Wabash County State’s Attorney Kelli Storckman announced that on August 25, 2025, James A. Catt, a 66-year-old man from Mt. Carmel, Illinois, was sentenced to eight years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. The sentence was handed down by the Honorable Circuit Judge William Hudson in Wabash County Circuit Court.
Catt was originally charged on January 6, 2021, with Sex Offender Failure to Register, a Class 2 Felony, after law enforcement was alerted to concerning photographs being printed by Catt at a local CVS. The subsequent investigation determined that Catt was not in compliance with his annual sex offender registration requirements.
Catt was later charged a second time for additional violations of his registration obligations after he failed to appear for a sentencing hearing in the initial case and fled the area. His whereabouts remained unknown from October 25, 2021, until Wabash County Crime Stoppers offered a reward for information, which ultimately led to a tip and his apprehension.
