The Fifth District Court of Appeals in Mt. Vernon has upheld both the conviction and the 17½-year prison sentence of Ronald D. Jolly of Fairfield for armed violence. The decision was handed down last Friday.
50-year-old Jolly was sentenced on January 9, 2024, after entering a fully negotiated guilty plea in a 2021 Class-X felony case. In his appeal, Jolly argued that he should have received 1,030 days of jail time credit for his pretrial custody, rather than the 115 days he was credited as part of his plea agreement. He claimed he was owed an additional 915 days.
The state countered that Jolly fully understood the terms of his plea agreement, which specified he would only receive credit for pretrial custody served between August 31, 2021, and December 23, 2021. In exchange for his plea, the state agreed to drop all remaining charges against him in various other cases. In addition to affirming his conviction and sentence, the Appellate Court granted the State Appellate Defender’s request to withdraw representation of Jolly.
Before sentencing, the state presented a factual basis for the plea agreement, describing how Jolly fled from a police officer, leading to a high-speed chase. Jolly eventually stopped his vehicle and ran into the woods on foot. A .22 caliber rifle was recovered at the scene, and Jolly was apprehended the following day. By pleading guilty to the armed violence charge, Jolly had multiple other Class-X and serious felony charges dismissed, and it was agreed he would serve his sentence at 50%. Jolly is currently incarcerated at Graham Correctional Center in Hillsboro, Illinois. He is not eligible for parole until January 6, 2032.