SALINE CO., Ill.—Even after all her posturing about a jury trial and interminable sentencing delays, Harrisburg resident Kim Ital is now going to have a Department of Corrections number behind her strange little name.
Kim Ital
Ital, 46, whom sources in Harrisburg report used to actively represent herself as a “nurse” or other medical professional when in actuality she was merely office staff, finally learned her fate yesterday, Tuesday, June 24, at a sentencing hearing: Seven years DOC.
And for a first-time offender, that’s a pretty stiff sentence, and sends a strong message: Those who harm the elderly in Saline in ANY way will be dealt with.
Ital was charged last September with six felony counts pertaining to the theft of money from a 72-year-old disabled Harrisburg woman, Mrs. Karen Phelps, for whose husband Ital was providing “home health” care; then when he passed away, she stayed on as Mrs. Phelps’ caregiver…and promptly proceeded to rob her blind. Reports indicated that Ital had used money from the woman’s estate and finances in order to purchase a car, as well as a nice vacation to Hawaii, tuition for her daughter, and bond money for her errant son.
The thefts took place in several incidents during January to May of 2013, and were discovered and reported to local authorities, who had their hands full sorting it all out, but finally brought charges in September.
Ital first was under a jury trial demand. But since she was represented by a local public defender, Nathan Rowland, apparently she decided to enter a plea in March, and past all the pre-sentencing investigation, is finally hemmed up as a felon on the Theft count and on three separate counts of Aggravated Identity Theft (in which she used Phelps’ information in order to make purchases, including a nice new car.) The Theft count carried with it only a 5-year sentence; the ID Theft, 7. The sentences run concurrently with each other.
The Saline County state’s attorney’s office pointed out that Ital will have to serve half of her 7-year sentence, and did state that on each guilty plea, Ital received the maximum prison time.