PAXTON - Convicted sex offender Jonathan York, 25, of Elliott has been sent to prison for 14 years.

He was sentenced Monday by Ford County Circuit Judge Steve Pacey. In February, a jury convicted York of criminal sexual abuse stemming from a May 2006 incident involving a 5-year-old girl. York already was on probation for similar offenses, all involving girls younger than 13.

State's Attorney Tony Lee sought the maximum sentence for York because he said evidence showed York would likely be a repeat offender. Lee also said York's sexual offender evaluation report listed him as a pathological liar and someone who has poor behavioral control and ignores the rules of society.

York had been on parole from a four-year sentence involving four counts of criminal sexual abuse while living in Pontiac. He served 20 months in the Logan County Correctional Center before being paroled in February 2003.

York's attorney, John Wright of Bloomington, told Pacey a family history of abuse played a role in York's actions. He asked for York to be placed in "a facility capable of dealing with his mental issues" for a term of seven years.

Pacey said he gave York the maximum sentence "for the protection of the public."