MT. VERNON, IL — A 31-year-old Mt. Vernon man pleaded guilty Tuesday in Jefferson County Court to residential burglary after a 12-year cap was agreed to be placed on sentencing. Michael Upton was arrested last August along with 39-year-old Jason Upton after the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department responded to a report of a residential burglary in the 10,000 block of East Cedar Hills Road in Mt. Vernon.

JCSO reported many household items, and firearms were discovered missing during the initial investigation. Contact was made with both men, which led to the recovery of numerous items of stolen property and the arrests of both Michael and Jason Upton.

Michael Upton was charged with Class 1 felony burglary and he pleaded guilty to the charge Tuesday. He was ordered released Tuesday from the Jefferson County Jail pending sentencing in June. Jason Upton was charged with Class 1 felony residential burglary and Class 3 felony possession of less than 5 grams of methamphetamine. He pleaded guilty in December to the burglary charge in exchange for the meth charge being dismissed and was scheduled to be sentenced earlier this month but failed to appear.