MARION COUNTY — A 21-year-old Centralia man was sentenced Tuesday in Marion County Court to eight-and-a-half years in prison after he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge against him stemming from an incident last month where a young woman was shot in the abdomen.

Diego Barradas was facing charges of Class X felony aggravated battery with the discharge of a firearm, Class 1 felony aggravated discharge of a firearm into an occupied vehicle or structure, and Class 3 felony possession of a weapon by a felon.

In the early morning hours of New Year’s Day, Salem officers responded to a home in the 1300 block of North Trenary where they found the young female had been shot in the abdomen.

EMS treated the girl at the scene before transporting her to Salem Township Hospital where she was airlifted to a St. Louis area hospital for treatment.

Barradas was later arrested during a traffic stop and taken to the Marion County Jail where he’s remained. On Tuesday he pleaded guilty to the Class 3 felony charge of being a felon in possession of a weapon, in exchange for the other charges being dismissed.