Mercer County State’s Attorney Meeghan Lee confirming that a former Aledo man has been denied in his attempt to withdraw his guilty plea in a criminal sexual assault case. Oral arguments were heard last month with Judge James Conway rendering the ruling this week “with prejudice”, according to Lee. The matter involved 31 year old Ryan Bell, who is serving 20-years in prison.
He pleaded guilty to the Class 1 felony in October 2006 and received the 20-year prison term the following May. The charge stemmed from a May of 2006 incident involving a 15-year-old girl at an underage drinking party in Aledo. Court testimony indicated the victim may have been drugged. Four juveniles were also charged in the case with aggravated battery and attempted criminal sexual assault. Three were placed on probation and one was sentenced to 90 days at a juvenile detention facility. Bell is currently incarcerated at the Vienna Correctional Center in southern Illinois. He has been denied in previous post-conviction relief attempts and appeals and was also denied executive clemency last summer.
