Alex T. Cady
A Preemption man’s attempt to withdraw his guilty plea in an armed violence case has been continued to a later date. The matter was scheduled to be heard this morning in Mercer County Circuit Court regarding 29 year old Alex Cady. A new hearing date has not been set. Cady originally pleaded guilty to the Class X felony last October and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. The armed violence charge stemmed from an incident in the Viola area last June. A co-defendant in the case, 29 year old Donovan Smith of Sherrard is charged federally with two counts of unlawful transport of firearms. He was shot by a Mercer County Sheriff’s Deputy during the weapons investigation and the shooting was ruled justified by the Mercer/Henry County Major Crimes Task Force. Smith will next appear in federal court on March 20th. He remains in U.S. Marshals Service custody. Cady is in custody at the Hill Correctional Center in Galesburg.