused to obey commands to drop his weapon.

More…

Jones has had three felony cases, including two involving firearms, in the past eight years.

He received his four-year sentence on Dec. 10, 2012, after pleading guilty to charges of dealing cocaine and heroin. In that case, he was arrested after police received a report of a man with a handgun near the intersection of Main and Hilton streets on Oct. 3, 2011. When officers arrived, Jones reportedly ran from them while holding a semiautomatic handgun. When he was booked into the jail, a bag was recovered from his rear end containing 18 crack cocaine rocks and 25 heroin rocks.

Felony charges of armed violence were dropped as part of a plea deal. With credit for time served awaiting trial and day-for-day prison credit for good behavior, Jones was released May 3.

In 2009, Jones was charged with felony aggravated unlawful use of a weapon for carrying a handgun in a vehicle. As part of a plea agreement, he received 18 months conditional discharge, a lighter form of probation, and his charge was reduced to a misdemeanor.