MARION COUNTY — Marion County court records indicate a 59-year-old Centralia business man convicted earlier this year on a reckless homicide charge is seeking a reduction to his 4-year sentence.

Thomas Joy, part-owner of the Centralia Morning Sentinel, pleaded guilty in December to Class 3 felony reckless homicide in exchange for a misdemeanor DUI and traffic citation being dismissed. Joy was sentenced in February to 4-years in prison.

According to authorities, in May of last year Joy pulled his pickup truck out of an alleyway next to the Broadway Tavern in Central City and into the path of 65-year-old Jerry Clarkson’s motorcycle, causing a crash that resulted in Clarkson’s death.

Evidence presented in court showed Joy had been served two beers and two shots of whiskey in a 45 minute period at the tavern before the crash.

The defense had asked for probation, while State’s Attorney Bill Milner asked for Joy to be sentenced to 5-years in prison — the maximum available for the crime. Milner noted that Joy had lied to police about the amount he had to drink prior to the crash and claiming he had stopped before pulling out of the alleyway.

Joy’s attorney has filed a motion to reduce his client’s sentence, claiming that the judge assumed facts not in evidence in handing down the sentence and did not properly weigh in factors of mitigation.

Joy is currently being held in the Vandalia Correctional Center and is receiving day-for-day credit toward his sentence.