Richard Travelstead
WHITE CO.— A Carmi man who has been in and out of trouble with the law since the late 1980s has escaped a pair of felony charges, being convicted and ultimately sentenced on misdemeanor charges instead.
Court records show that Richard L. Travelstead, 55, of 905 North Ninth St., Carmi, had been taken into custody on or about May 1 and charged with Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine for allegedly having less than five grams of meth on his person; Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, identified as a glass meth smoking pipe; and Domestic Battery for striking family member, identified only as TT and a juvenile.
Travelstead pleaded to the paraphernalia and an amended (from felony to misdemeanor) count of Domestic Battery in return for the meth charge being dismissed and a sentence of jail for six months, home confinement for six months, conditional discharge for two years and $1,812 in fines and fees, of which he has paid nothing.
Travelstead’s criminal history includes a conviction April 27, 1984 of Theft and sentenced to probation for one year.
An April 12, 1988 conviction for Burglary and Damage to Property $300-$10,000 earned Travelstead a sentence of probation for another four years.
A November 8, 1993 conviction for Domestic Battery resulted in a sentence of conditional discharge for one year and $379 in fines and fees.
A single count of Residential Burglary was amended October 19, 1995 down to Theft $300-$10,000 and after Travelstead pleaded guilty to that amended charge he was sentenced to jail for six months, probation for 30 months and ordered to pay $3,004.50 in fines and fees.
On November 14, 1996 Travelstead was convicted of Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol and sentenced to conditional discharge for one year and ordered to attend DUI school and to pay $655 in fines and fees.
Travelstead earned himself sentence of probation for 30 months following a 2000 conviction for Manufacturing/ Delivery of Cannabis.
That case cost him $1,832 in fines and fees.
A September 17, 2001 conviction for Domestic Battery lead to a sentence to the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) for two years and $295 in fines and fees.
Apparently not the brightest bulb in the chandelier, Travelstead was sentenced back to IDOC for another two years following a May 12, 2003 conviction for Unlawful Possession of Controlled Substance (prescription medication) and $880 in fines and fees.
At the time of his most recent arrest, Travelstead was already serving a sentence of probation for two years handed him January 26, 2016 following a conviction for Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Non-Narcotic Drug.
It addition to the probation, Travelstead was ordered to pay $2,490 in fines and fees, of which he still owes $2,290.
He is also serving a conditional discharge sentence of two years, handed him April 18, 2016, following a conviction for Domestic Battery.
Travelstead still owes $112 in fines and fees from that case.