People v. Lerch

Defendant pleaded guilty in the circuit court of Rock Island County to attempted escape and aggravated battery. He was sentenced to the penitentiary for concurrent terms of 3 to 5 years on the former charge and 5 to 10 years on the latter. The appellate court affirmed (People v. Lerch (Ill.App. 1971), 268 N.E.2d 901) and we granted leave to appeal. The only issue presented on review is whether the concurrent sentences were validly imposed.

The facts are not in dispute. While incarcerated in the county jail for failure to post bond on a pending felony charge, defendant and several other…