A parolee pleaded guilty Tuesday to a felony drug charge. Kent Koehler would be 90 years old when he completes his new sentence.

Koehler, 66, of La Salle appeared in La Salle County Circuit Court and pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a controlled substance (cocaine), a Class 1 felony carrying up to 30 years due to his record.

In exchange for his plea, prosecutors dismissed a Super Class X felony that would have been tantamount to a life sentence. With the plea, he’s eligible for day-for-day good time and, with seven months’ credit, could be paroled after about 14 years.

When offered a chance to speak, Koehler said he entered a bad relationship that spawned a crippling drug addiction and, in turn, drug dealing to fund his habit.

“They saved my life,” Koehler said of the drug agents who raided his home on July 17.

The Tri-County Drug Enforcement Narcotics Team seized 720 grams (1.6 pounds) of purported heroin, along with the cocaine to which he pleaded.

Drug agents said at the time it was the largest street-level seizure in county history. While interdiction agents have seized larger bulk quantities from traffickers on Interstate 80, the majority of street-level seizures are below 15 grams.

Had prosecutors proceeded with the heroin charge, Koehler would have faced 12 to 50 years in prison with no possibility of probation. He would be required to serve at least 75% of any prison time under the state Truth in Sentencing Act.

A minimum sentence would have been off the table because of a significant criminal history. He’d been released from prison in early 2024 after serving part of a 40-year sentence for armed robbery (no firearm) stemming from a 2007 holdup in Cook County.