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McHenry man sentenced to six years in prison for theft of a yellow 1974 Chevrolet Corvette

A 54-year-old McHenry man was sentenced Wednesday to six years in prison after pleading guilty to the theft of a yellow 1974 Chevrolet Corvette that later was discovered burned, court records show.

James R. Henson was arrested in April 2019 following a six-month investigation by the McHenry Police Department into multiple burglaries, the Northwest Herald reported at the time.

James R. Henson

James R. Henson (Provided by McHenry County Sheriff’s Office/)

On Oct. 20, 2018, a 1974 Chevrolet Corvette was reported stolen from an enclosed trailer in the 1300 block of Borden Street in McHenry, the McHenry Police Department said in a news release at the time. Several bundles of copper wire and an EZ-GO golf cart was reported stolen Oct. 26, 2018, from a construction trailer near Bode Lane and Cunat Drive in McHenry.

The Corvette was found a few days later extensively damaged by fire on land frequented by Henson, the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office said in a news release Monday. The vehicle’s keys were found at a campsite associated with Henson.

Henson was also accused of possession a stolen golf cart owned by Cunat Construction, according to the indictment.

Henson subsequently was indicted on charges of arson, two counts of possession of stolen vehicle, two counts of possession of a converted vehicle, two counts of burglary, and two counts of theft of property worth more than $500.

All but the theft charges are class 2 felonies, which typically can carry a sentence of three to seven years in prison.

In addition to pleading guilty to theft of property worth $500 to $10,000, the other charges were dismissed, court records show. Judge Michael Coppedge then sentenced Henson to six years in prison and ordered him to pay $8,500.00 in restitution.

The six-year sentence will be served at 50% and Henson will receive credit for the 1,089 days he has spent in jail since his 2019 arrest, according to the judge’s order.

Henson’s defense attorney Robert Windon declined to comment Monday.

In 2015, Henson – who logged at least nine trips to the Illinois Department of Corrections for crimes including burglary, forgery, battery and criminal damage to property – was sentenced to 16 years in prison for burglary. He was paroled in May 2018, according to the IDOC website.

The 2019 case was investigated by the McHenry Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant State’s Attorney Ashur Y. Youash.

Source: The Daily Chronicle

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