JACKSON COUNTY — A Carbondale man was recently sentenced to 34 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to one count of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child.

Jackson County State’s Attorney’s Michael Carr says 29-year-old Jose Pina Hernandez will also serve three years to natural life period of mandatory supervised release and register as a sex offender after he is released from prison.

Carr says the incident happened in July of 2017 and the victim was a 6-year-old girl.

Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault of a Child is a Class X felony for which a sentence in state prison is mandatory. The sentencing range for this offense is 6 to 60 years.

The investigation was conducted by the Carbondale Police Department. Assistant State’s Attorney Rebecca L. Blomer was responsible for the prosecution of this case.