A Springfield woman was sentenced to 11 months' imprisonment after pleading guilty last November in federal court to conspiring to help two inmates escape from the Sangamon County Jail.

Allison M. Poorman, 28, of the 600 block of South Douglas Avenue, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess contraband in prison and providing or attempting to provide contraband in prison.

Poorman will have to serve three years of supervised release after her imprisonment and pay a fine of nearly $2,300.

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The sentencing was before U.S. District Court Judge Sue Myerscough.

At the hearing, federal prosecutors presented evidence that Poorman and co-defendant Josh Beechler, 41, of Springfield, provided various contraband items to inmates James Russwinkel of Springfield and Randy Bull of Alton to help them escape the county jail.

Russwinkel and Bull were both defendants in separate federal drug cases at the time. Both were indicted for conspiracy to escape from prison and conspiracy to possess contraband in prison in February 2021.

Some of the items smuggled into the jail included a hack saw, saw blades, zip ties, a cutting glove, a small pry bar, a handcuff key, rope, smoke bombs and a cellphone.

The contraband was later discovered after Sangamon County sheriff's deputies were informed about a broken window on the third floor of the south side of the complex on Dec. 6, 2020. Correctional officers located the cell housing Russwinkel and Bull and found a hole in the window three to four inches in diameter.

Myerscough described the effort taken to assist Russwinkel and Bull to escape from the jail as one of the most elaborate she has seen.

Poorman, who was a friend of Russwinkel's, was arrested at a traffic stop at Third Street and Keys Avenue on Dec. 8, 2020.

“The defendant’s actions to assist inmates in escaping from jail shows not only a disrespect for the law, but also placed correctional officers and other jail inmates in danger,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Sierra Senor-Moore. “The tools the defendant smuggled into the jail could have been used to harm people."

Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.