Hate crime plea deal

BY BILL KNIGHT

Two of the three people arrested in connection with a Memorial Day weekend melee in Canton that resulted in multiple charges, including commission of a hate crime, on Feb. 15 pleaded guilty to battery.

In an agreement with prosecutors, Carrie Weller, 42, was sentenced to 90 days in jail and court costs of $502, due by May 1. Fulton County Circuit Judge Thomas Ewing instructed her to report to Fulton County Jail on March 13, and attorneys said she probably will be incarcerated about 15 days, with credit for day-for-day/good time and previous time served.

Her son Corry Weller, 22, also accepted a guilty plea, but won’t be sentenced until a pre-sentencing investigation is completed. He’s scheduled to appear in court at 9 a.m. on April 10.

All other pending charges against the two were dismissed, including a hate crime, mob action and aggravated battery, all felonies, which stemmed from the May 29 fight in which 15-year-old Dedric Foley was attacked.

Foley’s father is African American and his mother is white.

As Community Word reported last August, a misunderstanding at Canton Lake north of the campgrounds there apparently escalated into a verbal exchange, a shoving match, and then violence captured by a smartphone video in which a woman encouraged the attack, saying, “Kill that n*****!” ”Drown them f***ing n******!”

The other defendant, Shane Weller, 19, is scheduled to appear before Ewing in Lewistown at 1 p.m. March 13.

In Illinois, battery is a Class A misdemeanor with a potential penalty of up to a year in jail and $2,500 in fines.



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