CARMI, Ill. - Illinois State Police District 19 Commander, Captain Kelly Hodge, announced today activity and enforcement figures for the month of April.

Troopers in District 19, which includes Wabash, Edwards, Wayne, White, Hamilton, Saline, and Gallatin counties, recorded 1,295 incidents during the month.

Enforcement activity consisted of 631 citations and 943 written warnings, including 248 speeding citations, 10 DUIs, 120 seatbelt citations, 7 child restraint citations, 369 written warnings for speeding, and 34 criminal arrests. Troopers also assisted 58 motorists, conducted 236 Motor Carrier Safety Inspections, and investigated 26 traffic crashes.

There were no fatal traffic crashes investigated by District 19 during April.

In addition, 334 citations and 354 written warnings were issued for "Fatal Four" violations.  These violations are most associated with fatal traffic crashes and include Speeding, DUI, Failure to Wear a Seatbelt, and Distracted Driving.

Illinois State Police is Committed to Driving Zero Fatalities to a Reality.

GALLATIN/WHITE/SALINE COs., Ill.---The lockdowns affecting two schools and three counties are over this afternoon.

According to information obtained from Saline County law enforcement sources, the man being sought in a strange situation that emerged earlier today, Steve Ledbetter, has been located and is in custody. Ledbetter is the man employed at the Norris City annex school who was sent home earlier today, and was reported to area law enforcement that he might be suicidal and armed; so as a precaution, Norris City's annex school as well as Gallatin County Schools were on lockdown until regular dismissal. Some parents reported to us that there were exceptions made to allow some students to leave with them...which is kind of in opposition to the whole point of the lockdown. But, there was quite a bit of confusion in the ensuing situation. Apparently, it was all handled with enough aplomb to bring about a resolution to it.

Whether Ledbetter, who is reportedly from Harrisburg, will be charged with anything or not remains to be seen. Keep watching.

Ex and girlfriend go to jail

Amber Nicole Graham

SALINE CO.— Two women, one an angry ex from Harrisburg and another from McLeansboro, were jailed after authorities say they tried to run over a man, who ended up rolling over the top of their car and seemed to take the whole thing in stride.

On May 14, at approximately 11:11 p.m. Harrisburg officers were dispatched to 1352 Dorris St., in reference to a vehicle driving through a yard and striking a motorcycle.

Officers Kenny Shires and Zach Popetz responded.

Shires located the suspect vehicle on West Robinson Street and executed a traffic stop as Popetz arrived on scene to assist.

The occupants of the car were identified as Jamie Lee Serles, 39, of the 200 block of West Cherry St., McLeansboro, Amber Nicole Graham, 33, of the 100 block of West Walnut St., Harrisburg, and Christopher Cluck, 27, also of McLeansboro.

As the officers were questioning the trio in the car, up walked up Rocky Ewell.

Ewell informed officers that he was at the residence of Gary Scott Graham, located at 1352 West Dorris St., when a vehicle arrived and the occupants got out and began beating on Graham’s front door demanding pictures.

He told officers that Graham told the individuals to come back the next day.

Ewell said when Graham refused to answer the door and deal with the trio any further, Amber Graham walked over to Gary Graham’s motorcycle and pushed it over.

He said the three then got back into the car and drove into Graham’s backyard to turn around.

Ewell said he left the residence and set the motorcycle back up.

He said after the car turned around and got back in the driveway to pull out, it stopped, Serles got out and pushed the motorcycle over again, then got back in the car.

Jamie Lee Serles

Ewell had apparently seen enough and walked in front of the vehicle and stood there until the authorities could arrive.

Serles, who was driving the car, informed Ewell “then you’re getting ran over.”

Ewell said Serles then drove forward with enough speed to hit him, knocking him onto the hood of the car, rolling him onto the roof of the car where he grabbed the antenna to hang on as Serles began making erratic, sharp turns in an effort to throw him off the car.

Ewell, obviously realizing the situation he was in, jumped off the car.

He said he was fine after his ride on the alleged crazy woman’s car.

When officers spoke with Gary Graham and another witness at his home, they told the exact same story as Ewell.

When officer Shires spoke with Serles, following the traffic stop, she said she was taking one of her two friends by an ex-husband’s house to get some pictures of her kids when someone came out of the house and started beating on her car.

When Shires ran Ms. Serles’ information through police computers, her license came back revoked.

She was taken into custody and since neither Ms. Graham nor Mr. Cluck had a driver’s license, they were asked to step out of the car.

When Graham stepped out Shires discovered she had in her possession a one-quarter full Keystone Light beer can that was still cool to the touch.

When it was all said and done Amber Graham was charged with Criminal Damage to Property and Serles was charged with Driving Revoked and Battery of Mr. Ewell.

Graham was released from police custody May 15 after a $1,000 cash bond was posted on her behalf by Rick Pittman of Galatia.

Cash bond in Serles case was set at $300.

Cusses at and batters mother

In an unrelated story, an Eldorado man has been jailed after authorities say he slammed a door on his mother.

Donald N. Summers

Reports filed indicate that on May 10, Eldorado officer Jerod Gott spoke with Kathy J. Summers, of the 800 block of High St., Eldorado at the city police department and was advised that she and her husband Donald R. Summers were bringing groceries into the residence when her son, Donald N. Summers, 23, informed them that they needed to leave.

She said she had propped the door open so her husband could carry the groceries.

At one point she said she was standing in the doorway and her son told her she needed to move because he was going to “shut the f*cking door and knock her out of the f*cking house.”

She said her son continued cussing her, telling her to leave and finally closed the door with her standing in the doorway hitting her in the back and the foot she had had surgery on.

Donald N. Summers was taken into custody and charged with Domestic Battery.

Cash bond in the case was set at $500.

Chances are, young Mr. Summers will not be getting the bond money from his parents.

Christy J. Boulds

SALINE CO.— An Eldorado woman out on parole found herself back behind bars after authorities say they found drugs and paraphernalia in her home.

According to reports, on April 28, officer James Williams received a call from dispatch at approximately 10:55 a.m. advising there was a parole officer doing a search at 2309 First Street, Eldorado, who needed assistance.

When Williams arrived he said that parole officer Scott Chamness informed him that as he was conducting the search he found two small baggies of white powder in a small red flowered container, paraphernalia and cannabis residue, most of which was located inside a Webster’s dictionary lock box, located inside the living quarters of parolee Christy J. Boulds, 31.

Boulds is a convicted drug felon from 2009 when she was convicted of Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine Manufacturing Materials, for which she was sentenced to 30 months probation.

Boulds was subsequently taken into custody and charged with Unlawful Possession of Meth.

Cash bond in the case was set at $1,000.

Driving revoked

Adam D. Fort

In an unrelated story, a Harrisburg man who just can’t seem to stay out from behind the wheel of a car when he’s been drinking has been charged with Driving Revoked.

According to information filed in the case, on April 6, Adam D. Fort, 31, of Hill Top Rd., was caught driving on South Commercial near Rte. 45 at a time when he knew his license to be revoked.

Fort was sentenced April 1, 2005 to 60 days behind bars, 12 months probation following a conviction on one count of Theft.

On March 12 he was sentenced to 12 months probation following a DUI conviction.

He was also ordered to pay $2,861.10 in fines and fees, of which he still owes $1,091.10.

On January 5, 2010 he was convicted of his third DUI and sentenced to 14 days in the county jail and 24 months probation.

Fort was released from police custody later the same day after a $150 cash bond was posted on his behalf by Kimberly Gibbs, of West Baker Street.

Charles J. Verduzco

SALINE CO.— A Harrisburg man has been jailed after his babymomma said he attacked her because she wouldn’t have sex with him.

According to filed reports, on April 25, at approximately 3:39 a.m. Jennifer Vickers came into the Harrisburg Police Department and told officer Kenny Shires that after she refused to have sex with him her husband, Charles J. Verduzco, 43, of the 400 block of West Locust St., Harrisburg, he began arguing and name calling.

She told Shires that Verduzco slapped her a couple of times and at one point grabbed a knife and told her he was sick of her.

She said as she tried to get out of the house he pushed her into a door facing, causing her to hit her head and arm.

Shires said he observed visible marks on Vickers’ outer and upper arms.

Shire then went to the West Locust address and took Verduzco into custody on two counts of Domestic Battery.

In 2007 Verduzco was sentenced to seven years in the Illinois Department of Corrections on a Burglary conviction.

Verduzco was released from police custody May 5 after he posted a $750 cash bond.

Carmen Shavon Murphy

SALINE CO.— Authorities say that a convicted thief from Carrier Mills has been caught again.

According to information filed in the case, on March 2, Carmen Shavon Murphy, 36, of 210 West Walnut St., Carrier Mills, committed the offense of Residential Burglary when she entered the home of Charles Owen, located at 309 West Harrison, St., Carrier Mills.

Police say she earned herself a Theft charge when she made off with Mr. Owen’s flat screen television.

The unemployed Ms. Murphy has eaten her meals from plastic trays provided by taxpayers on more than one occasion so jail shouldn’t be too much of an adjustment for her.

Convicted of Battery in a Public Place in 1999, she was sentenced to two years probation.

Then she spent two years in the Illinois Department of Corrections after a 2007 conviction for Misuse of a Credit Card. She still owes $2,486 in fines and fees from that case.

On June 8, 2010 guilty of Retail Theft and sentenced to 364 days in the county jail. She still owes $241 in fines and fees from that case.

She was convicted of Theft again October 2, 2013 and was fined $500.

And, shockingly enough, she currently has a pending case filed March 17, 2014 in which she is charged with…. wait for it…. Theft.

No bond information was available.

ATV heist

In an unrelated story, a McLeansboro man sentenced to two years probation in Hamilton County May 7 on a theft charge for stealing an ATV has been charged in Saline County for doing the same thing.

In Saline, William D. Morris, 25, of 403 Marshall St., McLeansboro, is accused of possessing a red Honda 420 four-wheeler at a time, on or about September 2, 2014, when he knew it to be stolen.

No bond information was available.

Owens twins and theft

Jrak Owens, 19, and Jrai Owens, 19, both of 12331 Tescupp Way, Indianapolis, Ind., have been charged with one count of Theft alleging that on or about April 16 and 17 they entered the residence of Aljandro Aguilar and James Barnard, located at 4440 Muddy Rd., Apt. 2B, Harrisburg, with intent to commit theft.

The pair is also charged with two counts of Theft.

The first count claims they took property belonging to Barnard identified as a safe containing one World Championship Skeet Shooting ring, two watches and vapor equipment valued in excess of $10,000.

The second count of Theft alleges the pair also took items belonging to Aguilar identified as a Marlin .22 caliber rifle, a Phillips flat screen television, vapor equipment and one Bose speaker valued in excess of $500.

No bond information was available.

Hot check from Trust Bank

A Springerton resident has been charged with Deceptive Practice.

According to the formal charge filed, on April 10, Shannon L. Warthen, also known as Shannon L. Woodrow, wrote a hot check to Sandra Herpel, doing business as The Primitive House, in Eldorado, for $990.82 drawn on the Trust Bank in Olney.

The charge alleges that at the time the check was written Warthen-Woodrow had reason to believe it would not be paid.

Cash bond in the case was set at $1,000.

SALINE CO.— On May 7 Deputy Mike Gooch had the unenviable task of wading into one of the wilder domestic situations thus far this year.

Gooch was dispatched to 205 Goolsby Rd., Eldorado, at about 7:34 p.m.

As he approached the house he spotted Sylvia Hope Mitchell, 35, who lived at the address, walking on the side of the road waving her hands trying to get his attention.

While holding her eye she told Gooch that she and her boyfriend, 40-year-old Clay Ross Mattingly, had been in an argument, that he had punched her in the eye and head but that she did not want charges pressed.

She also informed Gooch that Mattingly had been drinking and was still inside the house.

Sticking with the theme of the evening

Gooch found Mattingly standing outside holding an alcoholic beverage.

He told Mitchell to stay where she was near the road so he could talk with Mattingly.

As he did he noticed that Mattingly had scratches on his face and chest.

Before Dep. Gooch could even say anything, Mattingly started yelling, “Arrest that needle pumping whore, she’s crazy!”

When Gooch asked Mattingly what was going on he yelled, “she’s f*cking crazy! She has been shooting up and she’s f*cking nuts! Arrest both of us and I’ll bond out!”

When the deputy asked him how he got the scratches, Mattingly stuck with what seemed like his theme for the evening and yelled, “because she’s a needle pumping drug taking whore and she’s nuts!”

Butts in

And that’s about the time Mitchell, disobeying Gooch’s order to stay where she was, waltzed up from behind him and started screeching about how Mattingly held her down and was beating on her and that she had scratched his face in an attempt to get him off her.

Be that as it may, Dep. Gooch informed Ms. Mitchell that she needed to go back up the road and stay there until he came to speak with her.

When Gooch informed Mattingly that he intended to take them both into custody, Mattingly said that was fine with him and asked if he could go inside and put on a shirt.

Gooch followed Mattingly into the house to retrieve a shirt.

Not a happy camper

When the men came into the living room after getting the shirt, Mitchell waltzed in and sat down.

“You lying f*cking piece of sh*t!” Mattingly yelled at Gooch.

“Clay continued yelling and screaming curse words at me because [seeing Mitchell] he didn’t believe I was going to take her into custody,” Gooch said.

Mattingly threatened to call the police on Deputy Gooch, who then ordered him to place his hands behind his back.

A scuffle ensued that went on for a good period of time, ending with Dep. Gooch grabbing Mattingly by his legs and tossing him into the rear of his police cruiser.

When he went back into the house Mitchell, who up until now Gooch couldn’t seem to get rid of while he spoke with Mattingly, was nowhere to be found.

Backup arrived on scene shortly thereafter and Mitchell was found a few houses down the street, hiding in the bushes.

When asked why she ran and hid, she responded, “Because I am afraid of going to jail.”

Overcoming your fears

Ms. Mitchell was given an opportunity to overcome her fear when she was booked into the county detention center on a charge of Domestic Battery.

Mitchell was convicted in 2001 of Domestic Battery and Battery for which she was sentenced to 18 months probation.

In 2009 she was convicted of DUI Drugs and sentenced to 12 months court supervision.

Then on May 18, 2010 she was convicted of the same thing and sentenced to 12 months probation.

Mitchell was released from police custody the next day after a $500 cash bond was posted on her behalf by Fred Melton, of Equality.

Thus far no formal charges have surfaced on Mr. Mattingly.

SALINE CO.— Some fairly spectacular drug busts have taken place in the county over the past several weeks.

One came about when local drug task force agents successfully pulled off the old “special delivery” sting in Eldorado April 30.

According to official reports, an agent from the Illinois State Police Tactical Response Team was carrying a package containing two pounds of methamphetamine “ice” when he knocked on the door of 1900 North Main St., Eldorado.

The package was addressed to Aliah Soto.

When the door was opened by the mother of 19-year-old Aliah B. Bannerman, the agent asked for Aliah Soto.

Bannerman’s mother said her daughter was expecting a package and is said to have gone inside to wake her daughter.

When Aliah Bannerman arrived at the door she was asked by the agent if she was Aliah Soto, said yes, and remarked that she had been anticipating a package.

Bannerman took possession of the package and was subsequently taken into custody.

She was charged with Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine more than 900 grams.

The unemployed Bannerman was released from police custody May 12 after a $25,000 cash bond was posted on her behalf by Danny L. Stephens.

There was no indication, on or around May 20, that a supposed drive-by shooting from a red pickup truck in Eldorado had anything to do with that particular alleged ice delivery.

White history

Danny Lee Stephens, 36, of the 1500 block of County Road 1100 North, Carmi, is not surprisingly a convicted meth-head.

The bulk of his criminal history is out of White County where he earned his first felony March 12, 2001 when he was convicted of Residential Burglary.

For that little stunt Stephens was sentenced to eight years in the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC).

With prison math being what is it, Stephens appears to have been fresh out of the joint at least long enough to be taken into custody April 15, 2005 and charged in Saline County with Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine Manufacturing Chemicals, Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance (prescription medication), Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Unlawful Possession of Cannabis and Aggravated Battery in a Public Place.

He was ultimately convicted on the battery and manufacturing chemicals charges and sentenced to five years IDOC, where he could take long showers with the other fellas and see the world through a fence.

He was also ordered to shell out some $2,473 in fines and fees, of which he still owes $1,890.95.

Unclear is why he wouldn’t want to apply some of that $25K he forked over for Ms.  Bannerman’s release to square his debt with society.

Danny just doesn’t seem like a very nice guy especially in the light of his 2013 conviction for violence.

Not a nice guy

In that case Danny Lee was charged with Aggravated Domestic Battery, Aggravated Domestic Battery Strangulation, Aggravated Domestic Battery of a Pregnant or Handicapped Person and Interference with the Report of Domestic Violence.

Stephens entered a plea to beating the pregnant or handicapped person and in return the remainder of his charges were dismissed.

And for all the effort that goes into such violent acts the crap-bag spent three months in the county jail and was sentenced to two years probation and ordered to pay $1,065 in fines and fees, of which he paid nothing.

Again with the $25K bond for Bannerman.

Some would wonder if he didn’t have the money to pay his fines and fees to keep the courts off his back, where did it come from to shell out for Ms. Bannerman.

It could be possible that Danny Stephens doesn’t realize the Internal Revenue Service is required to be notified when amounts of $10,000 or more are posted for bond.

It’s a sure thing the old IRS will be checking out Mr. Stephen’s finances. Actually, they probably already are.

Bannerman was in court May 21 where the judge in the case found probable cause to bind her over for trial.

With that trial date not until September, a lot can happen.

SALINE/HAMILTON COs.— A spectacular coordination between state and federal agents netted authorities what seems to be a major drug operation in the making, although the agents credited with making the bust aren’t willing to admit as much, quite possibly because they believe the case goes much farther than a stolen trailer with some stuff inside.

On May 5 Federal Bureau of Investigations Agent Jeff Hands contacted Illinois State Police Sgt. Gwen Basinger for assistance in the recovery of a red Action Pest Control Cargo Trailer containing hazardous chemicals.

A few of the items listed that were believed to be in the trailer included gas masks, air tanks, fans and ladders stolen from Evansville, Ind.

Authorities are remaining tight-lipped about the reason for the intensity of interest in the trailer as the FBI don’t usually handle stolen vehicle/trailer crimes.

Be that as it may, Agent Hands informed local drug task force agents that he had received information from a confidential source that Brett A. Stinson, 45, of Broughton, was in possession of the trailer.

Agent Hands and drug task force agents including Jayson Murbarger, David Blazier and Kaitlin Wilson conducted surveillance, which led to the arrest of Stinson and Jennifer L. Manning, 30, McLeansboro.

During the investigation, agents determined that there were other items that were stolen along with the trailer; all were located inside a barn at the Stinson residence.

The agents were granted a search warrant at Stinson’s residence as well as a white pole barn located on the property.

Agents were then successful in recovering the hazardous materials and contents from the stolen cargo trailer inside the barn.

At the time of her arrest, Manning was informed she was being taken into custody, which prompted her to ask, “for the trailer?”

The confidential source in the case said that Manning was present at the time the trailer was being unloaded and when the equipment from the trailer was being placed in the back of the truck she was in when authorities surrounded the vehicle and arrested her and Stinson.

The source also claims that Manning was present when discussions were had about the price they could get for the trailer as well as other trailers and stolen merchandise in her and Stinson’s possession.

With federal agents involved, the public may never know the reality of why it was so vital for the FBI to become involved.

One hint could be that they called in local drug task force agents and believed a major drug operation was involved in the theft of the trailer and contents.

Or it may just be that someone special was interested in the trailer being stolen and taken across state lines.

Both Stinson and Manning were charged with Theft $10,000-$100,000.

Stinson was released from Saline County custody May 7 after a $2,500 cash bond was posted on his behalf by Tom Irvin, of McLeansboro.

Meanwhile the divorced, mother-of-two Manning, on the other hand remained behind bars telling authorities that she may be able to depend on family and friends to bond her sorry arse out of jail.

Stinson’s freedom was short-lived, however, as he was arrested in Hamilton County May 13 and charged with Theft.

The formal charges in Hamilton allege that on May 5 he thieved a list of items from Action Pest Control including one each blue electric extension cord, red electric extension cord, Cosco folding ladder, an Action blue ladder, a HDX black fan with orange tubing, an HDX black fan with purple tubing, a tank scale, a white bottle of Choropic chemical and one white cylinder all valued in excess of $500.

Stinson also has a pending case from June 2, 2013 in which he is charged with Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine, Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Unlawful Methamphetamine Manufacture Near a Place of Worship.

What the accused meth cook might do with the Action Pest items he is accused of filching may not be difficult to figure out.

It doesn’t look like Stinson will be seeing the light of day any time soon as the case bond in his Hamilton County case has been set at $10,000.

SALINE CO.—The Anna Bixby Women’s Center drama enters its third month of news coverage with a filing by a former employee who is complaining of Retaliatory Discharge.

Tina Pritchett (no relation to former employee/now-convict Amanda Pritchett) has filed the suit against not only the women’s center, but against former director Barbara Wingo of Golconda and against Terrie Eichorn, of Elizabethtown, Wingo’s daughter and co-director of the center.

The ABWC is under fire from a multi-count case in Saline County wherein Wingo and Eichorn are accused of money laundering and otherwise taking advantage of taxpayers’ and charitable dollars flowing through the place, located in Harrisburg, over the past several years.

Many say that if investigators and prosecutors could legally go back further than what they already have (the statutory three years), they might find such alleged activity dating to almost the inception of the agency, which came about in 1979.

As it is, when the ABWC directors were indicted in March, there were a lot of harsh words slung about by Wingo and Eichorn if staff is to be believed, and a lot of threats of retaliatory action as well.

It appears that those allegations had merit, if Pritchett’s case is any indication.

Began working in 2010

Pritchett claims in her May 20 court filing that she began her employment with the center in March 2010 in a Data Entry position. It was, she indicated in court paperwork, a grant-funded position through the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS).

On July 28, 2014, she states she ran a quarterly report in accordance with the grant awarded by IDHS, as she was required to do to determine the number of hours ABWC employees attend to and provide service to clients.

IDHS, she explained in the court paperwork, has benchmarks that determine the amount of grant monies a facility receives which is dependent, in whole or in part, on the number of hours clients are served by the facility.

Wingo, Tina Pritchett said, asked Amanda Pritchett, ABWC’s bookkeeper, to review Tina Pritchett’s report.

Wingo then was alleged to have said that the “number of client service hours from the report Tina Pritchett ran were not high enough for Anna Bixby to keep the same level of grant money it had received from IDHS the prior year.”

And Tina Pritchett then stated that Amanda Pritchett told her “Anna Bixby needs to increase the number of client service hours by 500 hours.”

Amanda Pritchett does it herself

In light of this, Tina Pritchett alleges in her suit, Amanda Pritchett told her to “randomly select client names from her rolodex and falsify service hours to enter against those client names.”

Tina advised that she would not falsify any records; whereupon Amanda went to Tina’s office and selected client names from Tina’s rolodex herself.

She then left a note for Tina, along with a stack of client contact forms, and instructed Tina to fabricate notes to support the fraudulent client contact time.

Tina said she refused to falsify the records and indicated that she wanted to speak to Wingo about Amanda’s instructions.

Then that same day (July 28, 2014), Amanda rejected the original quarterly report that Tina had run for IDHS.

Amanda told IDHS that “Anna Bixby would have to rerun the report because Tina Pritchett had failed to enter all of the client service hours for that quarter.”

Outlines termination

Tina Pritchett said in her paperwork that she took a sick day the next day (July 29, 2014).

On July 30, when she reported to work, she claims she was stopped on the sidewalk in front of the ABWC building by co-worker Diane Taborn, who told Pritchett that Wingo wanted Pritchett’s keys to the building and that Pritchett was not allowed to work until she spoke with Wingo.

“Although Pritchett was not formally told she was terminated,” the court documents read, “she had witnessed this procedure before and knew she had been terminated.”

Pritchett said she immediately attempted to call Wingo three or four times with Taborn and another employee, Nancy Mosby, present, but Wingo didn’t answer any of Pritchett’s calls.

Instead, she was allowed into the building and escorted by Taborn and Mosby to gather her personal belongings. While doing so, Pritchett tried to call Wingo again, but this time Pritchett blocked her number so that Wingo couldn’t tell that it was Pritchett calling her.

When Wingo answered, she told Pritchett she was coming to the building and would talk to her when she arrived, but by the time Pritchett had gathered her belongings, Wingo still hadn’t gotten there. And because Pritchett had been terminated, she was told she couldn’t remain on the property any longer to wait for Wingo.

Pritchett contacted Wingo again on July 31 by phone and text, then against on August 8 via text, and against on Aug. 13 via text, all in an effort to learn why she had been terminated, but Wingo didn’t respond.

Pritchett then points out in her court filing the Mach 30, 2015 indictments on multiple counts including financial crimes enterprise, financial institution fraud, wire fraud, loan fraud and personal use of charitable assets.

“The Illinois Attorney General’s Office alleges that Wingo and Eichorn ordered employees to falsify documents showing Anna Bixby was providing domestic violence counseling in order to receive state and federal grant funding,” Pritchett’s court filing points out.

Claims retaliatory action

And so as a result of this, Pritchett claims that she was terminated for her refusal to falsify and create fraudulent records to reflect either fictitious clients and/or inflated client contact hours.

She called the termination “retaliatory” (taking action against someone for their perceived actions or inactions) on that basis.

“As a direct result of her termination on July 30, 2014, Pritchett lost wages and benefits,” Pritchett’s court filing reads.

So she’s asking that a judge find ABWC’s, Wingo’s and Eichorn’s actions culpable under Counts of Retaliatory Discharge and Unlawful Retaliation by Defendant in Violation of the Illinois Whistleblower Act.

She’s seeking a judgment against them all, as well as back pay with interest; reinstatement with the same seniority status that she would’ve had but for the violation, or front pay; compensation for any damages as determined by a jury at trial; and all costs including litigation, expert witness fees, and reasonable attorneys’ fees.

No rush through court

A summons to all parties had been issued in the complaint as of press time, with no other court date set.

Wingo and Eichorn both were not set for any action in their criminal cases until July 31.

Both are facing another civil action in Saline County Circuit Court, wherein the Attorney General’s office is seeking recompense for the funds they are alleged to have abused according to the criminal complaint.

Thus far, no other indictments in the Anna Bixby debacle have been handed down, although sources have told Disclosure that that’s coming.

Kyle Brown

SALINE CO.—The disappearance and eventual discovery of the body of a young Harrisburg man in mid-April has brought to light some strange information as it pertains to his mother.

The matter is made all the more strange by her refusal to talk about any of it, particularly after months of standing in the spotlight in an effort to draw attention to the boy’s disappearance and attempts to find him.

Tina Brown is the mother of Kyle Brown, 19, whose body was found April 17 submerged in One Horse Gap Lake in the vehicle he was last seen driving back in December.

In a situation reminiscent of another missing person in the area, Chrissy Williams, who was also found in a submerged vehicle (last March 2014 in the Ohio River at Rosiclare), Brown is now, like Williams’ sister Tammy Jackson, refusing to speak about anything having to do with the case involving her son.

The grief is understandable; however, the backstory is odd, and has prompted many questions from the public, none of which Brown was apparently asked when the ordeal was ongoing, and now that it’s over, none of which she’s apparently inclined to answer.

Kyle Brown was reported missing on December 28, 2014.

His mother reported that she last saw him as he was saying his good-nights on the night before; and that she suspected he had taken off in her black 2001 Honda CRV, an SUV-type vehicle. A few hours later, she was up and checking on him in his room, but he wasn’t there.

Reported troubled

The young man was widely reported by his mother to have been troubled after the death of his father in a car accident when Kyle was about 5.

Over the years, his mother explained, he had developed issues related to his father’s death, and those had lead to mental health problems.

In a recent event a few days before his disappearance, Tina Brown had tried to trick her son into checking in for mental health treatment at Harrisburg by having him come up to the hospital on a ruse: that his grandmother had suffered a heart attack.

However, due to his age, Kyle was allowed to refuse help and he left.

Tina Brown told media that this attempt at mental health care had been precipitated by an incident in Pope County, where Kyle’s father was buried, that followed a visit to the man’s grave. Pope County sheriff’s officials had found Kyle at his father’s grave on Dec. 14; then later, he was found wandering the woods about ten miles from the cemetery.

So the lead-up to his disappearance seemed foreboding.

Still, it was quite the shock when the CRV was located in One Horse Gap Lake late on the evening of April 17, due largely to the previous case about a year earlier in which Chrissy Williams, of Gallatin County, was found in the Ohio River in a submerged SUV by the same group that found Kyle: Team Watters, a sonar expert dive team based in Moro, Illinois on the southwestern side of the state. They had begun searching bodies of water in early April and came upon what they believed to be the CRV at One Horse Gap Lake, a popular recreational spot in Pope County, that Friday evening.

When the vehicle was pulled from the water, searchers found a body that they believed to be Kyle’s.

Positive identification was made on April 19, and the matter for all intents and purposes seemed to be over.

Saline County criminal case

However, in Saline County circuit court, Tina Brown’s matter was not.

That was where, in December of 2003, she was charged by Saline County authorities with Theft for taking control of an amount greater than $10,000 but less than $100,000 from Kyle’s trust account, set up for him after his father’s death; the charge was a Class 2 felony.

Court documents don’t show how Tina Brown took the money, under what guise she obtained it, nor what she did with it once she had control of it.

However, the courts were very clear that the money was stolen, and a criminal report was filed over the matter.

In April of 2004, court officials entered into an agreement with Tina Brown that prompted only a misdemeanor Theft count (less than $300) to appear on her record, and she was sentenced to a 24-month Conditional Discharge period wherein she was to pay restitution to the account of $113,167.11 and other fines and fees, bringing a total restitution/payment amount to $113,715.91. Her bail bond of $500 had been applied to that and total fines, fees and restitution were laid out to be $113,215.91.

Court documents show that in the ensuing years, direct deposits were made into Kyle Brown’s Money Market Account, over which a guardian was appointed, Joseph B. Harrison. Annual statements were submitted to the court showing deposits, which appeared to have come from Tina Brown’s social security-death benefit payments from her late husband.

Other financial troubles

But in the meantime, Tina Brown was having considerable financial troubles.

Multiple complaints to file foreclosure of mortgage were made, these in 2008, 2009 and 2011.

It appears that the mortgage was refinanced until the final filing, at which time a sheriff’s sale was made on the property she’d mortgaged at 625 S. Granger in Harrisburg, bid out at $31,268 in August of 2012.

Court documents show that in March of 2013, her address had changed to one on South Webster.

As well, Tina Brown faced a number of Small Claims filings between 2007 and 2009, the majority having to do with payday cash loans.

Where all the money was going remains unindicated in court documents.

Whatever was happening, on August 20, 2013, Harrison was removed from the matter as guardian, since Kyle Brown had reached the age of 18.

A modification order for where the restitution payments were to be going was entered into Saline County circuit court on November 7, 2014. The new restitution payments were to be made directly to Kyle Brown.

All of this was done under the criminal case.

A little over a month later, Kyle Brown was missing.

A little less than four months later, Kyle Brown was dead.

Court documents show that at the end of April, payments were still being made to the criminal case, but whether the restitution to the account of Kyle Brown was continuing to be made appears unclear.

There is no probate case filed in Saline County on Kyle Brown. His cause and manner of death have not been made public; however, law enforcement has advised that no foul play is suspected.

Friends of Kyle Brown say that his “mental health issues” are only recent, and that up until shortly before his disappearance, he had not experienced any kind of marked “trouble” that would have caused him to commit suicide, especially the kind that would take an action of driving a vehicle into a body of water.

Disclosure attempted to speak with Tina Brown about the progress of the criminal case and the restitution.

Disclosure staff messaged Tina Brown, stating that they had “material in hand that I need to ask you about,” and that she could message or give a call a$t a number issued to her.

Brown responded with “I don’t know what you could possibly want to question me about.”

Disclosure’s staffer answered, “There have been a lot of questions arising about the criminal conviction/felony theft.”

There was no response from Tina Brown at that, this message left on May 21, and there had been no response as of press time, May 25.

LARAMIE, Wyo.--Apparently, the prosecutors in Wyoming take sexual assault as seriously as those in Indiana and Illinois.

Which is to say, they don't.

Jordan McGuire

Problem offender Jordan McGuire, the 28-year-old music teacher-wannabe who continues to lose jobs due to allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct with drunken men, has been let off the hook once again, this time in Albany County, Wyoming, where he was charged last year with another count similar to what got him hemmed up in Illinois in 2007 and in Indiana in 2012: First Degree Sexual Assault.

The allegations can be read at this link in the front page article appearing in the early December 2014 edition. In short, McGuire was accused of taking sexual advantage of a drunken college student while he was in the bathroom being sick.

McGuire was charged with doing the same to a Southeastern Illinois College student in Saline County in 2007, and then with an of-age kid in Evansville in 2012. He was able to get a reduced plea to the Saline County one and narrowly avoided conviction in Evansville when a jury found that the state hadn't met its burden of proof in the Vanderburgh County one.

God didn't have anything to do with it. Believe it.

And so, once again, on May 20, McGuire entered a plea to a drastically-reduced charge in Laramie, and he's out and about after having been held at the local detention center on a high bond.

Many local victims were hoping this would be the final straw for the pervert; however, apparently the plea deal was agreeable to all, and he's just stuck with a misdemeanor charge of Sexual Battery. At least the word 'sexual' was attached to this one, unlike the case in Saline, where even that was dropped.

Now, officials with the University of Wyoming are debating whether to apply their zero tolerance for sexual misconduct to McGuire, and expel him from the institution, where he'd been studying since escaping the conviction in Indiana. One has to wonder what exactly the appeal is with this guy if he's able to get out of THAT punishment as well.

We'll keep an eye on it and let you know what UofW decides, likely in the next print version, on stands June 17.

You mean to say "Whew! Got out of ANOTHER ONE!", right, Jordy?

Jame Houston

SALINE CO., Ill.--A Harrisburg man was convicted in a four-year-old case Friday in Saline County circuit court...but it wasn't the on the count he was originally charged with at that time.

James E. Houston, 35, has an extensive record in Saline County, most of that for some sort of battery.

In early September 2010, he was arrested and charged with an incident of Aggravated Battery of a Child at an Eldorado apartment with a then-girlfriend, Amber Akins, wherein he was accused of beating Akins' two-year-old son.

On the evening of Sept. 7, 2010, Akins had gone to take a test at Southeastern Illinois College, leaving Houston to babysit her two-year-old. When she returned, she found her little boy with blackened eyes and bruises, and the boyfriend, Houston, drunk and belligerent.

When Akins attempted to question Houston as to how her baby had gotten injured, Houston attacked her. With the child in her arms, he slammed her head into the walls of the apartment as well as into the refrigerator. When she tried to call for help with a cell phone, he threw her down on the bed face-first and placed a pillow over the back of her head, pressing down hard, suffocating her.

She was able to get away, however, when the little boy struck Houston on the foot. Houston, who displays the typical qualities of an abuser and so is insanely jealous, in his drunkenness was showing that jealousy inadvertently, and called the little boy by his dad's name when the boy struck Houston. Given that the dad was an ex of Akins', this was the cause of the jealousy...and being struck on the foot (and apparently attributing it to Akins' ex) was enough of a distraction for Houston that Akins was able to get up and grab her baby, taking refuge in the bathroom of the apartment.

Fortunately, by this time, the neighbors were hearing the commotion. The landlord's son, Joe Hunt, happened to live in the apartment complex and came to the door.

Houston, as is typical of women- and child-abusers, didn't have enough guts to go after a man, and so as Hunt was standing in the doorway, instead of attacking him, Houston began a rampage in the apartment, breaking items belonging to Akins, who was still hiding with the child in the bathroom. Hunt told Houston to get out, and he did...only to be apprehended by authorities.

When Houston was charged, it was initially only with the battery of the child as a felony, and a misdemeanor battery of Akins. This was due largely to the fact that when Akins made out her statement, she did not focus on what Houston had done to her, trying to suffocate her; she was only worried about her child, and rightly so.

However, when Houston, out on bond, had been arrested late last year with another battery, the prosecution, lead by Jayson Clark, upon reviewing the material, realized that there might have been more charges filed if Akins' statements were more thorough. So she gave a more detailed statement regarding what Houston had done to her...and he was charged with Attempted Murder.

Last week, he went to jury trial on that count...and was found guilty by a seven-man/five-woman jury.

Houston has been held in Saline County Detention since his arrest late last year, his bond having been revoked when he was charged with yet another domestic battery of a girlfriend.

He's been set for sentencing July 14, but he's facing more counts in Saline County. We'll have a full account of the matter in the June 17 issue...in just a couple of weeks. Be watching.

We keep saying "This Month's" print headlines because as you're probably aware, we've always been Disclosure NewsMagazine Monthly.

However, there are some changes coming your way, at least on a temporary basis, that will preclude the "month/monthly" and will necessitate the use of the term "this issue."

After this next issue, which will hit on June 17, we'll be doing a paper every other week. That's right; we're going bi-monthly throughout the summer. We've waited this long to tell you because we weren't sure whether we had things lined up to accomplish this, but after several meetings discussing it, we're now making it a reality. You'll get a paper every other week beginning the first of July, which means THREE papers for you in July, two in August, and probably two in September. Why? Frankly, we're taking advantage of other newspapers going under. There have been complaints in our two biggest areas of circulation (we don't tell you what they are, but you can guess) that their local newspapers don't cover the basic crim stuff like we do, so we saw a need, and we're filling it. Doing that means that we either produce a 32-page paper (like the May-June edition was) or we produce more papers at 24 pages. Since 24 pages are easier to produce for our print shop, as well as easier to mail, transport and store, that's what we opted to do. It's a trial thing. We don't know how long we'll be able to do it. We can't produce TOO many issues in one year, else we have to change our mailing permit. Which is due to renew in November. Which is right after we come off the every-two-week run, and so we'll be able to have a good idea by that time whether we need to change our permit to bi-monthly (24 issues per year) or go back to three- and four-week papers.

Of course if we stay twice-monthly permanently, that will mean our rates for subs will increase...but that's about all the change there'll be. The e-Edition will continues as-is. We'll be moving toward archiving soon (it's such a booger to do, believe me; we thought we'd have it done by now), but otherwise, we'll have access as usual at the price for access as stated. So all this means is that you'll get fresh stuff every other week. The level of news demands it. We know you want to read the level of news that's out there. So we're going to give everybody what they want.

That said, here are the print headlines for this issue, which hit the stands all in one day, Wednesday, May 27, thanks to two delivery teams and no inclement weather. Each print headline is preceded by the dateline (where the material featured in the article took place) and is followed by a brief synopsis of the article in our own snarky Disclosure style. Each headline link goes right to the e-Edition article if you have an online membership, or takes you to a screen where you can get enrolled if you don't. Print headlines are broken up by section--Front Page, Back Page (second front page), Pages 2 and 3, Features if there are any (center section, in this issue being pages 12-13), Egypt, Heartland, Central and Op-Ed. And now, without further ado, here are This ISSUE'S Print Headlines!

FRONT PAGE

GALLATIN CO.--Inmate used at Shawnee CC?: In one of the strangest pieces we've heard out of Gallatin County in a while, this actually didn't take place IN Gallatin, but occurred TO a Gallatin guy...supposedly. Very weird business. Read it and see what you think.

CLAY/WAYNE COs.--Animals killed on Clay County line: The animal activists are in an uproar over this, and with good reason: Someone is killing animals, apparently after torturing them, and no fewer than 9 have lost their lives at this time. This article actually begins on Page 12.

The memorial to Coco, Renee Vandaveer’s (at right) beloved rescue dog who disappeared
the Thursday before Easter Sunday in early April, was erected facing Vandaveer’s neighbors,
Rick and Trish McGrew, prompting the neighbors to put up a marker of their own.

RICHLAND CO.--Teen dead in ATV wreck; DUI arrest made: The death of a young Olney man made headlines a couple of weeks ago; but should the man cited with DUI in the wake of the accident have been on the road? That's the question for Richland County, where there are many inexplicable criminal situations like this...and too many potentially deadly outcomes because of it.

BECKY ELIE AND DON GEIER

JASPER CO.--Murder-suicide in Jasper County: Our coverage of the deadly double-shooting that happened mid-month May. This one's already got quite a few panties in a bunch, judging by the tipline calls.

SALINE CO.--Strange backstory for missing man: Without even being on the free side, this is the number two story for our website right now. What's it about? It's something that those who were involved in the search for Kyle Brown of Harrisburg were interested in reading all throughout the five months he was missing. Now, here it is...and exclusively in print and online with Disclosure.

Kyle Brown

BACK PAGE

WABASH CO.--Robinson man charged with threatening Wabash General Hospital doctor, staff: Talk about your crossovers...this would be it. But, in reading this, ask yourself: Was this guy actually that big of a threat? The court documents really make you wonder.

CLAY CO.--Deputy clerk v. former county deputy: Whose side gains in OP disputes?: Here's another one that didn't make print in the May edition because we literally ran out of room. But Clay County readers are going to want to know what's going on with this matter, which first came to the public's attention in mid-April.

SALINE CO.--Another lawsuit filed in Anna Bixby mess in Saline: Just when you thought all the bigshot attorneys had been hired and everybody was willing to sit down and talk about a reasonable plea...out come the civil suits. And boy, this one has legs.

PAGE 2

WAYNE CO.--IPs don't lie: Investigation into weaselly firebug's online antics underway: Everybody's favorite "fat-kid-on-the-playground" is now being examined for his online nastiness in a particular case that, from the looks of it, he's not going to be able to easily extract himself from. And guess what...? His computer and phone access are both being examined. That means anyone he's had contact with is ALSO being examined. We told you a year ago this was going to happen...so anyone who's been joining him in the libel, batten down your hatches...this might hurt a bit...

PAGE 3

They have money for a new sign at Clay County Hospital

Amanda Goostree, from CCH website

CLAY CO.--Shake-ups going on at Clay County Hospital: Already we're hearing reports coming out of Flora about how "all those Disclosure people are doing is lying about this; Amanda ain't leaving, Jamie ain't leaving, yaddayaddayadda." Well, we didn't SAY they were leaving...we said there's TALK that they are, and that they'e really having some problems. And boy what problems....and all of their own generating.

LAWRENCE CO.--Killer's wife makes obnoxious comment: Last year, Chad Hays was convicted int he death of a 7-year-old Sumner boy dating back to 2011. This year, his wife thinks she can mouth off to the mother about it. "Tact" isn't in the vocabulary, apparently.

EGYPT

The scene at ROC 1-Stop in Galatia on the afternoon of May 5, 2015

SALINE/HAMILTON COs.-State and Federal agents seize trailer full of hazardous chemicals in Galatia--Tip of the iceberg?: This story caused quite the commotion between the little community of Dale in Hamilton County and the small town of Galatia in Saline...with a little bit of and Evansville connection thrown in. But what's interesting is some of the genesis in Hamilton, which we're carefully looking into right now. Be sure you read this one, as it'll be the base article for what's to come, and you don't want to miss a word of it.

SALINE CO.--Eldorado "Special Delivery" sting nets undercover agents two pounds of ICE--$25,000 cash bond posted in the case: Knock-knock. Who's there? Ice delivery. I didn't order any ice...No, but maybe your KID did...? Allegedly, of course.

SALINE CO.--Eldorado man tells office his girlfriend was 'shooting up' prior to fight breaking out--'Arrest that needle-pumping whore, she's crazy!': Those were the words of Clay Mattingly as authorities responded to a domestic at his residence...you're just going to have to read the whole thing to see how ridiculous it all was.

SALINE CO.--Carrier Mills thief charged with boosting flat screen: Seriously. He had a TV jones.

SALINE CO.--Husband charged with beating wife after she refuses to have sex: Well, I've heard it all now. And when you read this, you will have, too. Only in Saline County.....

GALLATIN CO.--DUIs prevalent in Gallatin County: There just wasn't much coming out of GallCo this go-round....but the DUI levels were pretty astonishing.

SALINE CO.--Drug stash found in Webster's Dictionary: Hey. Just because it was in a dictionary doesn't mean it was a "smart" move...

SALINE CO.--Nearly run over man gets tossed over car by angry ex, takes it all in stride: This guy needs a medal for putting up with this kind of crap...and for surviving the assault as it was alleged against the ex.

HARDIN CO.--Filings leave voters asking if Hardin prosecutor doing her work from home again: What's an issue without an article about Tara-ble Wallace and her do-nothing approach to crime and criminals in her home county?

SALINE CO.--Marion man charged with pulling gun at Foster's Family Fun Center, in Harrisburg: This guy is a poster child for gun control advocates in the area...and we don't need that. See what he's accused of doing...and at the skating rink, of all places.

SALINE CO.--Homegrown hayseeds charged in Mills robbery: Follow-up to the big story last issue where the notorious (and prison-bound) Kyle Day decided he would go on a bit of a rampage.

HEARTLAND

Joe Ewing, of the Clark County Park District

CLARK CO.--Clark County Park District employees accused of altering election documents: Can the Clark County/Mill Creek Park District debacle get any more complicated? NOW, there's hard proof of even FURTHER screwups...and these are not exactly legal. However, someone has a chance to redeem himself with it. Will he? Read all about it.

CRAWFORD CO.--Clark Co. sex predator found in park: Is anyone ever going to do something meaningful with this guy from Clark County?? Matt Hartrich in Crawford now has an opportunity...and from what we're hearing, he's not going to cut this sex offender any slack. This is how judges are made, when a prosecutor steps up and does something like this. We're all watching. Go for it, Hartrich.

CRAWFORD CO.--Palestine chief nabs speeding "stoned" driver: The Crawford County dope report.

CRAWFORD CO.--Noble man busted in Robinson, violates OP: And more of your crossovers...lots of people leaving their home counties to get in trouble in far-flung counties, inexplicably.

CENTRAL

LAWRENCE CO.--Girlfriend of murder suspect arrested, charged with destroying evidence: In a more intensive article than the one we produced for the online version, here's the article about Robert Hutchinson's girlfriend, Ms. Mayden.

LAWRENCE CO.--Questions arise over recent Lawrence County drug arrests: A certain set of morons are questioning what's going on with our big ads. The bottom line is this: There is drug movement through Lawrence that's not being addressed. Our sources are telling us about it, and yet...it's still not being addressed. So we've opened up a line of communication about it, simple as that. We're sick of certain people being able to get away with what they're doing. With the help of the public, maybe they won't be getting away with it for much longer.

RICHLAND CO.--Olney felon charged in sexual abuse case: The sex felons continue to re-offend in Richland...because they can't stop themselves, and because they continue to get little tiny sentences.

WHITE CO.--Drug task force busts federal parolee on meth charges; he ran like a little girl: Well yeah. He's a federal parolee.

RICHLAND CO.--Man charged with swinging tire iron at his father tops Richland Co. drug report: A little bit of violence mixed in with the ever-growing dope report out of Richland.

WABASH CO.--Mt. Carmel trio charged with covering for convicted arsonist: The print version recap of the outcome of the grinning goofball Rocky Hoard's influence on crime in the city of Mt. Carmel. And no explanation whatsoever for why the guy is as big of a nut as he is.

WHITE CO.--Carmi man sentenced after beating Harrisburg woman: Another crossover, this time on the part of the victim.

EDWARDS CO.--West Salem man charged with laying in wait and then holding woman against her will: Another insane-behavior incident, quite a few of them coming out of Edwards just recently.

CLAY CO.--Drunk drivers keep cops busy in Clay: This certainly has been the month for drunk driving citations, in Clay and elsewhere.

LAWRENCE CO.--Criminal misdemeanor sweep uncovers multiple violence cases: People were losing their ever-loving minds in Lawrence these past three weeks.

RICHLAND CO.--Newton punk charged after twisting off in Olney: And yet ANOTHER crossover, this kid out of Jasper County coming down to Richland to do badness leading the report.

HAMILTON CO.--Fairfield man leads county DUI report: KIND of a crossover...although a lot of Wayne County people cross over into neighboring Hamilton. But again with the DUIs....wow.

RICHLAND CO.--Underage drinking party ends with arrests: And then when they're not DUI-ing, they're underage drinking. Which is pretty much a commonplace thing in Richland County.

CLAY CO.--Flora woman caught in latest precursor sweep, also charged with forgery: The Clay County crim report as it regards drugs and other charges.

RICHLAND CO.--Four charged with killing deer for commercial purposes: This one out of Richland County deserved its own headline. Are things that bad that people will kill deer out of season and then try to SELL it? Maybe making meth isn't for everyone, eh?

WABASH CO.--Lawrenceville man sentenced to conditional discharge following Wabash Co. murder threat: Yet another crossover. We just never get tired of them.

EDWARDS CO.--Albion felon faces drug charge, DUI sweep: The Edwards County dope report, and yes...there were DUIs here too!

WHITE CO.--Phoenix once again subject of court petition, hearing: Poor Phoenix Rehabilitation...they just can't stay out of the civil court system.

OP-ED

SURLY & UNCOOPERATIVE (Jack): First pair of bifocals and life in the holler
ICY (Ang): Annual Cancer Scam: Let's talk about truth
TECH TALK (Chris): Rise of the robots: terminator coming?
MINKUS INK (Bubba): Flaky Bruce has deeper problems than gender

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And that's it! Remember...after this next issue...there's one every other week, on a trial basis! E-Edition subscribers as well as print subscribers get the big benefit...to be sure you sign up! And if you'd rather just pick up the print version, visit any one of our awesome vendors...the list is growing!

WHITE CO., Ill.--Special patrols held in District 19 resulted in a number of citations for drivers in Saline, Gallatin, White and Wayne county in May, according to information from District 19 ISP in Carmi.

An Occupant Restraint Enforcement Patrol (OREP) conducted May 18 in Saline County resulted in these citations:

An OREP held in Wayne County May 22 resulted in the following:

On May 22, troopers conducted a sTEP (Special Traffic Enforcement Patrol) in White County with these results:

On the evenings of May 23 and 24 in both Gallatin and Saline counties, troopers conducted a Nighttime Enforcement Patrol (NITE) with these results:

And on May 25 in Wayne County, another sTEP was conducted with the following results; In addition to the enforcement activity noted below, there were also 5 citations issued for Driver’s License-related violations: 3 for Driving with a Suspended Driver’s License and 2 for Driving with No Valid Driver’s License:

These projects were funded through the Illinois Department of Transportation, Division of Transportation Safety.

SALINE CO., Ill.--A list of names, many of them repeat offenders, has been provided showing those who have been sentenced to DOC out of Saline County this past month, as well as what they were being sentenced for.

In the month of May, the following were sentenced:

Cameron Jones

Cameron M. Jones, 32, sentenced May 6, 2015, to 8 years DOC with 2 years mandatory supervised release (MSR, or, parole) for Residential Burglary.

Terry Wilson, 51, sentenced May 6, 2015, to 10 years DOC (extended term) with 1 year MSR for Meth Possession.

Danielle Clark, 35, sentenced May 8 to 2 years DOC with 1 year MSR for Criminal Damage to Government Supported Property.

Brandi Stefko, 28, sentenced May 13 to 5 years DOC with 1 year MSR for Methamphetamine Possession and Unlawful Delivery of a Controlled Substance (probation violation), separate sentencings, to be served concurrently.

Jeremy Brown

Jeremy S. Brown, 33, sentenced May 13, 2015 fo 2 years DOC with 1 year MSR for an enhanced sentence Retail Theft Under $300 count.

Kenneth R. Wangler, 35, sentenced May 15, 2015, to 6 years DOC with 1 year MSR on an extended-term sentence for Aggravated Battery.

Shannon Hale

Shannon Z. Hale, 24, sentenced May 19, 2015, to 5 years DOC with 2 years MSR for two counts of Aggravated Battery.

Joanthan M. Ortega, 25, sentenced May 21 to 3 years DOC with 1 year MSR on a count of Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance with Probation Violation, to be served concurrently with a Williamson County case.

JACKSON CO., Ill.--Most people across at least four counties in downstate Illinois know exactly who Jordan McGuire is.

Jordan McGuire, Albany County, Wyoming, mugshot

McGuire is the 28-year-old music-teacher-wannabe we featured last week regarding the outcome of his Laramie, Wyoming, sex assault case dating back to last November, wherein he got a person drunk at a party, then attempted to take advantage of him in the bathroom of the home where the party was being held.

He was charged with a felony sex crime upon arrest, making headlines in the South Counties coverage area of our circulation, since people in Saline (where he was charged with the same here when he was a student at Southeastern Illinois College), Gallatin (from where the family of one of his victims hailed), Williamson (just because so many people know of what's going on there) and Jackson (from where McGuire himself hails, as well as that being the location of another investigation into similar antics that never evolved into an actual charge) are familiar with him.

Jordan McGuire, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, mugshot

He's also well-known in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, where he was charged in 2012 with exactly the same thing: Getting a former student drunk, then taking advantage of him when he was passed out and couldn't give consent.

In a jury trial, he was able to get out of that charge. But it didn't slow him down, and he went on to Wyoming, where he's just returned from that conviction, to a misdemeanor (pled-down) charge (and let's be very clear here: A misdemeanor conviction is a CONVICTION of a crime. A misdemeanor is a CRIME. The level of seriousness is different than that of a felony, and the sentencing options are milder, including a probationary/conditional discharge/supervision option for sentencing; those, however, once successfully completed, don't mean you weren't CONVICTED. They simply mean that if there's a "three-strike rule" on your crime of choice that can be held against you in subsequent crimes, if you successfully complete your sentencing time, it won't be, necessarily. This is entirely up to a judge and prosecutor. But a misdemeanor conviction doesn't mean you didn't commit a crime. It certainly DOES mean you committed a crime, just a lesser one. So anyone saying it doesn't is delusional and misinformed.)

Anyway, after we reported on the return of the errant sex perv last week, we were deluged with information about what he's doing in Jackson County, and that appears to be this: He's changing his name.

That's right...apparently, when you google "Jordan McGuire," all the coverage of his across-the-country crimes comes floating up...so he wants to be known by a new name. This is it:

He's going to be known as Christian Sawyer Thomas Hansen. Apparently, he thinks he can then go to school and ply his tactics and no one will realize he's THE Jordan McGuire.

This isn't settling well for those who know him and know his victims:

The poster here opined that the irony in this was the name of the person hosting "To Catch a Predator," Chris Hansen.

The case number, 2015MR63, is available for anyone to see it at judici. Apparently McGuire believes he's going to move on somewhere where the internet won't be an easy thing for anyone to access. That's certainly not Australia; we have a pretty big readership there.

Keep watching. This guy is destined for much bigger things here at the site.

SALINE CO., Ill.--Failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident is what Illinois State Police are saying contributed to a traffic crash at Triple S Road in Saline County this morning.

The crash occurred at 10:50 a.m. this morning, Monday, June 8, 2015.

At that time, according to the preliminary traffic crash investigation by ISP, the driver of a silver 2007 Chevrolet Impala, Cathy L. Werner, was stopped northbound on Illinois Route 145, attempting to make a turn onto Triple S Road. The driver of a white 2014 Chevrolet Cruze, a 16-year-old juvenile from Carrier Mills, was also northbound on Illinois Route 145 and failed to stop for Werner's vehicle, striking Werner's vehicle in the rear.

Werner was transported to a local hospital for injuries sustained in the crash. The 16-year-old juvenile, as well as
her two 9-year-old juvenile passengers, did not report any injuries.

The 16-year-old juvenile was issued a citation for Failure to Reduce Speed to Avoid an Accident.

ISP District 19 was assisted at the crash scene by the Saline County Sheriff's Department.

CARMI, Ill.--Illinois State Police District 19 Commander, Captain Kelly Hodge, announced today activity and enforcement figures for the month of May.

Troopers in District 19, which includes Wabash, Edwards, Wayne, White, Hamilton, Saline, and Gallatin counties, recorded 1,529 incidents during the month.

Enforcement activity consisted of 873 citations and 972 written warnings, including 461 speeding citations, 4 DUIs, 164 seatbelt citations, 4 child restraint citations, 393 written warnings for speeding, and 21 criminal arrests.

Troopers also assisted 53 motorists, conducted 213 Motor Carrier Safety Inspections, and investigated 36 traffic crashes. There were two fatal traffic crashes investigated by District 19 during May, resulting in two fatalities.

In addition, 640 citations and 432 written warnings were issued for "Fata Four" violations. These violations are most associated with fatal traffic crashes and include Speeding, DUI, Failure to Wear a Seatbelt, and Distracted Driving.

HARRISBURG, Ill.--If you have felt the ground shake on the east side of Harrisburg before I get this post up, you'll need to stay calm: It's a drill.

We have a staffer on site at the building, where local first responders were getting ready, at about 8:30 p.m., to blow up a propane tank on the parking lot of the abandoned building as a training exercise.

Here's a pic. More as we get it.

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