People v. Wick

After a jury trial in the circuit court of Ogle County, the defendant, Charles O. Wick, was convicted of aggravated arson (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1981, ch. 38, par. 20— 1.1(a)(3)) and sentenced to six years’ imprisonment. The appellate court reversed the conviction (121 Ill. App. 3d 94), concluding that the aggravated-arson statute is an unreasonable and arbitrary exercise of the State’s police power, which violates the guarantee of due process in article I, section 2 of the Illinois Constitution (Ill. Const. 1970, art. I, sec. 2). The appeal is here as a matter of right under Rule 317 (87 Ill. 2d…