Tyler W. Leaf
EDWARDS CO.— A violent, habitual Richland County criminal appears to be headed for the next several months of living in a cage provided by taxpayers via the Illinois Department of Corrections.
According to Edwards County court documents, Tyler W. Leaf, 41, of 1001 West Main St., Rm. 17, Olney, was found guilty Friday, September, 21, in a 2017 case in which he was charged with a single count of Unlawful Violation of an Order of Protection.
Leaf was sentenced in Edwards County to prison for two years, after which he will have to serve another four years on mandatory supervised release, known on the rest of the planet as parole.
In addition to cage-time, Leaf has been ordered to fork out some $602 in fines and fees, of which he has not shelled out the first dime.
Other details in the case indicate that Leaf was given 120 days of credit for sitting in a local jail in a neighboring county, since Edwards does not have one of their own, which means he may spend a week or so being processed in to prison and then begin the out-processing process.
In addition to being a convicted drunk driver on numerous occasions, Leaf earned his first felony arrest in Richland on April 16, 2003 when he was taken into custody and charged with Home Invasion By Force With a Weapon and Aggravated Assault With a Weapon.
On May 9, 2003 he cut a deal with the local prosecutor at the time (Kaye DeSelms), pleading guilty to a reduced charge of Aggravated Battery Causing Great Bodily Harm and was slapped on the wrist with a sentence to probation for 24 months and ordered to pay $1,332 in fines and fees.
He was charged in December 2009 with Driving Revoked, one count each of Harassment by Telephone and Harassment by Electronic Communication Making Threats to Kill and two counts of Violation of an Order of Protection.
He was handed another deal in August 2010 during which he was convicted of the threats and driving violation in return for the remainder of the charges being dismissed.
For his cooperation Leaf was sentenced to prison for 15 months and ordered to pay $543 in fines and fees.
On March 26, 2015, Leaf was arrested and charged with more violence including Aggravated Domestic Battery Strangulation and Domestic Battery.
Convicted of the battery charge, with the strangulation charge being dismissed, in December 2015, Leaf was sentenced to conditional discharge for 12 months and ordered to fork over another $444 in fines and fees, of which he still owes $324.
At the time of his conviction and sentencing Friday, Sept. 21, 2018 in Edwards County Leaf was awaiting trial in Richland County in at least two cases including one from August 11, 2017 during which he stands charged with Aggravated Domestic Battery Strangulation and Interference with a Report of Domestic Violence and another case from June of this year (2018) in which he is charged with Domestic Battery.
Leaf has been the subject of no fewer than nine Orders of Protection in Richland County since 2009.