JEFFERSON COUNTY — A 31-year-old Mt. Vernon man was sentenced Wednesday to 15-years in prison after he pleaded guilty in Jefferson County court to felony residential burglary.

Luther Wiggins was arrested earlier this month on the Class 1 felony charge of residential burglary and Class 4 felony criminal damage to property.

At what had been scheduled as a preliminary hearing on the charges, Wiggins pleaded guilty to the Class 1 felony burglary charge and the Class 4 charge was dismissed.

Because of his criminal history, Wiggins was sentenced as if the Class 1 charge had been a Class X felony charge.

In 2010 he was arrested and convicted of Class X home invasion causing injury and Class 1 residential burglary, with a felony charge of violating the sex offender registry being dismissed.

He was sentenced to 10 years in prison on the convictions, but the sentence was later reduced to only 8 years.