Illinoisan gives Alford plea in theft

A man who led police on a high-speed chase after stealing a purse, then stealing a car, admitted Monday he was probably guilty, but couldn't remember the crimes.

Robert Wiley, 24, of Liberty, Ill., entered an Alford plea to two counts of second-degree robbery in exchange for the prosecutor's agreement to drop two lesser felony charges of resisting arrest and leaving the scene of an accident.

The plea agreement leaves sentencing open to the judge's discretion, so Wiley faces between five and 15 years in jail on each count, plus any court costs and fines imposed by the judge at sentencing.

An Alford plea counts as a conviction in court, but allows the defendant to avoid a direct admission of guilt.

"In this case, the Alford plea was appropriate. The defendant said he was high on prescription medications and has no clear recollection of what happened that day," said Cape Girardeau County prosecutor Morley Swingle.

The Alford plea acknowledges that the preponderance of evidence would likely have led to a guilty verdict at trial.

Police reports indicate that on Jan. 4, Wiley stole a purse from 62-year-old Shirley Drury in the parking lot of JCPenney, then fled in his car. Drury was able to get his license plate number.

Witnesses who heard Drury's screams followed Wiley in their own car, using a cell phone to lead police to his location. Then police gave chase until Wiley wrecked his car at Bloomfield Road and Kingshighway.

At that point, Wiley yanked Peggy McKee from her sport utility vehicle and continued to flee in her car. The chase ended on Sprigg Street when the SUV collided with a taxi van.

With numerous eyewitnesses to the crimes, Wiley didn't dispute the charges against him, but since he couldn't remember the day, an honest admission of guilt was impossible for him.

Judge John Grimm ordered a pre-sentence investigation and scheduled sentencing for April 8. Wiley remains in the Cape Girardeau County Jail in lieu of $150,000 bond.

abuchanan@semissourian.com

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