Saline County Man Finally Sentenced, 6 Years After Guilty Plea
By: Import User
Updated: January 7, 2009
A man who unaccountably waited six years to be sentenced after pleading guilty to rape will serve a dozen years in prison.
That`s the sentence Michael Shane Jolly received today. Another 12 years were suspended by Circuit Judge Grisham Phillips.
Jolly`s lawyer says the sentence will be appealed.
It remains unclear why the 26-year-old was never sentenced after he pleaded guilty to the statutory rape of a 12-year-old girl in 1997.
The state Supreme Court last week refused to accept Jolly`s claim that he was denied a speedy trial. Prosecutors argued that the charges were resolved in time but that it was still proper for Jolly to face sentencing.
Prosecutor Robert Herzfeld says Jolly will have to serve 70 percent of the 12 years before he is eligible for parole.
