MONROE CO.—A Monroe County arrest of a former Carrier Mills woman has left Saline County residents who know her shaking their heads over the situation, and those who don’t know her wondering just what on earth is going on with her.

Mallary Nolen Jarrett, 27, formerly of Carrier Mills and currently of Red Bud in Randolph County, managed to find trouble on the afternoon of January 7 when she traveled to the village of Waterloo in neighboring Monroe County to, say authorities, rob the Quick Cash store armed with a toy weapon.

Jarrett is a daughter of Jeff Nolen, who is a son of former Saline County lawman Jack Nolen, who died four years ago this June after a long battle with cancer.

The escapade that landed her in lockup reads like a script from a dime-store crime novel, but according to police in Waterloo, it’s really real…and absolutely inexplicable.

Left elderly hubby at home

Authorities indicate that on the afternoon of January 7, Jarrett left her ailing, 78-year-old husband, Bill Jarrett (who is recovering from a stroke), at their home in Red Bud and traveled to Waterloo.

Around 3:30 p.m., Jarrett entered the Quick Cash on North Market Street in Waterloo and asked the clerk for paperwork in order to take out a loan (Quick Cash, like a lot of “quick-loan” or “payday loan” facilities, has an application process). The clerk handed Jarrett the papers, and Jarrett walked out of the store, but didn’t leave the front of the building. Instead, said the store clerk, the woman “paced nervously” back and forth in front of the store.

Momentarily, Jarrett re-entered the store and advised the clerk she “had a gun and her boyfriend was outside in a car.”

Jarrett then was reported to have demanded the clerk hand over all the money she had available…which turned out to not be a lot: $131 in the cash drawer.

Nevertheless, Jarrett took it, put it in a plastic shopping back, then ran back outside. The clerk saw her run across Market Street and into a subdivision called Pautler Heights.

At that point, about 3:54 p.m., the clerk placed a 911 call to report the crime, and gave a description of the woman who had just robbed the store, describing Jarrett, a brunette, as a woman in her 20s or 30s, with long blonde hair, clothed all in black, and wearing a black hat.

Caught

It didn’t take long for responding officers to find her: Officers caught up with Jarrett only about a block away on Waterloo Drive.

They discovered she was wearing a blonde wig.

In her possession was a plastic bag with $131 in it….and she had with her a plastic BB gun. Jarrett was brought in for questioning and lodged in the Monroe County jail, with Illinois State Police crime scene authorities examining the scene.

While one of Jarrett’s arresting charges was armed robbery (with the qualifier being that she used a lethal weapon in the commission of the crime of robbery), the next day, Monroe County state’s attorney Kris Reitz reduced that count; she was charged with Aggravated Robbery instead, this owing to the fact that the “gun” was a plastic toy gun, reportedly with the orange tip (used to ensure identification of “not a real gun”) blacked out with some substance.

And, as it turned out, there was no one else in the vehicle with her—boyfriend or otherwise—when authorities called a tow to take it away from the scene. It was registered only to Jarrett and her elderly husband, whose response to the entire mess remains unreported in mainstream media and whom Disclosure was unable to contact.

The history

Jarrett’s father, Jeff Nolen, became legendary in Saline and surrounding counties when Jarrett was young, for a bank robbery, not because he got away with it, but because the way in which he conducted it, and what he was doing when he was found afterwards, showed he suffered from a classic case of the dumbs.

Reports indicate that Nolen traveled to the bank in Stonefort on a stolen motorcycle, walked into the business without even covering his face, managed to get money, went back to the bike and returned to his trailer just a few miles away.

When police responded to the trailer, they reportedly found the bike and some of the money. The rest of the money had reportedly been spent on not only meth, but material to make more, which Nolen was supposedly found in the process of cooking when he was interrupted by the law.

In that ensuing time, he was charged with a multitude of serious crimes in Saline, Williamson and Johnson counties, including Theft, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Financial Exploitation of the Elderly, Possession of Meth, Retail Theft, Bad Check and he is currently working his way through court in Saline on a Narcotics charge, filed against him in late 2013.

Reports out of Carrier Mills indicate that Nolen’s other daughters have suffered some substance abuse issues, possibly from having such a bad example set for them.

However, everyone’s responsible for his or her own actions, as Jarrett has since discovered.

The questions arising in Saline County from the incident bear more on what the girl was doing married to a man 50 years her senior than they do on the alleged robbery…as if people were not surprised to hear that she had been charged with such a crime. Disclosure was unable to gather anything more from anyone questioning such a circumstance except for the fact that they are questioning it.

There’s been no indication of when Nolen’s subsequent court appearances will be; as of press time, she was still being held on $50,000 bail ($5,000 cash bond) in Monroe County.

Kyle Eichorn is shown in a photo from his Facebook page, where he has complained mightily about the pain he’s in…but according to Saline County officials, he was feeling no pain when he crashed his vehicle head-on into a coal truck in the very early morning of Saturday, November 29, as they allege he had a combination of drugs, alcohol and pot in his system at the time of the crash, this following a night of partying…probably on the road, and endangering others all night long.

SALINE CO.—The driver in a horrific Harco Road crash in late November has been charged in Saline County with multiple DUI and Driving with Substance in Blood or Urine counts in the wreck.

Despite incessant griping to the contrary by family and friends, Kyle Wayne Eichorn, 18, of Golconda, was tested and the results of those tests turned over to the state’s attorney’s office in Saline for prosecution…and all tests conducted produced drugs, substances or compounds that are illicit and, in the case of an underage drinker, illegal for Eichorn to have been consuming in the hours preceding the crash.

Illinois State Police and Saline County Sheriff’s Office reports indicate that the wreck occurred around 5:30 a.m. on Saturday, November 29, 2014, when Eichorn was southbound on Harco just south of Mt. Moriah Road in a black 2011 Chevy Cruze. That vehicle left the west side of the roadway before striking a guard rail, then traveling into the northbound lane of traffic, where it struck an coal truck-trailer combination head-on.

The coal truck driver was uninjured; Eichorn and a passenger in his vehicle, Nick Vincellette, also 18, were severely injured and were flown to Deaconess in Evansville for treatment.

Filed January 9

Saline authorities waited until Eichorn was released from the hospital (so they wouldn’t have to pay for any of his treatment, which is what happens if a person is charged while undergoing treatment in any facility) and, on January 9, filed a multi-count set of charges against Eichorn.

The first is Aggravated Driving with a Drug, Substance or Compound in Blood or Urine, alleging that he was involved in a motor vehicle accident, which injured another person (Vincelette), with a drug, substance or compound in his blood or urine resulting from the unlawful use of the consumption of cannabis, which rendered him incapable of driving safely.

The second count involves all the same factors, with the drug, substance or compound in blood or urine being methamphetamine.

The third count involves all the same factors, with the drug, substance or compound in blood or urine being benzodiazepine (the active ingredient commonly found in painkillers and anti-anxiety medication, including Xanax).

The fourth count is Aggravated driving with an Alcohol Concentration of .08 or more, said concentration found in “blood or breath” as per testing following the wreck.

The fifth count is Aggravated Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol.

YOLO

So to say Eichorn is in a lot of trouble is an understatement.

However, to hear him tell it, he didn’t do anything wrong…he was just applying the “yolo” (You Only Live Once) mentality to his cruising around the countryside, which is what teens in this permissive age seem to live by. Unfortunately, many of them die by it as well; Austin German, 21, another area hellraiser from Hardin County, managed to kill himself in just such a car wreck only a month before Eichorn’s, this after just a few months prior being issued a DUI in that county.

Further, Eichorn’s supporters were, in the hours and days after his wreck, griping that Disclosure was opining that it appeared Eichorn had been partying the night before, this judging by his multiple Facebook posts about, of course, drinking and road tripping. Supporters whined that “those are just song lyrics!!” and didn’t mean Eichorn was actually drinking and driving.

Those supporters are now strangely silent in the face of the very serious charges.

Illinois has a “zero tolerance” underage drinking law, which gives the state the ability to remove a teen’s driver’s license altogether for a stated period of time (up to several years) if the prosecutor and judge agree that the situation is egregious enough to call for it.

Where’s the money?

The likelihood of the punishment, however, will probably be more like weekends in jail and enormous fines and fees, is more viable.

Eichorn’s family may have to rely on his grandmother, Barbara Wingo, to pay out those massive fines, perhaps out of her multiple Subway restaurant investments in Paducah, Kentucky, since there’s been something of a stifling of her southern Illinois not-for-profit business venture, Anna Bixby Women’s Center.

The center has been under an Illinois Attorney General investigation since October of 2014, that investigation centering on possible misappropriation of funds throughout the operation’s 36 years.

The center is operating, and checks are being cut, but the Wingo/Eichorn clan are not exactly functioning in the manner in which they’re used to doing for the majority of their lives.

Wingo’s daughter Terrie Eichorn has been giving vent to drunken rants on her Facebook page since Disclosure began writing about the AG investigation in early December (interestingly, about the same time the details of her son’s wreck emerged.)

Terrie’s husband Wayne Eichorn has found himself having to rely on another mode of transportation since the AG’s office demanded that he park the center’s van at the office in Harrisburg and not utilize it again. This misuse of the vehicle—paid for by public funds—is somewhat of an outrage considering that Wayne Eichorn is employed by the state of Illinois on the highway department.

Outrage

That fact causes further outrage for some, considering the fact that the Eichorns have in recent years been granted Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds to improve at least one home they own; this was facilitated because Wayne Eichorn sat on the HUD board.

This action managed to get him removed from the board…but there was no information Disclosure could find that indicated that he was required to pay the funds back, like he was asked to pay back misuse of the county’s credit card in the last years of his term on the county board, when he went on a spending spree at Hooters and other locations, and purchased satellite TV packages for his family at the county’s expense.

The entitlement mentality that the Wingo-Eichorn clan has been possessed of for decades now may be coming to an end with Kyle Eichorn’s very serious charges, as now any subsequent bad behavior on his part is going to get more and more expensive, as well as labor-intensive for those who are tasked with taking care of him. And judging by his bad attitude as displayed on social networking pages, it doesn’t appear the wreck has changed him, nor is his attitude going to improve anytime soon.

Todd Fort’s most recent sex offender registry mug

SALINE CO.—A mid-December ruling by the Appellate Court in Mt. Vernon has remanded the appeal of former Saline County chief deputy Todd Fort back to Saline County, and mainstream media in the area is busy spinning that to make it sound like a good thing for Fort.

But in actuality, the situation is largely under control as it regards a court case…and it’s not as complicated as Fort’s attorney, Darrell Dunham of Carbondale, is making it out to be in that same mainstream media.

The obvious bias Saline County media is displaying toward the subject of Fort’s lawsuit, Mike Henshaw, is only thinly disguised in coverage of the matter, including ignoring the reality of evidence that was presented in the court hearing held December 3, 2013, that Fort and Dunham took to the appeals court and lost the argument of having the case heard there.

This isn’t stopping either one of them, though, apparently, and both have issued to the media that’s covering the case from their fantasy-land angle that they’re hopeful to prevail in Saline County court on a re-hearing, despite the fact that a judge from the Second Circuit, brought in on a conflict with those in the First Circuit, has already determined that the case has no merit on the face of it.

Bizarre case

The case developed when Fort sought out Disclosure in early 2013 after returning from his sentence in the 2010 Criminal Sexual Assault case that ended his decades-long career in law enforcement.

Questioning Disclosure staff about Henshaw and what occurred during the investigation of his case—which landed him on the sex offender registry for life after it was proven that he had an affair with a then-17-year-old female intern at the sheriff’s department—Fort twisted information he elicited from staff to suit his own agenda, which was this: He was enraged that Disclosure had placed on their website recorded conversations between himself and numerous individuals in February of 2012, recordings which are still available at the site. In June of 2013, on the eve of his victim’s wedding, he marched into the courthouse, followed by lapdog television news outlets, and filed suit against, not Disclosure, but Saline County State’s Attorney Mike Henshaw, for turning the recordings over to Disclosure, this after Fort’s plea was over in October of 2011 and he had already been sent to prison.

To hear mainstream media tell it, it appeared Henshaw just gleefully handed said recordings over to the paper, unprompted.

However, this same mainstream media wasn’t present in the courtroom at the White County courthouse Dec. 3, 2013, when Judge Mark Stanley heard the evidence presented: Disclosure, interested in the calls for valid reasons (in particular, evidentiary value in the sex assault case, as well as identification of anyone who was actually backing Fort, as the majority of the calls regarded who among his friends and colleagues were busy donating to his bond and defense), first contacted the facility where Fort was held, Jackson County Detention Center in Murphysboro, seeking to submit a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request.

Chased down the records

Jackson County advised that the Illinois State Police was the custodial agency for evidence (which is what the recorded calls were considered, as in any phone call made from a jail facility, which each inmate is told by an automated message at the time the call is placed), so Disclosure contacted Stacy Kinter, the lead agent in the case.

Kinter advised that all evidence had been turned over to the Saline County State’s Attorney’s office upon conclusion of the case, so Disclosure contacted that office to inquire if the material would be made available were a FOIA to be submitted.

The paper was told that the recordings would be, and at that point, the FOIA was submitted and answered within a few days, as everything that had to do with the Fort case hadn’t been archived yet and was sitting available.

Delay in release; problems with sound file; flaky Dunham

The material wasn’t released immediately because it was submitted to the public as a joint presentation online and in print, in February 2012.

Problems, however, with the application the website used to post sound files developed, and that problem couldn’t be overcome on the particular platform the website used, and so no further calls were posted except for about 41 minutes of them, once. The print version continued to carry the transcript of the calls for several months, until the public in general decided there was no more interest in the case, and the calls, presented by transcript, were discontinued.

Much of those simple facts were already public knowledge (either in print or at the website) or were brought out in the court setting Dec. 3, 2013. Mainstream media has chosen to overlook the obvious, however, and continues to aver to the very flaky Dunham’s assertion that:

Henshaw did something surreptitious by submitting the recordings to Disclosure;

Disclosure did something wrong by presenting the calls, which are public record;

Fort was harmed in some way by all of it (as if the conviction wasn’t harm enough.)

Among Dunham’s flakier gripes at the hearing in late 2013 was that the FOIA was somehow fudged, and demanded of the judge that Disclosure turn over—more than two years after the fact—the original FOIA submitted to Henshaw so that it could be “tested and analyzed and the ink analyzed for authenticity and dating (age).”

Harassment

Why Fort, with these facts available to him at the time of his June 2013 filing, chose to follow through with the case anyway is one of those mysteries that remain unsolved.

It would appear that the suit is little but a method of harassment for Henshaw, whom Fort has stated he never liked, and who has somehow come to be of the belief that Henshaw doesn’t like him (the fact that Henshaw made the decision to prosecute the case instead of calling someone else in to do it on a conflict notwithstanding), especially in light of the fact that Stanley has already ruled that Henshaw was within his rights to have answered the FOIA submitted to his office. Dunham, at that hearing, tried to argue that the Supreme Court had ruled that state’s attorneys weren’t subject to FOIA, and that Henshaw didn’t have to answer the request, but he did, which in Dunham’s argument showed that he was “targeting” Henshaw. Only one problem remained with that: The Supreme Court’s ruling was made in May of 2013, a year and a half after Henshaw had been FOIA’d by this paper. Henshaw’s attorney, Karen McNaught, pointed that out, leaving Dunham sputtering on the courtroom floor…and leaving those in the courtroom to wonder when the last time was he had actually cracked open a law book (the SC, by the way, has since reversed their decision and has determined that state’s attorneys are indeed subject to FOIA.)

Missteps and mistakes

The case has been remanded back to Saline County, with the Appellate Court refusing to hear any more on it, and not issuing a ruling at all except that in their opinion, Dunham’s base argument—that of “sovereign immunity,” only a facet of his overall complaint, which basically states that state’s attorneys can’t be sued for doing their job, which is what Henshaw was doing both when he charged and prosecuted Fort, as well as answered a FOIA—is one for the state courts to decide, not the appeals courts.

That Stanley had already dismissed the Fort case out of hand in late December 2013 apparently matters not to Dunham or to Fort.

Dunham has been blustering in mainstream media that Fort’s case “still has life” mainly because “Henshaw is very unpopular in Saline County”…another mistaken impression Dunham has, and one of many missteps made in a long line of ridiculous assertions and actions that has cost either him, or his client, a lot of wasted time and money.

There has been no court date set for Stanley to hear any more of Fort’s flawed reasonings in the case.

Todd Fort put in a personal appearance at the White County Courthouse in Carmi on December 3, 2013, where the case he’d filed in June of that year had been transferred on a venue change due to no judge in the First Circuit (where Saline County sits) being able to hear the case because of conflicts with either the petitioner (Fort) or defendant (Mike Henshaw, a former chief judge) and a past working relationship with both. Judge Mark Stanley heard the case on that day, and tossed it out, ruling that Fort didn’t have a valid pleading against Henshaw for various reasons, one of them being sovereign immunity, but another being that he was duly FOIA’d...a point mainstream media seems determined to carefully and consistently overlook.

Is there more to the story?

The photo at right shows Xzavier Gibbs, in cammo on left, being all gangsta...but Gibbs now stands charged with attempted murder in a late 2014 shooting.

SALINE CO.— Shootings in Carrier Mills and Harrisburg lit up social media at the end of 2014, and has created a somewhat puzzling situation as regards the prime suspect in the case.

It appears that while authorities believe they’ve got their man, they don’t have him in custody; and instead, the main suspect, 17-year-old Xzavier Gibbs, as well as his family members, are all completely oblivious to the fact that a charge of Attempted First Degree Murder has been filed and a warrant issued for the Harrisburg teen, who is apparently flitting back and forth between Harrisburg and Evansville, unapprehended and possibly unaware that he’s in so much trouble.

When Disclosure submitted a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act request) for mugshots and included Xzavier Gibbs in the request, the photo at right was sent. It is unknown when this photo of Gibbs was taken, but it wasn’t in connection with the current charge of Attempted Murder, since as of press time, he’d not been arrested.

The same social networking sites that were ablaze with concern over the shooting on the night of December 28, 2014, which injured one Bobby Evans of Harrisburg, are being utilized by Gibbs and his family members as a means of communication, and if they ARE aware of the charges, they seem unfazed by them, and are just continuing on their online conversations as if nothing has happened.

In the meantime, Harrisburg police officials have run the gamut between being completely silent about the matter or, when they do issue comment about it, just proclaim that they’re “looking for him,” leading many to believe that they either can’t find him…or don’t want to.

And that has lead to much speculation that Gibbs may have been tagged as the fall guy in the shootings, meaning that the real gunman is still out there, and other Saline County residents might be the next to be caught in the crossfire of gangbanger wannabes, similar to the months during 2011-2012 when gunfire in the city’s north side was a common occurrence…and innocent bystanders the victims.

Boys playing basketball

The situation emerged at about 6 p.m. on that Sunday evening, when a group of boys playing basketball at the city park on Washington Street in Carrier Mills reported they were shot at.

No one was hit by this gunfire.

They described the perpetrators as black males wearing dark hoodies.

The males left the scene on foot, according to the boys; however, others in the area described a tan/harvest gold-colored four-door sedan as prowling the area both before and after the shooting incident.

Investigating authorities believed they’d spotted one man that fit the description of those involved in the shooting, this man spotted walking north on Route 45, but when he was stopped for questioning, he told the officer “I didn’t do anything!” and ran off. He was pursued but the officer, Carrier Mills police sergeant Mike Stover, lost sight of him.

There was no report that any officer had been able to pursue any vehicle fitting the description of the one the kids said was “prowling.”

This photo from 17-year-old Xzavier Gibbs’ Facebook page is not tagged (identifying anyone in the pic); however, it appears Gibbs is the one third from left. The thug-wannabes are shown pretending to “shoot”...giving rise to the suspected proclivities of those Gibbs hangs out with.

The North Jackson incident

Then, at about 8:30 p.m., reports began coming in to police that there had been a shooting in the yard at 505 North Jackson in Harrisburg.

There was one man injured at that location: Bobby R. Evans, 32.

Evans is the man who, in February 2003, shot one Remus Henning in the buttocks at Lakeside Bar in Harrisburg during a fiasco there.

Evans was charged with a single count of Attempted First Degree Murder, with a charge added later of Aggravated Discharge with a Firearm into an Occupied Vehicle.

However, because Henning survived the shooting with buttocks intact, on June 9, 2003, Evans entered a plea of guilty to the Aggravated Discharge count and agreed to a sentence of six years in Illinois Department of Corrections (of which he spent roughly half that).

He was also ordered to pay exactly $38,806.93 in fines and fees on that date of plea, most of it restitution to Henning…and to this day, he has paid nothing.

On the night of Dec. 28, 2014, Evans was shot in the chest. An ambulance was called and he was ultimately transported to a hospital out of the area, his injuries listed as non-life-threatening.

Evans was at the home of Makanda Moss when he was shot. Residents in the area were watching out the window the entire time during the shooting and response and recounting what they were seeing to Disclosure, including how police were reacting to some of the residents filming the incident (they were being told they “couldn’t film police,” which is a patent lie; there are no laws in effect in Illinois regarding VIDEO recording of public officials in the course of their duties).

Through drama that can only originate from the perception of being jilted, Evans’ girlfriend, Taryn Bishop, was bewailing the fact that Evans was at Moss’ residence when he was shot, effectively to anyone who would listen to her that night, many of whom reported this to Disclosure.

Meanwhile, Evans reported to police that he knew the shooter, and gave them a name.

That name was not Xzavier Gibbs.

Disclosure has the name of the man Evans identified. He is almost 27 years of age and lives in Harrisburg. He has no criminal record in Saline County and has not been identified by authorities as a suspect.

Other incidents unconfirmed

Police activity in the city of Harrisburg went on into the early morning hours of the 29th, with teams being set up to knock-and-talk with various people who were not classified as suspects or persons of interest, as well as to check out other reports of “possible shooting activity,” none of which panned out.

Whether Gibbs’ Harrisburg residence on West Baker Street was one of these on that particular evening remains unknown.

In an odd coincidental report, shortly before the shooting on North Jackson (literally, about drive time between the two cities), some kids reported to their parent that there had been a “shooting incident” at a basketball court adjacent to a church in Eldorado between 8 and 8:30 that Sunday night.

There was absolutely no official report of any such thing happening, and many opined that it might have been nothing but kids in Carrier Mills getting word out to friends in Eldorado, who subsequently reported that it was “a shooting” to their parents.

However, the timeline and insistence of those involved in Eldorado made the entire thing worrisome.

More worrisome was the fact that authorities were never able to directly connect the Carrier Mills incident with the Harrisburg incident, and as of press time, have not reversed their position on that. Authorities are stating that as far as they know, the two incidents are not related.

So if there was a third incident in Eldorado, it would mean that there were three incidents in a little over two hours across the county…a very strange situation.

Friends of Evans have told Disclosure that he frequently plays basketball in Carrier Mills; whether he was there during the 6 p.m. incident or not remains, as a lot of other things, unknown.

Motive: All of the above

A motive for the whole thing has been proposed by friends of all of those involved, and they advised this amounts to a situation of retribution in the shooting, although whether it has to do with pride, a female, money or drugs—or, as a couple of sources have put it, all of the above—hasn’t become clear yet.

While a “second shooter” has been suggested by law enforcement, whether it is Gibbs or the person Evans fingered hasn’t been made clear….so how Gibbs got drawn into the Harrisburg shooting mess remains unknown.

However, a warrant for his arrest was issued on Dec. 31.

Official sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, say the teen accused in the Dec. 28 shooting in Harrisburg is still on the run.

“He appears to be moving back and forth between Saline County and Evansville, Ind.,” the source said.

Gibbs stands accused of one count of Attempted First Degree Murder and one count of Aggravated Battery.

Cash bond on the warrant for the arrest of Xzavier Gibbs has been set at $50,000.

However, why, when authorities know exactly who Gibbs’ family is and it’s been made public that the warrant has been issued, no one has made an effort to collect up Gibbs and bring him in over the shooting remains—as most details in this very strange case—unknown.

A photo from Bobby Evans’ Facebook page, ostensibly of Evans.

HARRISBURG, Ill. – A press release from Saline County Sheriff Keith Brown is warning residents to be aware of a recent scam alert.

Residents have reported to the Sheriff’s Office that they have received calls, with the callers stating they are with Publisher’s Clearinghouse and to send money to the caller, for better chances of winning the Publisher’s Clearinghouse sweepstakes.

This is a scam; Publisher’s Clearinghouse states that no money is needed to apply for the sweepstakes, and no purchase increases the odds at winning the sweepstakes.

Residents are reminded that if it sounds to good to be true it is, and that they should not send money to anyone claiming to be from Publishers Clearinghouse Sweepstakes.

SALINE CO., Ill.---Nothing like helping the law along a little.

Our big front-page spread this issue---which hit the stands in Harrisburg yesterday morning and the e-Edition as early as 8 p.m. Monday night---is about the Carrier Mills boy who was charged December 31, 2014 with the Dec. 28 shooting of Bobby Evans, Jr., in Harrisburg.

It was all about how Gibbs, as well as, apparently, his family, were evidently oblivious to the arrest warrant issued for the 17-year-old at the time the charge of Attempted Murder was filed, as they were all over his Facebook page chit-chatting and having a good ol time, talking about Gibbs being in Evansville and his day-to-day doings...and nothing about his very serious charges.

Or, it could've been about the lack of effort authorities were putting into finding Gibbs. All they had to do was watch his social networking sites...which are filled with photos of the lil hoodlum posing with a gun tucked into his waistband.

Whatever you get out of the article, apparently SOMEONE got SOMETHING out of it...we've been notified that Gibbs was arrested yesterday afternoon, NOT on the Attempted Murder warrant, but on another warrant, this one for Home Invasion, probably something the hoodrat did as a juvenile, since there's nothing in the system up at the courthouse about it.

It remains unclear whether Gibbs will be attending court in Saline on the shooting. We'll try to keep you posted.

In the meantime, we're going to give you a Read the Lead this evening that encompasses the article, as it's now kind of an obsolete issue (but flying off the shelves like crazy at Saline vendors...get out and get yours if you haven't already...there's a lot more to it than just Gibbs' charges.) Here's that Read the Lead, Year-end shooting: No suspects in custody... yet.

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The photo at right shows Xzavier Gibbs, in cammo on left, being all gangsta...but Gibbs now stands charged with attempted murder in a late 2014 shooting.

SALINE CO.— Shootings in Carrier Mills and Harrisburg lit up social media at the end of 2014, and has created a somewhat puzzling situation as regards the prime suspect in the case.

It appears that while authorities believe they’ve got their man, they don’t have him in custody; and instead, the main suspect, 17-year-old Xzavier Gibbs, as well as his family members, are all completely oblivious to the fact that a charge of Attempted First Degree Murder has been filed and a warrant issued for the Harrisburg teen, who is apparently flitting back and forth between Harrisburg and Evansville, unapprehended and possibly unaware that he’s in so much trouble.

The same social networking sites that were ablaze with concern over the shooting on the night of December 28, 2014, which injured one Bobby Evans of Harrisburg, are being utilized by Gibbs and his family members as a means of communication, and if they ARE aware of the charges, they seem unfazed by them, and are just continuing on their online conversations as if nothing has happened.

In the meantime, Harrisburg police officials have run the gamut between being completely silent about the matter or, when they do issue comment about it, just proclaim that they’re “looking for him,” leading many to believe that they either can’t find him…or don’t want to.

And that has lead to much speculation that Gibbs may have been tagged as the fall guy in the shootings, meaning that the real gunman is still out there, and other Saline County residents might be the next to be caught in the crossfire of gangbanger wannabes, similar to the months during 2011-2012 when gunfire in the city’s north side was a common occurrence…and innocent bystanders the victims.

Boys playing basketball

The situation emerged at about 6 p.m. on that Sunday evening, when a group of boys playing basketball at the city park on Washington Street in Carrier Mills reported they were shot at.

No one was hit by this gunfire.

They described the perpetrators as black males wearing dark hoodies.

The males left the scene on foot, according to the boys; however, others in the area described a tan/harvest gold-colored four-door sedan as prowling the area both before and after...

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To read the rest of this very detailed article, click the headline link above the excerpt if you have an online membership to the e-Edition; if you don't have one, get started by clicking this link here! Or, if you'd rather hold a paper in your hands, visit one of our many vendors, including in Saline County, Discount Food Mart on Main Street in Harrisburg, Book Emporium on Gum Street behind Hardee's (open back up in the morning) or Raleigh Quick Mart in Raleigh. Hurry...this one's a special edition, only on stands for three weeks!!

ELDORADO, Ill.---Despite calls by some for "justice" in the death of a one-month-old baby girl in the city of Eldorado, family of the parents have advised that the infant's death is likely attributed to an accidental suffocation.

Gabriella Stevens was the subject of a 911 in the early morning hours of Tuesday, January 19 (about 3 a.m.) after her father, Michael K. Stevens, 30, found her unresponsive. She was taken to Ferrell Hospital in Eldorado, where she was pronounced dead. Illinois State Police are investigating.

Family of both Stevens as well as Gabriella's mother, Tiffany Feazel, 27, advised that the baby "had her days and nights mixed up," and would sleep all day and be up all night. On that day, however, the family had to travel to a funeral in Missouri, so Stevens told Feazel to sleep that night (as she was going to be doing the driving) and he would stay up all night with the baby if she were going to be up, the opposite of how it had been being done with her. They were to get ready to leave at 3 a.m.

Instead, Stevens lay down in a bed with the baby, and he fell asleep. When he awoke, this was when she was found unresponsive. Reports indicate that there was blood coming from her nose and mouth; these are unconfirmed by officials and mentioned only by family.

Family also report that Stevens was beside himself at the hospital, claiming he'd killed his infant daughter. However, it appears to have been an accidental suffocation, and while the Illinois State Police Child Death Task Force is looking into the situation, there doesn't appear to have been any foul play. While one contributor to this article has mentioned that Stevens has a "long" criminal history, that doesn't appear to be the case; he has a few petty charges, most of those having to do with being illegally in possession of ammunition, and certainly nothing having to do with violence or harm to another human.

The couple has another child, a boy, age 4. Stevens has a daughter as well.

Here's Ang with your Nightly NewsCap for the evening of Wednesday, January 21, 2015!

Topics covered include: Xzavier Gibbs arrested on a home invasion warrant...but what about the Attempted Murder charge?; month-old infant dies in Eldorado, ISP is involved in investigation; and Governor Rauner is involved in a four-vehicle traffic crash in Chicago.

HAMILTON CO., Ill.---The specter of the Earp/Trout trash that still, apparently, haunts southern Illinois to this day has arisen again, this time yesterday in Broughton in Hamilton County.

We were notified last night not long after 6 p.m. that there was a lot of activity at the Royse residence in Broughton, said activity involving a rollback (tow truck) and several police vehicles.

According to those in Broughton, present at the Royse residence was child sex offender Jonathan Trout, a member of the Earp/Trout bunch whose credibility in the area was decimated after the acquittal of Texan Brandon Jenkins in 2012.

Daniel Royse

According to judici, one Daniel Royse, 24, was cited for (and apparently arrested) on a number of conservation violations, including Unlawful Transport of a Weapon, a Class B misdemeanor, Unlawful Taking or Possessing a Deer, also a Class B misdemeanor, and Multiple Violations of Commercial Game law, a Class 4 felony, the nearest we can figure being that Royse is accused of trespassing and taking deer.

It was reported to us that four-wheelers were removed from the premises.

While there's no indication of what Trout was arrested for as it appeared on judici, he's in Doug Maier's House of U-Been-Bad (White County Jail), as shown here.

Jonathan Trout

Trout is constantly, non-stop in trouble, and since his sex offense in 2009 when he was a mere 16-year-old and entered a plea to raping a 12-year-old girl in Marion County, he has been constantly in violation of Illinois' sex offender registry (it's possible that he has a reading and comprehension problem which makes it impossible for him to understand what he's supposed to do as a child sex offender, which is to register with the sheriff's office in the county where he takes up residence. He's transient and has, over the past several years, been living in numerous Illinois counties including Saline and Richland, as well as the states of Indiana and Kentucky). Trout's older half-brother, Michael Scott Earp, was shot to death in a struggle over a weapon Jenkins was wielding, with the trial in April and May in Richland County showing that Earp actually shot himself. Trout's other older half-brother, Flavius Doug Earp, supposedly struck a deal with prosecutor David Hyde---who inexplicably continued for years, from 2006 until just recently, to show favor to the violent thug clan---to get out of the state and seek and keep gainful employment so he wouldn't face serious punishment for his felonies related to the Jenkins matter. And Trout's useless father, Ricky L. ("Rickelle") Trout continues to wend his way in and out of county and state lockups, as no one seems to want to do anything to or with him.

However, the whole dangerous bunch continues to pop up in Hamilton County, where it seems prosecutor Justin Hood is hard-pressed to deal with them. What's happened that's landed Trout in White County's lockup is anyone's guess...and we'll try to bring that to you Monday. Check back often, however, as there's always some well-meaning soul who might have witnessed something and can fill us in on the details in advance.

It's been a rowdy news day in the Disclosure area, with articles coming in from all over, north and south, and so Ang has it for you for your Nightly NewsCap, on the evening of Friday, January 23, 2015!

Topics covered include: Edwards County crims get sentenced; former Gallatin County state's attorney Keely Dobbs-Wright is hooked up with the wrong guy AGAIN; Robinson man busted on burglary charges in Crawford County; and a member of the Earp/Trout bunch rears his ugly head in Hamilton County with the arrest of a Broughton man associated.

It's on the stands and it's flying off the shelves...and the e-Edition day passes are mounting up...it's the January/February special edition (second of the month of January) 2015! And we're going to give you a little preview of what's in it by posting THIS MONTH'S PRINT HEADLINES, which are a view of each article in this issue complete with a synopsis of the article. Each print headline is preceded by the dateline (where the info in the article took place in the readership area) and followed by the synopsis; they are split up by presentation in order of appearance: Front Page, Back Page (second front page), pages 2 and 3, Egypt, Heartland, Central and Op-Ed. And now, without further ado, here are THIS MONTH'S PRINT HEADLINES!

FRONT PAGE

This photo from 17-year-old Xzavier Gibbs’ Facebook page is not tagged (identifying anyone in the pic); however, it appears Gibbs is the one third from left. The thug-wannabes are shown pretending to “shoot”...giving rise to the suspected proclivities of those Gibbs hangs out with.

SALINE CO.---Year-end shooting: No suspects in custody...yet: The article that's blowing this one off the stands in Saline County has already has something of a resolution, less than 24 hours after the e-Edition hit Monday night. Pressure much, Harrisburg popo? Maybe. Otherwise, how would you explain that a 17-year-old Carrier Mills-based punk can run the streets unapprehended WEEKS after he was charged with Attempted Murder in Saline, including the streets of an Indiana city (Evansville)? So even though he's been arrested, it's on ANOTHER warrant...and the victim is saying something very interesting. Read this article to see what's going on. No one else is going to tell you this stuff, we guarantee.

RICHLAND CO.---Meth crowd shudders: Will cook/dealer case go federal?: What it amounts to in the meth world these days is that local prosecutors, overburdened with traffic tickets, DUIs, OP violations and the like, have to turn certain cases over to the feds if we want them taken care of. I mean, David Hyde, in Richland, is BURDENED. He has only ONE assistant, he has to drive all the way from north of Robinson just to get to the courthouse, he has to preach on weekends and Wednesdays, and he has to give free legal advice to domestic batterers and convicted meth heads. Of course, there always exists the possibility that that nonsense will soon be coming to an abrupt end. As to the local meth crowd...they're still worried that their pill-buying sprees are going to go fed. And for good reason.

Todd Fort’s most recent sex offender registry mug

SALINE CO.---Case tossed out of appeal: Todd Fort is still living in his delusion that tidbits of information tossed to him two years ago were actually factual. Here's a hint for you, Todd: You know as well as anyone that when police are questioning someone, they can lie; there's no law against that. Guess what? Same goes for journalists just trying to get to the bottom of something...you know, like child molestation. Have fun with that, Todd. In the meantime, readers, here's the latest on Todd's foray into a hopeless situation, trying to sue a sitting prosecutor for FOLLOWING THE LAW.

Yep. That's Eric Lamb.

JASPER CO.---County deputy under scrutiny after fight: A lot of people know that a lot of deputies and city cops are just violent and brutal. A lot of people have been victims of this rising issue, something we've been writing about since our inception in 2003, nothing new here. This article, however, is something new. About an old subject, true...but we've never quite had the confirmation on the matter that we do now. See why this issue is flying off the shelves in Jasper and surrounding counties...it has to do with this article.

BACK PAGE

Kyle Eichorn. YOLO, dude.

SALINE CO.---Authorities: Pot methamphetamine, pills and alcohol found in blood of DUI driver: But, but....he was just quoting song lyrics! Just coz he quotes song lyrics doesn't mean he's really underage-drinking and driving...and partying...with meth...and pot...and pills....or does it? The results of the crash that occurred in November are here in this report as filed by the state police in Saline involving one of the most miscreant of all the little hoodlums in Hardin County who think that because of "who they are," they can get away with anything. Let's hope, this time, Kyle Eichorn does not.

MONROE CO.---Carrier Mills woman hemmed up on robbery in Waterloo: The offspring of one of Saline's more notorious crims---who's eight kinds of pissed off that we ran his history in this article---has gotten in trouble in a southwestern Illinois county. Read all about what it is she's alleged to have done...and watch for the head-scratchers, because they're certainly there.

HAMILTON CO.---Woman castrates neighbor's dogs: A rural Thompsonville woman is in hot water because of "banding" her neighbor's dogs--something to which she readily admits--in an effort to stop puppy production. Apparently, this is easier than asking for canine child support. Unfortunately, it's cost her a felony charge.

PAGE 2

SALINE CO.---Allegations of improper relationship with patient: Contrary to the defensive posturing by this woman and her friends, Julie Handwerk is in a whole lot of trouble, officially...the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulations has come down on her AGAIN. Might be why her house is up for sale...?

SALINE CO.---New info emerges in alleged Nashville shoplifting trip: Think you know all there is to know about the two Saline County women who were busted in Nashville in early January? You do not. But if you read this, you WILL. And, believe it or not...there's a follow-up coming up in the February 11 issue!

SALINE CO.---RN from 'rado subject of Kentucky traffic stop: Along with all the screeches of "shay deedunt dew eeyut!!" (say that with a southern Illinois accent and you'll understand it) comes a few revelations about what we suspected occurred in the case of the former RN from Eldorado getting stopped in Kentucky for speeding. Also...yes, her history IS indeed pertinent to this article, so it's in there.

PAGE 3

SALINE CO.---More Gregg financial woes: Kid welches on student loan debt; takes mom down with her: If Eric Gregg's family could get their spending under control, they wouldn't be in the mess they are now. Or, conversely, if he weren't such a useless waste of taxpayers' money and hadn't been for the past several years, holding jobs and positions illegally after he was appointed to a well-paying state job, he wouldn't be in the headlines, as well as making up shit about us on topix. But...scum gotta scum, so there he is.

EGYPT

Courtney Godwin

SALINE CO.---'Victim' in last summer's "abduction" case returns to jail on Identity Theft: Chubby lil Courtney Godwin, still in trouble, still making headlines, still tormenting her grandparents. Someone lock her away until she learns to behave...?

WILLIAMSON CO.---Former prosecutor charged with battery: The newly-resigned prosecutor of Pulaski County might not've come to our attention here if he'd just have taken care of a problem in that county, namely sheriff Randy Kern...nor, we'd guess, if he hadn't gotten into a physical altercation with a chick in Marion. Here's another Marcher who thinks he can take to topix to slander us or slow us down in any way...wish he'd have thought of that when he was dealing with Kern molesting women in his county....

GALLATIN CO.---Man barred from Shawneetown Dollar General: The Gallatin County crim report, which features, as it usually does, Shawneetown's only shopping spot.

WILLIAMSON CO.---Suicide in Marion a mystery: This may be the only place you'll read anything about the strange suicide that occurred in a vehicle in Marion in mid-January.

SALINE CO.---Harrisburg 'Breaking Bad' thief charged with bringing drugs into county jail: If someone's going to emulate a TV show, why can't they emulate The Walking Dead? Just sayin.

SALINE CO.---Teen driver found passed out in roadway: Kid might get rehab. We might get phone calls. Because people get pissy about us reporting this kind of stuff, since help so young and all.

SALINE CO.---Convicted sex offender busted with pills after caught speeding: Good God what ELSE could he do...? Oh yeah, I guess he could've had a crash while DUI and killed somebody. Thank goodness for small favors.

Jessica Vailes

SALINE CO.---Drunk domestic lands Eldorado woman behind bars, elbowed officer: Which goes to show...them domestics can get dangerous for cops, dontchano.

Shavon Crim. THANKS, GURL!!

SALINE CO.---Suspected thieves fill court docket, booze, air pistol, hot checks and identity theft listed: We'd like to thank Shavon Crim for getting arrested and charged, as she's nearly single-handedly giving us a 25 percent increase in sales since this issue hit. Her story's in this article.

Bryan Parker

SALINE CO.---'Rado man jailed after drinking at the Legion: Man, it's getting to where you can't go out and have a cold one anymore. Especially if afterwards you go beat up your old lady. Not that we're saying that's what he did, mind you.

SALINE CO.---Harrisburg man jailed after allegedly hitting a grandmother, and and corrections officer: I don't know where he screwed up worse...hitting the grandma, hitting the aunt, or hitting the CO. Allegedly, of course.

HARDIN CO.---Hardin prosecutor limping her way through her first and most likely only term: Tara-ble Tara Wallace...screwing up in the courtroom. It's been two years, for God's sake...step it up, girl.

HEARTLAND

MARION CO.---Two men charged with separate sex crimes against children in Marion County: Major breaking news on deadline out of Marion County, about how two men were found out to allegedly be molesting youngsters in their presence.

CRAWFORD CO.---Credit card company goes after arsonist while he sits in IDOC: Whitey Fuller is in trouble with a creditor, this while he's sitting in DOC.

CLARK CO.---Clark Co. Electoral Board ignores election law: We have yet another case of ignorant people allowing our elections to run improperly. Hopefully, the Watchdogs will prevail in this one...this situation repeats itself all over the state, and represents why we're in such serious trouble, government-wise.

Randy Peterson. It just don't get much more redneckish than this, boys...

EDGAR CO.---Questions arise over Edgar GOP chairman: And if you didn't need another reason to worry about elections and political parties, you need look no further than Edgar County, where the Republican Party chairman is a crim. Bad enough some party chairs are just morally reprehensible individuals, but this guy...? Unbelievable. Read this to see his record, and see if you support having someone like this running YOUR political party.

CRAWFORD CO.---Robinson woman gets 20 days jail and probation for yelling and squealing tires: But hey...she looks happy about it!!

JASPER CO.---Charged in beating of handicapped man: And what could be more offensive than beating such a person...?

CRAWFORD CO.---Out of state elderly men among those facing drug charges: Dope. It's not just for vapid 20-somethings and dumbed-down 30-somethings.

CENTRAL

Jerry Schnicker Jr.

HAMILTON CO.---Son of precinct committeeman sentenced for sending lewd photos to young girl: Resolution to a 2012 case that some believed wasn't prosecuted quickly because it was politically-motivated. Please. If you had any idea how long it takes to get just the evidence in a case like this, you'd understand a little better.

EDWARDS CO.---Richland crossover crim wrecks car in Edwards while living in Crossville: It's widely believed that Derek Randolph lives in whatever county he's in the least trouble. Looks like he's in for a move back to Richland, since David Hyde protects him there...but he'd probably better take the Wayne County route when driving, since Mike Valentine cuts no slack.

CLAY CO.---Ingraham woman gets shot at rehab: Well, it does happen, with light or first-time offenders.

WHITE CO.---'Private sitter for elderly' facing multiple drug charges; methamphetamine, pills: Be careful who you get to sit with your cherished elderly people, folks. This is an example.

WABASH CO.---Wabash County sees spike in sex crime charges: What's up in Wabash? Sex crimes, apparently.

Darcie Kasinger. And, her pigtails.

LAWRENCE CO.---Repeat offenders, one already on parole, highlight Lawrence County drug report: We didn't have a lot of Lawrence news in this one, unfortunately...but what we DO have is worth reading, as this article shows!

CLAY CO.---Suspected thieves target Flora Walmart: You know. Because Walmart has EVERYTHING.

RICHLAND CO.---Trio charged after police say they caught them with numerous burglary tools: What ARE burglary tools, exactly...? I guess the non-criminally-inclined among us wouldn't have any idea. However, this article tells it, thanks to accurate reports.

HAMILTON CO.---Hamilton police busy dealing with DUIs: It's like HamCo is this central running area for people to get from here to there...and when some of them do, they're often under the influence of something.

WHITE CO.---Twenty-sommethings charged in vehicle theft, damage of doors, lights and windows: Here's another article that's making this issue fly off the shelves...apparently, some of these punks are REALLY railing at some of the coverage, on their social networking sites. I mean, seriously...don't allegedly do the crime if you can't take the coverage, haven't you figured this out over the past 13 years? What, you were only 7 back then and couldn't read it?? GROW. UP.

WABASH CO.---Drugs and violence focus of Wabash crim cases: Well, apparently not all is about the sex offenses in Wabash...

EDWARDS CO.---Grayville man charged with multiple sex crimes: A piece that happened on deadline, we already have more input on it because of the sensation it caused when it broke online. Read it to find out what that is.

OP-ED

COLUMNS
SURLY & UNCOOPERATIVE (Jack): M-NewsPoP and the things we do for YOU!
ICY (Ang): Attention please: I am not your mother, and I'm telling you...we DON'T hate cops
MINKUS INK (Bubba): Opining about crack and the Kardashian
POWER OF OPINION (Paxton Powers): Recent mass killings; are they just happenstance?

VOICE OF THE PEOPLE (letters): More support for Tommy Shoulders, more ignorance of how it actually works in court; resignation of Benton city clerk addressed.

Robert Mead

WHITE CO., Ill.---A Williamson County man is headed to prison for his escape from a local jail that occurred during a fest in the town where it occurred.

Robert M. Mead, 32, of Johnston City, busted out of the Carmi-White County Jail in the early morning hours of Saturday, October 11, 2014, along with one Donald Currier the Fifth. The two made their escape through the ceiling and subsequently to the outside of the building, causing considerable damage to the facility. They were on the run for a number of hours, ultimately found in Saline County in a rural area, having been allegedly aided by a couple of locals in White to get as far away as possible...but just not far enough.

Their escape caused quite a bit of consternation in Carmi that day, as the annual Corn Days fest was going on, and people were understandably nervous, as no one knew the whereabouts of the two and for all anyone could tell, they might've been right there in the midst of the fest activities.

Both Currier and Mead were charged with a Class 2 felony Escape count, as well as Criminal Damage to Government Supported Property. Currier was sentenced a couple of weeks ago. For his part in the crime, Mead was sentenced to the maximum on the Escape, 7 years in DOC, to be followed by 2 years mandatory supervised release (MSR, or parole) and costs associated with it. The Criminal Damage to Government Supported Property count was dismissed as part of the plea to the Escape.

The initial charge that brought Mead to the White County Jail in the first place, Participation in Methamphetamine Manufacturing, a Class 1 felony, was also managed today. On that, Mead received 4 years probation consecutive to the DOC sentence, 6 months jail time, and costs, fees and assessments.

Dismissed as part of that plea were attendant charges in the initial arrest: Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Cannabis, and Driving While License Suspended.

Sheriff Doug Maier and the White County Sheriff's Department, with assistance from surrounding law enforcement agencies, handled the Escape case. Sheriff Maier and the White County Sheriff's Department handled the methamphetamine case with the assistance of the Illinois State Police Meth Response Team.

White County prosecutor Denton Aud was quoted as saying: "Mr. Mead has been sentenced to the maximum sentence on the case related to his escape from the White County Jail with us maintaining the ability to keep our thumb on him following his release from prison for an extended period of time to deal with any methamphetamine issue and avoid any further lengthy stay in the Illinois Department of Corrections. Sheriff Doug Maier and his department, as well as the Illinois State Police and various local and surrounding law enforcement agencies, did exemplary work in investigating these cases."

Ang brings you the headlines from just TODAY when all heck broke loose in the area for news, for Nightly NewsCap for the evening of Tuesday, January 27, 2015.

Topics covered include: West Salem's Greg Leigh busted over the weekend after an apparent altercation with a county deputy; another burglary arrest in Robinson hems up a teen there; the second Corn Days escapee in White County is sentenced; a Norris City sex offender is headed to prison out of White County; and Effingham Dr. Naeem Mahmood Kohli loses out on a 17-day jury trial for illegal dispensation of prescription pills.

SALINE/GALLATIN COs., Ill.---A power outage last night across two southern Illinois counties was addressed quickly by electric provider Ameren Illinois, according to spokesman Brian Bretsch.

The outage occurred due to a device failure at the Muddy substation, Bretsch said, when a high-side transformer fuse failed.

The outage was brief in some locations, including Harrisburg, where the power literally flickered off for about 20 seconds and immediately came back on, this at about 1:52 a.m.

In other locations, however, the power was off for about 30 minutes from about ten til 2, til about 2:20 a.m. By that time, Bretsch said, all power was restored as the fuse issue was addressed and switching at the substation was complete.

The outage occurred at a time when overnight lows in Saline County reached six degrees below zero.

Impacted communities, Bretsch said, included not only Muddy and Harrisburg, but also Eldorado, and in Gallatin County, Ridgeway, Shawneetown and New Haven. All totaled, 5,800 Ameren customers were briefly impacted.

Amen customers who experience outages can call 800-755-5000 to report, as well as to get updates.

HARRISBURG, Ill.---Police activity in the vicinity of South Main Street in Harrisburg over the noon hour today prompted much speculation, and authorities are tight-lipped about the scene; but Harrisburg's coroner has advised that there has been a suicide in town earlier today.

Whether the police activity on South Main is connected to that case, Saline County Coroner Jerry Doug Watson would not confirm.

However, Watson did confirm that there has been a suicide by hanging here in Harrisburg occurring earlier in town today, and that his office is investigating.

We do have a name and a location, but will be honoring Watson's indication that no further information will be released until the investigation progresses a bit. Keep checking back.

From Zoie Weatherly's Facebook page

SALINE CO., Ill.---Saline County Coroner Jerry Doug Watson has officially identified the victim in yesterday's suicide in the city of Harrisburg.

The victim was Zoie D. Weatherly, 20, of Harrisburg.

Weatherly was found by her mother, who lives in the same household with her on the 700 block of South Main Street in Harrisburg yesterday at about noon.

Watson said there are no indications of foul play, and that the current information available on Weatherly's death has lead to the conclusion of suicide by hanging.

After a brief absence due to weather and vehicles (mutually exclusive; one had nothing to do with the other), Ang returns to catch you up on the big stories coming in this week for the Nightly NewsCap's Friday, February 20, 2015 version!

Topics covered include: Shooting in Centralia Monday night takes the life of a 30-year-old man; Steven Larson is charged with serious crimes in New Madrid County, Missouri; a Paris, Illinois man dies from exposure early this week after his truck overturns; Dillion Bailey sentenced to 14 years in Federal Bureau of Prisons on his meth arrest last June; a registered sex offender from Lawrence County who managed to get across the Mexican border is sentenced by the feds; the suicide of Zoie Weatherly; and we've restocked this issue and are getting ready to launch into our 14th year...and Jan Payton Burno Mills (whatever) is still ugly!

Have some cheese with that whine, Jan....

U.S. DISTRICT COURT, SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS---On February 19, 2015, Harold Lawayne Barron, a/k/a “Wayne,” 51, of Murphysboro, Ill., was sentenced for his involvement in a methamphetamine conspiracy and a crack cocaine conspiracy, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced yesterday.

Barron, who had previously pled guilty to the two-count indictment charging conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine and conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine, was sentenced to 156 months in prison, 3 years’ supervised release, and was fined $400. Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings established that Barron was involved with Jamie Kay Kelly, a/k/a “Jamie K.” and others in the manufacture of methamphetamine. The methamphetamine offense occurred between August 2012, and October 2013, in Jackson and Perry Counties. Barron was involved with Kelly and Maurice L. Robinson, a/k/a “Ray Ray,” and others in the distribution of crack cocaine. The crack cocaine offense occurred between May 2013, and September 2013, in Jackson County. At sentencing, the district court found that Barron’s offenses involved at least 177 grams of pseudoephedrine and 64 grams of crack cocaine. Kelly and Robinson were previously sentenced to imprisonment terms of 84 months and 87 months, respectively, for their roles in the drug offenses.

The ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Southern Illinois Enforcement Group, Murphysboro Police Department, Illinois State Police, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The Jackson County State’s Attorney’s Office assisted in the investigation.

The case was assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Amanda A. Robertson for prosecution.

CARMI, Ill.---Captain Kelly Hodge, District 19 Commander, announced Friday that the Illinois State Police (ISP) will conduct Alcohol Countermeasure Enforcement (ACE) patrols in White and Saline counties during the month of March.

These ACE patrols allow the ISP to target an area with a saturation patrol that focuses on preventing, detecting, and taking enforcement action in response to violations associated with impaired driving and illegal transportation or consumption of alcohol and other
drugs.

Across the country, an average of one alcohol-related traffic death occurs every 51 minutes.   Alcohol and drug impairment remain significant factors in nearly 40 percent of all fatal  motor vehicle crashes in Illinois. Each year in Illinois, hundreds of lives are lost in alcohol-related crashes. Don't risk losing your license, your car, and your freedom. If you drive impaired, law enforcement will arrest you.

There will also be an Occupant Restraint Enforcement Patrols (OREP) in White and Hamilton counties during the month of March.

OREP allows the ISP to target an area with saturation patrols that focus on traffic violations and related compliance with safety belt and child safety seat laws. Safety belt enforcement zones will also be set up to ensure the driver and passengers are buckled up. Illinois law requires all vehicle passengers (front and back) to be buckled up!

Safety belts are one of the most effective safety devices in vehicles today, estimated to save over 12,000 lives each year. Over half of vehicle occupants killed in a traffic crash were not properly buckled up. The objective of this program is to increase compliance of occupant
restraint laws through education, child seat inspections, and enforcement. Greater awareness, acceptance, and use of occupant protection equipment will save many lives.

These projects are funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation, Division of Transportation Safety.

Tyree Neal, Jackson County mugshot

U.S. DISTRICT COURT FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS---On August 20, 2014, Tyree M. Neal, Jr., a/k/a “Bubby,” 27, of Marion was charged by indictment with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today.

The offense occurred between 2012 and August 2014, in Williamson County. Neal, who had been a fugitive, was arrested on February 24, 2015, and made his initial appearance in federal court on February 25, 2015. He is being held with bond pending a March 2, 2015, bond hearing.

The cocaine offense carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, to be followed by 3 years’ supervised release, and a fine of $1,000,000.

The ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Southern Illinois Enforcement Group. The case is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Amanda A. Robertson.

The Marion Police Department and United States Marshals Service assisted in the investigation.

On a local note, Neal is the guy who was the cause of a massive police presence back in mid-September when Williamson authorities believed him to be at his father's house in Harrisburg. He wasn't there; and apparently stayed on the run successfully until this week. He has a significant record, which you can read at the linked posts.