Two Clay County Men Sentenced to Prison

Clay County State’s Attorney Phillip Givens has announced that Ellis Webber, 45, of Louisville and Harry Strange, 36, of Flora were sentenced to time in the Illinois Department of Corrections on Monday in Clay County Circuit Court.

Webber was charged with Aggravated Intimidation, a Class 2 Felony, on July 11, 2024. The charges alleged that Webber communicated to a Clay County Deputy that he would inflict physical harm on the Deputy if he did not allow Webber to speak with an individual incarcerated at the Clay County Sheriff’s Office on July 8, 2024. Webber pled guilty to the charges on September 11, 2024. Upon completion of a contested Sentencing Hearing, Webber was sentenced to 5 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections on October 28, 2024, by Judge Joel Powless. He will have a 1-year period of Mandatory Supervised Release.

Strange was previously placed on 24 months of probation for Aggravated Battery, a Class 3 Felony, on February 1, 2023. Strange violated his probation by failing to report to Probation as directed and committing new offenses of Fleeing or Attempting to Elude Police Officers and Driving while his license was revoked. He was found guilty of violating his probation on April 1, 2024. Strange was sentenced to 7 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections on Monday. He will have a 6-month period of Mandatory Supervised Release.

The investigations were conducted by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Flora Police Department, and Clay County Probation Department.

Givens said: “My office will continue to hold people accountable as we work to protect our Law Enforcement Officers and the Community. We are grateful to work with such hardworking agencies.”