Greene County woman sentenced for violating parole
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By Carmen Ensinger
A Greene County woman will be spending some time in jail after violating her parole related to drug charges.
Greene County States Attorney Craig Grummel announced that Lora M Benson, 50, has been sentenced to seven years in the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) after violating the terms of her probation just days after being given an opportunity to remain in the community.
Benson originally pled guilty on April 27 to Unlawful Delivery of Methamphetamine, a Class 2 felony and Unlawful Distribution of a Look-Alike Substance, a Class 3 felony.
The charges stemmed from incidents in June of 2025 involving the delivery of methamphetamine and the distribution of a look-alike substance to a confidential source.
At sentencing, the Court granted Benson a chance to avoid prison by placing her on probation. However, within days of receiving that opportunity, Benson violated multiple conditions of her probation.
The violations included failing to report to probation, testing positive for methamphetamines and being charged and convicted in Jersey County for Possession of Methamphetamine.
Following the filing of a Petition to Revoke Probation by the Greene County State’s Attorney’s Office, Benson admitted the violations.
On June 3, Greene County Circuit Court Judge Zachary Schmidt revoked her probation and sentenced her to seven years in the IDOC on the methamphetamine delivery conviction and five years on the look-alike substance conviction, to be served concurrently.
The sentence was ordered to run concurrently with a separate Jersey County sentence.
“Probation is an opportunity, not an entitlement,” Grummel said. “Ms. Benson was given a chance to remain in the community and address the issues that brought her before the court. Instead, she violated the conditions of her probation almost immediately by continuing to engage in criminal conduct and illegal drug use.
When someone is given an opportunity to change and wastes it, prison is the only option.
“When individuals demonstrate that they are unwilling or unable to comply with the law, prison becomes the appropriate consequence,” Grummel said. “Methamphetamine continues to cause tremendous harm to families and communities throughout our area, and my office will continue to aggressively prosecute those who choose to distribute these dangerous substances.”
Grummel thanks the South Central Illinois Drug Task Force and local law enforcement agencies throughout Greene County for their work in investigating drug offenses and helping hold offenders accountable.