Highsmith to Serve 20 Years in Prison in Clay County Attempted Murder Case

A Flora man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the stabbings of three individuals in December.

Clay County State's Attorney Andrew Koester said 40-year-old Shane Highsmith pled guilty for one count of attempted murder and two counts of aggravated battery. The charges stem from events that occurred during the early morning hours of December 27, 2020 at the Oyo Motel/Rodeway Inn in Flora.

The charges allege Highsmith stabbed three individuals staying at the motel. Highsmith was also staying at the motel the night the events occurred. One victim was stabbed more than a dozen times. All three individuals were taken to Clay County Hospital in Flora. The victim with 13 stab wounds was flown to Deaconess Midtown Hospital in Evansville, and another victim was flown to Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana. All three victims have since recovered from their injuries.

Koester said Highsmith will serve 13 years in prison for attempted murder, four years for one count of aggravated battery, and three years in prison for the other aggravated battery count. The sentences will be served consecutively, and Highsmith will have to serve at least 85% for attempted murder and 50% of his sentence for aggravated battery under the state's truth in sentencing statute.

Koester said, "We have the good fortune in Clay County of not having to deal with these violent crimes very often but, when they do happen, we will use every resource at our disposal to ensure our community is protected and the offender is locked up." He said the investigation was led by Sergeant Kaleb Greenwood of the Flora Police Department who not only investigated the case but also provided potentially lifesaving first aid to one of the victims. The Illinois State Police Division of Forensic Services and the Clay County Sheriff's Office assisted the investigation, and Koester led the prosecution of the case.