An Illinois appellate ruling vacated two of Chad Covalt's 28 child-pornography convictions after finding that a single video depicting multiple victims could support one conviction rather than a separate conviction for each victim. Wabash County Judge William Hudson nevertheless resentenced the former Mt. Carmel man to the same aggregate 120-year prison term on September 8, ordering him to serve it in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
An Appeal Trims Two Counts, But Not the Total
Covalt's case involved a 2022 bench trial, and the resentencing was announced by Wabash County State's Attorney Kelli Storckman, according to WSJD 100.5. Covalt was originally convicted following that 2022 trial in Wabash County and was sentenced to a combined 120 years in prison. He appealed both his convictions and his sentence, and in October 2025, the Illinois Fifth District Appellate Court in Mt. Vernon vacated two of his convictions under what's known as the unit of prosecution doctrine, according to the Illinois State Bar Association. The appellate panel, in a decision authored by Justice Vaughan with Justices Moore and Barberis concurring, found that a single child pornography video depicting multiple victims could support only one conviction, not a separate conviction for each victim shown, per the same account.
That left Covalt with 26 remaining counts instead of 28. The case was remanded for resentencing, but Covalt didn't get there quickly. He petitioned the Illinois Supreme Court for leave to appeal the Fifth District's ruling, and the state's high court denied that petition on March 25, 2026, under docket No. 132615, exhausting his higher-court options before the trial court could take the case back up, according to a filing posted on JudgeBobMiller.com.
How the Case Began
Covalt's prosecution traces back to 2021, when his ex-wife found images on his cellphone and turned the device over to law enforcement. Detective Sergeant Eddie Johnson of the Mt. Carmel Police Department conducted the investigation that followed, leading to the charges against Covalt. The sources cited here do not detail the initial charges or bond.
Covalt's 2022 bench trial in Wabash County Circuit Court lasted a single day. Defense attorney Daniel Shinkle called no witnesses and presented no evidence, and Covalt declined to testify before he was found guilty of 28 counts of child pornography.
The Original 120-Year Sentence and Its Legal Basis
At Covalt's initial sentencing in May 2022, State's Attorney Storckman successfully argued that his offenses occurred across two separate courses of conduct, which allowed Judge Hudson to impose two consecutive 60-year prison terms. Under Illinois sentencing guidelines applicable to that conviction, the 120-year term was eligible for a 50% time-served credit requirement, meaning Covalt would have to serve a minimum of 60 years in state prison. At that same hearing, Judge Hudson noted that Covalt showed no remorse and offered no statement in allocution; the judge also read a victim impact statement describing severe emotional trauma, nightmares, and suicidal ideation resulting from Covalt's actions.
A Delayed Resentencing and a Final Outcome
When Covalt first appeared for resentencing, the hearing led to a pre-sentence investigation and a later sentencing date, with Shinkle continuing to represent Covalt. That process concluded on September 8, when Hudson resentenced Covalt to the same 120-year aggregate term across his 26 remaining counts, despite the two vacated convictions.
The Wabash County State's Attorney's Office said it remains committed to pursuing cases involving the protection of children and to upholding the results of the judicial process, per the same account. Beyond Wabash County, the appellate ruling in Covalt's case addressed the unit-of-prosecution issue in child pornography cases, according to FindLaw Caselaw. A separate case, *People v. Lye*, addressed production counts and the unit-of-prosecution issue.
A Separate Wabash County Case
Publicly documented information about other recent felony child-exploitation prosecutions in Wabash County includes a separate case announced Oct. 31, 2022. The Illinois Attorney General's Office said Mt. Carmel resident Alexander Knotts was charged with five counts of dissemination of child pornography and that the office would prosecute with assistance from Storckman's office. Knotts's case involved a different defendant and different charges from Covalt's, and the information cited here does not establish a broader countywide sentencing pattern.
