Charles Michael (Mike) Kearby
CRAWFORD CO., Ill.—A well-known Crawford County crim is back in Department of Corrections after a recent Crawford County conviction.
Charles Michael Kearby Jr. (known as Mike Kearby) entered a plea of guilty to a Possession of Meth less than 5 grams charge yesterday, this charged dating back to January 25 of this year.
In exchange for the plea, Kearby received four years DOC, and with truth-in-sentencing (Illinois’ misnomer for “they won’t really do that much time in the pen”), he’ll be out in less than two.
He’s also been ordered to pay a whopping $502 in court costs and fees, which Crawford may never see, since he still has outstanding fines and fees from 2003, 2004 and 2007.
Regular readers will recall that Kearby was one of the men accused of being involved in the death of Billy Rich in 2001; he was never formally charged, but he along with two others were the last ones known to be around Rich, who was found dead of a gunshot wound that was not self-inflicted.
Regular readers will also recall that Kearby is the father of the little boy who was run over in downtown Sumner by Chad Hayes in 2011. Hayes was only recently (April) sentenced to DOC for the death of that boy, David Kearby, 7. However, that Lawrence County sentence has been “stayed” pending legal machinations in the case.
Kearby appears to be a problem offender in Crawford and Lawrence counties, having been busted in recent months and years. When anyone will do anything meaningful with him remains to be seen, as our sources have repeatedly told us that he works as a nark and gets his light sentences as a result.