ELDORADO, Ill.—In a strange twist (which actually some of us kind of suspected all along), both players in the big “kidnapping” event last night are considered suspects in either theft of a motor vehicle or tampering with one.

Sonny Pilgrim, from a Facebook page

Authorities just reported to us that both Sonny Pilgrim, 23, and Courtney Goodwin, 19, who is his girlfriend and both of whom are from Georgia, are facing charges of, at the very least, tampering with a stolen vehicle (Conversion, in the state of Illinois), after they were located this morning in Matthews, Missouri, at a truck stop.

Courtney Goodwin, from a Facebook page

And likely, more charges will come, since there was supposedly a knife used in Pilgrim’s effort to get Goodwin out of her grandparents’ house…but authorities are saying that may have been a ruse, too, as Goodwin is telling authorities she went willingly with him from the residence on Beulah Street in Eldorado last night, prompting a massive all points bulletin to be issued, since the situation nearly scared Goodwin’s grandpa to death.

And the rest of the story may be unclear, but Eldorado Police Chief Freeman Shannon Todd Deuel (STD, as we call him)  also reported that Pilgrim apparently got into the situation after he allegedly escaped from the hospital there (ostensibly Ferrell, but we’re checking) where he went after getting into a fight in ‘rado. Then there was something about Pilgrim telling police he had “drugs in his stomach” and needed to be hospitalized, maybe in an effort to distract them, and that’s allegedly when he took off… So Pilgrim’s charges may rise exponentially

Keep checking back…this is apparently an ever-evolving situation.

While Lyndi has the Saline County board meeting to cover tonight, Ang takes the ‘cap for another rowdy THURSDAY evening and an EQUALLY-rowdy 24 hours in southern Illinois news, for the evening of July 24, 2014!

Topics covered include: “Kidnapping” in Eldorado turns out to be not quite that, may result in charges for both involved; bank robbery in Lawrenceville leaves locals puzzled as to not only how it could have happened, but where the guy WENT; a cement truck v. house in rural Newton leaves no one injured; and a permanent injunction and nullification of past decisions is being sought in the morning against Cottage Township.

Yeah…it’s a hot one…

Saline CO. — What has been reported to us as a “serious accident” this morning has resulted in the closure of a main road in Saline County.

A wreck this morning on Illinois Route 13  near the Hankins Road intersection has caused authorities to close the Illinois 13 Eastbound lanes from Hankins Road to the Harco Blacktop. It is unknown how long the closure might continue, but authorities will be rerouting traffic on the Eastbound lanes until the time that the closure is lifted. Motorists should try to find alternative routes as of this morning.

We are currently working to get the details of the accident, but as of 9:30am have only been able to find out that the Illinois State Police are handling the situation. Keep checking back, as we will have more details as they become available.

SALINE CO., Ill.—We kind of figured Peabody would make an appearance at Ang’s hearing regarding Cottage Township’s Open Meetings Act violation petition this morning, and we were right.

And they’ve apparently hired such powerhouses as a last-minute move that they can’t even spell (example: They spelled Ang’s name “Angle M. Howser”…really.) This is a positive turn for the citizens.

Delayed by the tragic SUV v. motorcycle collision out on Illinois 13 this morning, Julie A. Webb of Craig and Craig LLC law firm in Mt. Vernon (yep, we’ve never heard of them before, either) finally came in with two folks from the Cottage Township board, one of them being Kevin Wintizer, the other being one we didn’t recognize.

As she reported last night, Ang filed an amended petition in Saline County Circuit Court yesterday asking for the permanent injunction to be issued against Cottage Township prohibiting them from holding anymore meetings without agendas…and asking that all decisions made at the June 11, 2014 meeting (which was held without an agenda), and all decisions that arose from that meeting subsequently, be declared null and void.

And Cottage Township, instead of doing the smart and money-conserving thing and admitting that they’d made a mistake, saying they won’t allow it to happen again, and holding a meeting for a do-over, has apparently decided to fight it….and at whomever’s behest, has prompted Peabody to come in with an intervening petition.

What is an intervening petition? Well, that’s what we filed in our granddaughter Ev’s case when we were going for her guardianship. We needed to file for standing to appear in court when two parents, both of whom at the time were not capable of raising an infant, were both saying they wanted the baby. As intervening petitioners, we were there to show the judge that A) we had an interest in the child and B) that we were able to prove we were the best bet for that baby’s safety and well-being, and ergo the guardianship of her. We proved the two parents were unfit, and that we were the ones most fit to raise Ev (when others were trying to file intervening petitions, too, mind you)…and we got her.

That’s effectively what Peabody’s saying: That they are the “most fit” to come in and deal with this matter in court, and so they’re petitioning Judge Todd Lambert for the privilege of having guardianship of the baby: Cottage Grove Road.

Which is ridiculous…because we don’t care about the road. All we care about is the Open Meetings Act violation…which the representatives of the township were attempting, this morning, to explain isn’t the case. Wintizer (perhaps; like I said, they weren’t clearly identified in court) began explaining something to this effect, but Ang cut him off with an objection….because a continuance date had already been mentioned, and was being discussed, since now a third-party petitioner is trying to get in the way and delaying the OMA action decision, so the whole thing couldn’t be heard today.

The next date has been set for Friday, August 8, at 1 p.m. Both petitions—the one by Peabody to intervene, and Ang’s petition for declaration of nullification of actions taken June 11 and beyond—will be heard that day, so who knows…it might drag right on into the evening, especially if Cottage Township gets proper legal representation. We’ll let you know how it goes.

SALINE CO., Ill.— A Creal Springs man was pronounced dead at the scene of a traffic crash this morning (Friday, July 25) in Saline County.

According to authorities, at approximately 7:45 a.m. 60-year-old Lance P. Avery, of Creal Springs, was traveling on a 2007 Kawasaki motorcycle, in the right eastbound lane on Ill. Rte. 13, approximately half a mile East of Harco Road when Kim H. Fowler, 68, of Harrisburg, driving a white 2010 Subaru at an unknown distance behind Avery in the same lane.

Police say that Avery slowed down and turned into the left lane for unknown reasons at the same time Fowler had also moved into the left lane.

The front of Flowler’s vehicle struck the Avery’s motorcycle in the left side.

As a result of his injuries, Avery was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.

Authorities say he was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.

Fowler had no apparent or reported injuries and had been wearing a seatbelt.

The Kawasaki and the Subaru were both removed from the scene by Bishop’s towing of Harrisburg.

Illinois District 19 was assisted at the crash scene by the Saline County Coroner’s Office, the Saline County Sheriff’s Office and the Saline County Ambulance Service. An ISP Accident Reconstruction Officer also joined the traffic crash investigation.

No charges have been filed at the time of this report.

Pravin Varughese

JACKSON CO., Ill.—Disclosure has learned that the family of Pravin Varughese has confirmed they will be filing a wrongful death suit in their son’s February 2014 death in the city of Carbondale.

Gaege Bethune from his Twitter page, in the requisite social networking selfie

The suit, which is being planned against the last person to see the 19-year-old Southern Illinois University-Carbondale student alive, Gaege Bethune, as well as against the City of Carbondale, is to be filed mid-week next week, according to the Varughese family attorney, Charles Stegmeyer. We’ve not been told whether this will be a state Wrongful Death suit (like that of Larry Young’s against Richie Minton in Larry’s daughter Molly Young’s March 2012 death) or whether it will be in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois (the feds, in Benton) like that of Brad Lewis’ case in his son Jordan’s October 2013 death. Needless to say, the suit will bring the eye of scrutiny on the city of Carbondale and their police department, who keeps saying “it didn’t happen that way” in the case of Varughese’s death, even after the Varughese family obtained their own forensic pathologist and private investigator, and showed that C-dale has been, at the very least, hedging about the details of the young man’s death and the “investigation” into it. In the meantime, Bethune, of Eldorado but who was reported to us to have recently moved out of the area, was apparently IN the area, of Franklin County, at least, last week, as can be seen by this:       It’s nothing but a blip on the screen for people his age, but for those of us adults who live in Realville, it’s definitely not a good thing: Bethune’s scheduled to appear on this charge in a couple of weeks in Franklin County. If the wrongful death suit is filed as planned next week, he will have been served by the time the paraphernalia charge comes around. We’ll see what mainstream media makes of it. Bethune is well-connnected here in Saline County, with his father reportedly being one of the managers at the large Jim Hayes auto dealership in Muddy. More as it develops…be checking frequently for updates. and be watching for Read the Leads to start Monday…Bethune is the subject of a back page article in the July-August edition, and we’ll be featuring that one in the lineup, meaning that you’ll get to read the lead section of his article. Keep a tab up or check us on your RSS feeds for anything pertaining to this major event as well as any other breaking news….and keep up with us on our Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ and Tumblr pages, as well as the soon-to-be-forsaken Facebook page, which we still have, but which company is blocking our posts from our nearly 38,000 fans.

Lyndi returns for your Friday view from the news headlines venue for the evening of July 25, 2014, in AUDIO!

Topics covered include: The results of today’s Miscellaneous Remedy court situation between Angela Howser and Cottage Township; tragic wreck occurs on Illinois 13 in Saline County; and a wrongful death suit is going to be filed in the Pravin Varughese case in Jackson County.

Ron Crank, Harrisburg mayor

HARRISBURG, Ill. —  It has been announced that Harrisburg Mayor, Ron Crank, has stepped aside to take a Medical Leave of Absence to battle brain cancer.

Crank began his battle with brain cancer more than a year ago, but has continued to serve the community until a very recent turn for the worse incapacitated him.

Ron Fearheiley

Around a month prior to Crank taking his leave, Ron Fearheiley was forced to step into the Pro Tem Mayoral role, as Crank was unable to attend Harrisburg City Council meetings. Now, Fearheiley has stepped into that position officially, and will remain Mayor Pro Tem until such time as Crank returns, or the Council is forced to find a new Mayor for the city…which would, according to the way the city’s council is structured, fall to Fearheiley, and everyone else on the council would move into subsequent positions, leaving the bottom rung to be filled by appointment, like Dale Fowler was at this time last year after the resignation of Eric Gregg and ascension of Crank to the mayoral seat.

While few residents of Harrisburg are happy to see Crank forced to take such a leave, it is also a relief to many. Crank is well loved within the community, thanks to his years of dedicated service on the police force, and many residents grew very concerned as Crank disappeared from the public eye.

Reports indicated that Crank is staying at home under the care of his wife, who is a nurse. He continues to battle his illness, and many residents hope to see him return to health. His exact condition is unknown, but reports have indicated that his illness has taken a very serious turn for the worse.

Harrisburg is again faced with having no active Official Mayor on duty, but there has been no indication that the council plans to replace Crank, but will wait for Crank to return.

HARRISBURG, Ill.— Disclosure has learned that a robbery took place at the Harrisburg Ponderosa, located at 507 North Commercial St.

According to sources, this morning (Sunday, July 27), a Ponderosa employee was leaving the restaurant to drop Saturday’s proceeds at a local bank and as she made her way to her truck she was attacked.

“Reports indicate that a black male, in a gray shirt, came up behind her and knocked her down and ran off with an undetermined amount of money,” the source said. “The woman luckily only suffered a skinned-up arm.”

Anyone with information concerning this morning’s robbery is asked to contact local authorities.

Yep, let’s hear it for Lyndi’s soon-to-be hubby, who has a birthday today and Lyndi had to step aside to tend to the festivities, but that hasn’t stopped us from getting the ‘cap to you courtesy Ang for the evening of Monday, July 28, as well as the previous weekend’s headlines.

Topics covered include: Lawrenceville man arrested on child sex charges in Indiana last week; a St. F man was arrested last week after allegations he beat up a Vincennes resident; Harrisburg mayor Ron Crank has taken a medical leave of absence; Harrisburg’s Ponderosa restaurant robbed Sunday; feds make official the new indictments against former Fairfield teacher and coach Tim Going; and bloopers and outtakes…listen through to the end!!

PAR-TAY!!

Courtney Goodwin, from a Facebook page

NEW MADRID CO., Missouri — The young Eldorado couple who were involved in a faked kidnapping on July 23, 2014, are now facing the consequences of their actions.

Courtney Goodwin, 19, appeared in court on Monday (July 28, 2014) in New Madrid County, Missouri, where the two were spotted last Thursday morning, and pled guilty to one count of Misdemeanor Tampering with a Motor Vehicle and Unlawful Use of Drug Paraphernalia. Godwin received a 10 day jail sentence on each charge, with the sentences to run concurrent with each other. She was given credit for time served.

Sonny Pilgrim, 23, the on-and-off-again boyfriend of Goodwin, was arraigned on felony charges of Tampering With A Motor Vehicle and Resisting Arrest. Pilgrim will appear in court August 7, 2014.

Additionally, Pilgrim faces charges in Saline County, Illinois, of Kidnapping, Armed Robbery, and Unlawful Possession of a Converted Vehicle.

Sonny Pilgrim, from a Facebook page

The charges for the duo are the result of an incident on the evening of July 23, when it was reported by police that Pilgrim had abducted Goodwin from her step-grandparents’ home in Eldorado.

The couple were arrested the next day at a truck stop in Matthews, Missouri, in the southeast part of the state, after being identified as a result of nationwide all-points bulletin being issued, which included Pilgrim’s description and a vehicle description.

We’ll have more on the Saline County matter as it progresses toward court.

Here’s Lyndi, all recovered from last night’s festivities, rounding up your headlines for the evening of Tuesday, July 29, 2014!

Topics covered include: Eldorado “kidnapping” suspects have a quick day in court in Missouri, where they were caught last week; details of Lawrenceville man caught up on sex charges in Daviess County, Indiana; and last night’s Olney city council meeting was peopled with folks who haven’t enlightened themselves despite all the quality information out there on medical marijuana.

Photo provided by Saline County Sheriff’s Department

SALINE CO., Ill.—Four people were taken to the hospital following a two-car accident Tuesday evening (July 29, 2014).

Saline County Central Dispatch received numerous 911 calls of the accident at 4:50 p.m.m Tuesday evening. The accident was located at the intersection of new Illinois Highway 13 and Carrier Mills Road.

Bradford T. Cope, 37, of Harrisburg, was driving eastbound in a 2006 Acura when a 2002 Pontiac van, driven by Natashia M. Ortiz, 36, of Carrier Mills, failed to stop at the intersection.

Ortiz’ vehicle struck Cope’s vehicle. Both Cope and Ortiz were taken to Harrisburg Medical Center, along with two passengers in Ortiz’ vehicle, by Saline County EMS.

Saline County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the accident. Ortiz was cited for failure to yield. Carrier Mills Police Department and Winters Towing of Harrisburg assisted with the accident scene.

Photo provided by Saline County Sheriff’s Department

MARION, Ill.—Monday night’s Marion City Council meeting (July 28, 2014) saw the hot-button topic of a reappointment to a board of directors of a very popular facility for many of Marion’s children and their families.

The reappointment of Andre Baker Sr. to the Boynton Street Community Center (BSCC) was on the city council agenda Monday…and this was denied again until Baker agreed to the city’s background check. This is the same background investigation the city uses for employment; however, board members are not city employees, merely appointees. All that has ever been used for BSCC appointees (and presumably the volunteers) has been a check through DCFS (Department of Children and Family Services) which makes sense because of BSCC’s work with children.

At Monday’s meeting, Ron Gibson told mayor Bob Butler, “This (city background checks of appointees) has never happened before.”

“We’ve never had anyone with drug charges before,” Butler retorted, referencing the situation with Baker.

The whole thing unfolded upon the July 14 city council meeting, which is covered in depth in the current (July-August 2014) edition of Disclosure on stands now, entitled Boynton Street Center board member’s reinstatement at issue for city council, and which you can Read the Lead of right here for our mid-afternoon RTL offering:

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MARION—Ron Ferguson, chairman of board of directors at the Boyton Street Community Center in Marion, is working diligently to get his friend and former board member Andre Baker Sr. reappointed to the board.

The center, established in 1987 by the city of Marion, is a popular location for many of Marion’s kids and their families, and promotes itself as being “dedicated to education, development, and building self-esteem in a secure and comfortably environment.” They also make the building available for people to become “involved with the diverse programs and/or rent the building for special events.”

Boynton Center offers meals for kids, which meet high nutrition standards, provides educational plans set to age level for after-school programs, conducts educational crafts and art projects for kids attending those programs and also provides “quiet time” so that after-school kids can get homework done, or focus on reading a good book.

Other programs include After School All Stars, Boys to Men Mentoring, At Risk Supper Program, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, Adult Socials, Ball Field Rental, Family Events and Alcoholics Anonymous.

But an incident dating back to two years ago has impacted the facility in a negative way, and now, the board, lead by Ferguson, is attempting to get things back on track with one of their valued members.

May of 2012 changed it all

On May 23, 2012, Andre Baker Sr. found a considerable amount of marijuana in his garage that belonged to Andre Baker Jr.

Like any good parent, the elder Baker brought the marijuana into his home and planned to confront Jr. about the weed.

But before he got the opportunity to do just that, his home was raided and Marion Police assumed it….

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It’s unclear why the city, aware of the fact that the county prosecutor’s office took the time to consider the lack of “background” in Baker’s history when it came to imposing sentence on him, won’t just get with that office and double check, then be done with it. It seems to be yet another incident of what appears to be bias on the part of the all-white board toward black people, including the situation with Angelo Hightower, who is now considering filing suit against the city for refusal to promote him (more on that in an upcoming post.) Whatever the case, you can read the article on the Boynton Street Community Center, and the mess surrounding Baker’s prospective reappointment, by clicking the headline link above the excerpt if you have an online membership to the e-Edition; or, if you don’t simply click this link here to get started. If you’d rather hold a paper in your hands, you can still get out to one of our many vendors in the area, including in Marion ROC One-Stop on West DeYoung, Hunter’s Cove Barber Shop on West DeYoung, and Pit Road Racing downtown on the square. Hurry…in just TWO WEEKS this one will be gone, replaced by the August-September issue…keep up with what’s REALLY going on with the Boynton Street Community Center and lots more in the city of Marion!

Here’s Lyndi bringing you the bigger headlines from a fairly newsy day, Wednesday, July 30, 2014, in your Nightly NewsCap in audio!

Topics covered include: Wreck on Illinois 13 sends four people to the hospital; Carbondale woman sentenced in federal meth conspiracy case; Olney Police Department announces a scam alert; and Angelo Hightower’s action against the city of Marion.

Any good business owner knows that in order to increase revenue, there are times when you have to invest a little bit in the business—goods, services, whatever the case—in order to advance and to get a good return.

And while a public entity isn’t exactly a ‘business,’ oftentimes, when it’s run like one, it really gets the returns on the investments.

Case in point: Saline County.

In May, Saline County State’s Attorney Mike Henshaw told the county board that he desperately needed another assistant; the caseload (as you all have seen in recent years) has grown dramatically. The board balked; Henshaw made his case.

This past month, the board reconsidered: and now, Eva Walker, the prosecutor child molesters literally fear (we’ve heard that people in six counties surrounding Saline—Hardin, Pope, Gallatin, Hamilton, Franklin and White—have spoken with those criminally-inclined toward crimes against children, and to a one, they’ve all said they would NEVER venture into Saline County as long as Eva Walker was there) is coming back.

To give you the full details, here’s your noontime Read the Lead, Board approves hire of assistant prosecutor for more efficient judicial system in Saline:

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Saline County State’s Attorney Mike Henshaw, left, is shown here next to county board member Danny Gibbs, who was acting chairman in the absence of chairman Carey Harbison at the July 8 special board meeting, further explaining how a well staffed judicial system would naturally bring much needed revenue into county coffers simply by working the way it was designed to.

SALINE CO.— As with any business, and make no mistake, successful budgeting at any level, county or otherwise, requires a business mind, investments are sometimes called for in order to increase revenue.

That appeared to be the mindset of the Saline County Board as it passed a motion July 8 to suspend, in part at least, a county-wide hiring freeze and authorize Saline County State’s Attorney Mike Henshaw to hire another assistant prosecutor for his office.

uring the previous meeting, Henshaw had addressed the board, telling them that his office was inundated with work, and his current staff simply couldn’t turn cases over as fast as they would be able to if properly staffed.

Henshaw told the board at that meeting that his office would be able to generate more revenue for the county if they could close more cases, and asked to hire another assistant to help bear the ever-increasing workload.

At the suggestion by one board member at the previous meeting of temporary help, Henshaw made it abundantly clear that hiring a temporary assistant would not work because it would be difficult to find a qualified assistant willing to do the work on a part time basis, the caseload is not projected to decrease by any stretch of the imagination and it would be unfair and some say unethical to tell a prospective assistant prosecutor, “You’ve gotta make the county money if you want to keep your job.”

Henshaw has expressed on numerous occasions that it is not the purpose nor function of a state’s attorney’s office or the judicial system to be a money-maker….

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To read the rest of the article, simply click on the highlighted headline link above the excerpt to go right to the piece if you have an online subscription to the e-Edition, or, if you don’t have a subscription and want to sign up, simply click this link to get there. Or, if you prefer to hold the paper in your hands, we’ve ensured that our vendors have been well supplied with this issue, so you can get out and get one at any of the ROC One-Stop locations in Saline County (both Poplar Street and Commercial Drive in Harrisburg, both Highway 45 and State Street in Eldorado, as well as Carrier Mills and Galatia), M&H Drive-Thru, Book Emporium and Discount Food Mart in Harrisburg, and Raleigh Quick Mart in Raleigh. Hurry…this issue is only on stands in South Counties for LESS THAN TWO WEEKS, when the August-September edition is released!

SALINE CO.— A Harrisburg man has been sentenced to 30 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to two counts of Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault of a Child.

According to Saline County Assistant State’s Attorney Amanda Moore, Eric G. Nichols, 42, pled guilty and was sentenced Thursday, July 31, by judge Walden Morris.

Nichols was sentenced to two consecutive 15-year terms to be followed by a term of mandatory supervised release for a period of three years to life.

In addition, Nichols will also be required to register for the rest of his life as a sex offender.

On January 27, 2014, an information was filed charging Nichols with the two counts, each punishable by six to 30 years in the department of corrections.

Illinois State Police Trooper Jason Colp led the investigation into the case.

The successful prosecution was led by Assistant State’s Attorney Amanda Moore.

SALINE CO.— Shortly after noon today (Friday, August 1) a portion of East Poplar Street, in Harrisburg, was closed off to traffic from Strictly Outdoors to the Rte. 13 bypass for nearly three hours while authorities worked an accident scene.

According to authorities, a semi tractor-trailer hauling scrap metal overturned as it made a turn off Rte. 13 onto Poplar.

It is unknown if any injuries occurred as a result of the crash or if any citations were issued.

Here’s Lyndi to finish out the week with the Nightly NewsCap for the evening of Friday, August 1, 2014 (can you believe it’s August already?)

Topics covered include: Harrisburg man convicted as sex offender, sentenced to lengthy prison term; semi carrying scrap metal wrecks in Harrisburg, spilling cargo and closing a main road for several hours; and a woman from Murphysboro is sentenced in federal court on meth counts.

We hear a lot about police overstepping their bounds of authority in high-profile cases coming out of major metropolitan cities across the country.

But what about the smaller burgs, the places where the militarized, overglorified police persona is just beginning to take hold in the past few years? Small towns and towns that are nothing but holes in the road…like Ina, which wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for Big Muddy Correctional Center (prison)?

Yeah, they have their problems too.

We illustrate this little power struggle with an article originating out of Jefferson County (where Ina is located, just north of the Franklin County line) as it involves a Saline County resident. Here now is your noontime Read the Lead, Harrisburg man issued traffic tix in Jefferson County under questionable circumstances:

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Terry Henderson on left, with Bonnie Mahan

JEFFERSON/SALINE COs.—A July 8 incident in Jefferson County involving a Harrisburg man has created a situation wherein the man is stating his rights were violated, and the police are stating that the whole thing has been overblown.

Who will be proven correct, however, may be a matter for a Jefferson County judge to sort out; and Terry Henderson, 58, of Harrisburg, has stated for the record that he intends to follow through with a jury trial to prove that he was not in the wrong.

Blowout on the interstate

At about 6:40 p.m. on that date, Henderson, accompanied by his son Kody, was driving his truck and hauling a trailer south on Interstate 64 just south of the I-57/I-64 split when a tire blew out on the left side of the trailer’s front axle. Unfortunately, he realized that he had everything with him to change the tire except a lug wrench.

He said that knowing the Ina exit was approximately four miles ahead, they decided to limp the truck along and call his girlfriend, Bonnie Rister Mahan, to bring the proper tools for the tire change.

Driving easy with flashers on, they proceeded on to Ina; however, the truck developed problems, and quit running. Over the course of the two miles, and after coming to a stop on the shoulder of the interstate, the truck stopped and started several times until they made it to the truck stop in Ina. There, they gassed up and assessed the situation: the truck stop was extremely busy and congested; they didn’t have the lug wrench yet; and they determined that because the trailer was a tandem axle and drivable with three of the four wheels intact, they believed it was drivable. To save Mahan some time, Henderson told her they would head south on Illinois 37 and meet her somewhere between Ina and Whittington.

Driving cautiously because of the blown tire, Henderson said they were pulling through the little village (which literally only still exists because of its proximity to Big Muddy Correctional Center and the funds that prison brings in to city coffers for infrastructure and a few perks), and, to his detriment, did a slow-and-roll through one of the few stop signs in town, at the intersection with Route 37. As they did so, Henderson said they saw lights flashing; the village’s police officer on duty had seen the whole thing and was stopping Henderson.

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To read the rest of this article, click the headline link above the excerpt if you have an online membership to the e-Edition; or, if you don’t, simply click this link here to get started on your subscription today. And if you prefer to pick up a hard copy of this month’s issue, check out one of our many vendors across southern Illinois, including in Saline County ROC One-Stop at both Harrisburg locations, both Eldorado locations, Galatia and Carrier Mills; and in Harrisburg, Discount Food Mart, M&H Liquors and Book Emporium, in Raleigh, Raleigh Quick Mart, and in Eldorado, College Drive Liquors. Hurry…in just a little more than ONE WEEK, the new issue will be on the stands!