An 18-year-old Mt. Carmel man has been sentenced to 17 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to armed robbery in Wabash County Circuit Court Tuesday. Joshua Parrish appeared in court with Public Defender William Easton and entered a guilty plea to one count of armed robbery, a Class X felony.
The judge accepted the negotiated plea agreement and sentenced Parrish to 17 years in prison, with the sentence to be served at 50 percent. He will also be subject to up to 18 months of mandatory supervised release following his prison term. As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors dismissed seven additional felony charges, including robbery of a victim age 60 or older, aggravated robbery, two counts of attempted aggravated criminal sexual assault,
attempted aggravated kidnapping, aggravated battery and unlawful restraint.
The charges stemmed from a June 19 incident involving an elderly woman in Mt. Carmel.
Prosecutors alleged Parrish used a knife to rob the woman, threatened to sexually assault her and attempted to force her into a wooded area. Parrish had remained in custody while awaiting trial after the court previously determined that his release would pose a threat to public safety.
Tuesday’s guilty plea and sentencing conclude the case at the trial court level. Parrish was advised of his appeal rights during the hearing.