Sex offender back in jail for not registering

A convicted sex offender from Chicago was sent to prison for the second time Monday for failing to register his address to police.

Lake County Assistant State's Attorney Ryan Koehl said Edward Phillips, 31, has been convicted a total of three times for failing to report his address since his conviction for a sex crime.

Koehl said Phillips, who may reside in Chicago, was convicted of aggravated criminal sexual assault in Cook County in 2004.

Phillips was sentenced to eight years in prison, Koehl said, and was charged with failing to register with police in Cook County upon his release from prison in 2007.

Phillips was sentenced to 60 days in jail after pleading guilty to that charge, Koehl said, but was again charged with failing to register in that case.

A Cook County judge sentenced Phillips to two years in prison for the second conviction, Koehl said, and he was released June 27, 2009.

Phillips gave prison officials an address in Waukegan where he said he was going to live, Koehl said, and Waukegan police went to that address July 16 when Phillips failed to register with them.

A man at that residence told police Phillips did not live there and had never lived there, Koehl said, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Waukegan police arrested Phillips on March 12 when they stopped him on the street to question him about an unrelated matter and found the warrant during a computer records check.

On Monday, Circuit Judge Victoria Rossetti accepted a guilty plea from Phillips and sentenced him to the two years in prison that had been negotiated between Koehl and Phillips' lawyer.

Koehl said Phillips was eligible for a maximum of five years behind bars.