Tristan Capps, White County mug

WHITE CO., Ill. - An alleged burglary at a rural White County location was thwarted by the ones accused of conducting it, this after they crashed their loot-laden vehicle in a beanfield not far from the site.

The whole thing kicked off mid-morning Saturday (September 24) when at 10:02 a.m., White County Dispatch received a call of a one-car vehicle crash between the Concord and Herald areas of the county. Deputy Randy Graves responded to the scene located at 600 North/1375 East near Concord.

When he arrived he found a silver Pontiac Grand Prix on its side, having overturned three times in a soybean field. The presumed driver, Tabitha Seabeck, 23, of Mt. Vernon, Indiana, and presumed passenger Tristan Capps, 20, of Mt. Vernon, Illinois, were present and Graves spoke to Capps, who was fine, but Seabeck was bleeding from scratches all over her. As well, she appeared impaired either from the crash or some kind of drugs, Graves noted, as she was slurring her words and having a hard time walking, being very unstable. She reported she didn’t know how the wreck occurred.

When White County Ambulance arrived and placed Seabeck in it, she finally allowed that she had been the driver.

There happened to be a witness to the crash: Kenneth David Hughes, 58, who said that his son-in-law, Jeffery Pigg, 30, had notified him that a car was parked at a house belonging to Hughes’ mother, Gladys Hughes, 87. Pigg told Kenneth Hughes that he drove by the farm house and saw the silver car pulled into the driveway, off the roadway and near the rear of the house, unoccupied and with no one around it. Pigg said he believed Seabeck and Capps were in the house at the time.

When the car left, and was traveling County Road 600 North, that’s when Kenneth Hughes said it, and near Concord, the vehicle, he said, started driving very fast and erratically before it ran off the road and overturned in the beanfield. Hughes called 911 from his location and it went to Posey County, Indiana, who transferred it to White County.

While at the scene, when checks were run on Capps and Seabeck, Capps’ came back as no valid driver and with a warrant out of White County.

Graves checked the vehicle and its surroundings, which were apparently all over the beanfield.

He found items with the name of “Hughes” on them, all over the place and in the car. Because there was blood and glass all over the interior of the vehicle, it was towed to S&E to be inventoried.

Capps, meanwhile, having refused treatment at the scene, was told he had a warrant and was taken into custody. When he was advised of the burglary per all the Hughes items, he claimed he took all the items but was never inside the residence; he said he rides around in the country picking up old items laying in the ditches and at the side of the road. Graves told Capps that if Mrs. Hughes signed a complaint about the items, however, he was being charged.

And Seabeck, meanwhile, had been toting a suspected meth pipe in her bra, as was found by the ambulance crew (Stacy Barnett, Adam Allen, Penny Morris and Tim Wagner); the pipe was located in the left booby cup, and field tested positive for meth.

When the inventory was done - and it was a lot, filling up two large tables at S&E - there were multiple items found in the car to have been taken from the Hughes residence. Other items included a large box of old high school photos of Gladys Hughes; approximately 120 old records; a box of cassette tapes with Hughes’ writing on them; a large box of costume jewelry of the type Hughes used to sell; a large folder of paperwork with social security number and tax information for the Hughes family; bank statements and books of blank checks for the Hughes family; documents for Gladys Hughes’ deceased son Kevin Hughes, which documents Mrs. Hughes was keeping; two older electric fence chargers and an old steel wagon wheel.

Mrs. Hughes was able to identify the items that were hers and signed a complaint.

Capps was charged with Burglary and Theft, and then was served the warrant on the matter of two traffic tickets which he obtained in 2014 and apparently hasn’t paid anything recently on his pay-or-appear: He owes $353.60 on one ticket, $224.90 on the second.

A blood draw was requested on Seabeck to prove level of intoxication if any. Warrants for Theft, Burglary, Possession of Meth and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia were requested; Capps remains jailed, we have no update on Seabeck yet but will brink it when we learn it.

CLAY CO., Ill. - Clay County Sheriff Andy Myers and crew had a relatively uneventful few days for the time frame covering September 19 through the 21st, but there were a couple of wrecks that required his deputies' expertise, one involving a woman from Bridgeport in Lawrence County.

The first was on Sept. 19, when the Clay County Sheriff's Office was notified of a motor vehicle accident at 3:35 p.m. at the intersection of North Street and Church Street in Xenia. Apparently Brenda Jenkins, 37, Louisville, operating a 2007 Ford was stopped at the stop sign at the intersection, facing west, and was struck by a westbound 2003  Mercury operated by Paul Clodfelter, 46, Olney.  No injuries reported.

On Sept. 19, Clay County Sheriff's Deputy cited Jason Freeman, 41, Flora, for Unsafe Equipment. He was given a Notice to Appear and released.

Sept. 21, the Clay County Sheriff's Office was notified of a motor vehicle accident at 9:54 a.m. east of the intersection of U.S. Route 50 and Heather Lane, east of Flora. Apparently James T. Carver, 53, DuQuoin, operating a 2015 Chrysler, was travelling west on U.S. Rt 50, following a truck, the truck slowed to make a turn into a drive, Carver abruptly stopped and was struck by a 2016 Jeep operated by Barbara Earnst, 70, Bridgeport. No injuries reported.

EFFINGHAM, Ill. - Illinois State Police (ISP) District 12 Commander Captain Cory Ristvedt announced that District 12 Troopers will conduct Occupant Restraint Enforcement Patrols (OREP) in Clay, Richland, Crawford, Lawrence, Fayette and Marion counties during the month of October.

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.

This project is funded through the Illinois Department of Transportation, Division of Traffic Safety.

WHITE CO., Ill. - A $500 Crimestoppers reward is being offered in a theft case out of Norris City.

The situation was reported on Monday, September 26, when at approximately 4:11 p.m., Norris City resident Bill Becker called the White County Sheriff's Office to report the theft.

Becker told Deputy Scott Cantrell that at some point in time Friday (Sept. 23), someone had taken a 35 HP Evinrude outboard motor off his boat.

He stated the boat was parked behind the FS plant that was now a CAT facility.

Becker has offered a $500 reward for any information leading to the arrest of the person(s) that stole the outboard motor.

Michael Easton

WABASH CO., Ill. - Wabash County's new K9, Roy, was instrumental in assisting with an arrest in a rural location in the county yesterday, upon report of a suspicious vehicle parked near a residence.

So most of the heat has backed off, we're in the mood for Fall, and the material just keeps pouring in to give you one of the best papers in the area....you've found it, right here, and we're now bringing you the latest PRINT HEADLINES.

Print Headlines are a way to let readers know what's in the latest edition of Disclosure (September-October 2016, which has been on stands for a week now). They are brought to you here with headline links to take you right to the latest edition's stories, or if you read the print version exclusively, directly to the article here at the website. Print Headlines are presented by dateline first (the are of our coverage where the material in the article took place), headline (with direct link to the e-Edition article) and a brief synopsis in our own snarky Disclosure style. They are laid out in order of appearance in the paper for the most part: Front Page, Back Page (our 'second' front page), Pages 2 and 3, Features if any (presented on pages 12 and 13), Egypt, Heartland, Central and Op-Ed. And now, without further ado, we bring you THIS MONTH'S PRINT HEADLINES.

FRONT PAGE

A photo posted on Everett Herring’s Facebook page showing him and his new flame, Becky Elie-now-Zuber. It’s possible that just the presence of Zuber at the picnic may have enraged Haley Geier and that may have spilled over to her beau, Eric Lamb, prompting him to take the actions he allegedly did…since he couldn’t exactly attack the scrawny 40-something Becky.

JASPER CO. - Deputy on leave: The major story emerging out of North Counties earlier this month; poor Eric Lamb. There just seems to be so much these days that sets him off.

Pay attention, folks. Pay VERY close attention. Because here's your schematic.

SALINE CO. - Pornographic texts prove affair between candidates not a rumor: Tired of hearing all the whiners say "Oh Molly...? She's such a good girl. All this stuff about her and Jason Kasiar is just made up!"? So were we. So we took the pornographic texts to one of our legal minds, and having confirmed their authenticity, we produced this article about them. Oh and btw...the feds are investigating something involved in this. No, we're not kidding.

POPE CO. - Janitor arrested: Late-breaking information about a Pope County guy who got hemmed up right on deadline.

WABASH CO. - Chamber director busted for DUI: A detailed article about the late August bust of Lesley Hipsher in Henderson, Kentucky.

DJ Thacker

LAWRENCE CO. - Thacker arrested in Lawrence County: We'd been told further charges were pending, and this has proven to be the case - now Lawrence County is in on the criminal action against DJ Thacker, shown at left.

BACK PAGE

Tim Akers

BRIDGEPORT - Is another Akers scam in full swing in Lawrence? This is what Lawrence Countians are asking themselves...and when we get into doing Read the Leads, we're going to feature another little tidbit we found out about Bridgeport alderman Tim Akers when on deadline.

Steve Lockhart

LAWRENCE CO. - Goat farmer arrested; subject of multiple OPs: The full story of someone who's been featured in our publication many years ago, and for similar actions - goat farmer Steve Lockhart.

CLAY CO. - Flora punk, on supervision, busted again in Clay County: A rundown of the alleged criminal antics of Flora crim Rylan Flood, who just keeps on causing problems for people.

RYLAN FLOOD

PAGE 3

Briefs from around the Disclosure area: DUIs in Hardin somewhat comical / Accomplice in Carmi pole barn pilfering identified / Arm pulling lands violent Olney man behind bars / Violent Dahlgren man busted for striking woman / Newton boozer accused of grabbing wife, again

PAGE 12

Jordan Lee McGuire, now calling himself Christian Jordan, with a Danish accent (and likely a lisp)

WILLIAMSON CO. - Illinois sex offender FOUND in Denmark: Absolutely amazing...Jordan Lee McGuire, who tried to change his name so he wouldn't be 'known' as a sex offender, failed, took off, and got away...all the way to Denmark. Read how disgusted authorities are about this matter...and what might be done about it.

EDWARDS CO. - $50K cash set as bond in attack of police officer: We just wanted to run dude's pic here because he's quite beaten up, which is what's going to happen to you if you allegedly tackle a cop and expect to win.

PAGE 13

Ed Hataway

RICHLAND CO. - Four years, no arrest: The anniversary of the abduction and murder of Ed Hataway is recounted here. Four years, the authorities know EXACTLY who the suspects are, and their pissivity is keeping them from following through.

Brockton Copher...and his eyebrows.

WILLIAMSON/SALINE COs. - Eldorado teens popped peddling pot in Marion: Just a simple pot arrest, but...why are these kids moving it in Marion? And WHY does this guy have parts of his eyebrows shaved out??

EGYPT

SALINE CO. - Accused rapist of 13-year-old charged in stabbing of tow operator at Huck's: The fully detailed story of how Mr. Ginn of Opie's got stabbed a few weeks back...and what Deangelo Cowper is facing, both in Saline, AND in Hardin County, where he'd been in trouble literally days before.

HARDIN CO. - Rosiclare hair pulling and stabbing charged: It was a slim set of pickings on the criminal front in Hardin this past month; Tarable Wallace must be busy getting ready for the election. Anyway, here's what we have.

GALLATIN CO. - Ridgway pair busted in Elm Street burglary case: The crim goings-on in GallCo this past month.

SALINE CO. - Confessed snorter of pills attacks correctional officer: This guy needs to kick the pills...and get a haircut.

SALINE CO. - 'Rado woman busted for hiding friend's dope stash in her crotch and bra: And Ms. Ravioli (or Ravito or whatever her name is) is in this one...looking rough.

HARDIN CO. - 30-year-old ordered to live with his mom: For which he was probably grateful, I mean, what with all the extra food stamps and all.

SALINE CO. - Would-be newlyweds jailed after beating on one another: Pretty bad, to need the kind of marriage counseling these two need BEFORE even getting married...

SALINE CO. - Mills man earns fourth driving revoked: These people just keep on driving....

SALINE CO. - Stonefort man confronts child, charged with displaying weapon on Robinson Street: The lesson here - don't display your weapon when you're yelling at a kid. Allegedly, of course.

SALINE CO. - Machete-wielding beau busted for attacking babymomma, wants visitation with his daughters in jail: This one got a big couple of pieces of art because it's just too sketchy to not.

SALINE CO. - Woman busted for boosting bacon bits and body spray: Hey. She had her priorities in order.

SALINE CO. - Whiskey drinker fresh off probation chokes girlfriend, police say: Nothing wrong with whiskey. Everything wrong with what it does to some people.

HEARTLAND

CLARK CO. - Taxpayer funds pay for mural sponsorship; taxpayers oblivious: It doesn't get much more spurious than this. It's not that we don't like art; it's not that we don't like the murals in Marshall; they're neat. It's neat that people come from all over to paint them. It's just that...what else is taxpayer money being shell-gamed to do in Clark County...???

CRAWFORD CO. - Stifles split the sheets; separated for years: Never have we enjoyed reporting a divorce story so much...I mean, this one is a head-scratcher; and it's a do-it-yourselfer, so it's just doubly amusing.

CRAWFORD CO. - Lawrence/Robinson dopers jailed in Crawford Co. as suspected meth cooks: Crossover crossover crossover...

HARRY OLIVER

CRAWFORD CO. - OP filed against sex offender while he's sitting in Crawford jail: How many times have we said here "Harry Oliver....AGAIN"...?? Well...we're saying it...AGAIN.

CRAWFORD CO. - Suspected drug dealer gave kids booze and weed: Because that's what drug dealers do.

 e-Edition Xtra: CRAWFORD CO. - It's a battery-filled misdemeanor report out of Crawford: That fun misdemeanor stuff, which is particularly interesting in Crawford...so interesting that because we overwrote, we opted to put it in the e-Edition Xtra.

DUSTIN NOBLIT

CRAWFORD CO. - Oblong man charged with seducing 13-year-old for sex: I've said it before and I'll continue to say it...I'm pretty sick and tired of pervs....but I won't label Mr. Noblit in this. I'm just saying I'm sick of it, no matter who's doing it or who's accused and hasn't really. Time for people to grow up.

 e-Edition Xtra: JASPER CO. - Busted face and wife locked in bedroom featured in crim report: The violence report coming out of Jasper.

CLARK CO. - Public Works director blames Watchdogs for 'loss of funds' at Marshall swimming pool: Because GOD FORBID they should look at the duty-abrogating public officials who have been illegally giving away money for years...

JASPER CO. - Weird misdemeanor roundup (but not the weirdest) in Jasper: We always have fun with misdemeanors per county. Jasper, with its relatively low crim activity, is one of those counties that's oftentimes priceless.

JASPER CO. - Olney woman fights with police during traffic cop: She traveled all the way up to Jasper County just to give us some crossover. Nice.

CENTRAL

LAWRENCE CO. - Who decides who to charge with child abuse in Lawrence County, and how....?: I'm sure they're just confused....maybe they'll figure it out some day. Hopefully NOT after more children are injured, killed or just ruined for life.

RICHLAND CO. - Judge Harrell grants suspected doper shot at drug rehabilitation: And we'll just see how THIS goes.

CLAY CO. - Clay prosecutor asking crim to pay for his own defense: They do this in Clay. Not sure it's constitutional, but they've been doing it for a number of years now.

WABASH CO. - Battered Pear Street druggie sentenced to one year for pills: And he's just about to fall over from ennui, if his mugshot is any indication.

CHARLA BETH SULLIVAN

MARK STEPHEN KELLER II

WHITE/EDWARDS COs. - Ghouls at work: White pair charged with stealing jewelry while widow at funeral: The formal material on the horror that was the Matz burglary, which occurred while the Matz family was at the funeral of Hank Matz.

WABASH CO. - Carmi and Albion women picked up for DUI in Mt. Carmel: Two separate incidents, of course.

CLAY CO. - Convicted Clay City doper fights with cops, EMT gets shot at rehab: Geez. You don't kick people in the stomach who are trying to help you.

EDWARDS CO. - Albion man in DUI pickle in Grayville: And it's not even a Dill this time...it's a Lewis.

HAMILTON CO. - Wayne man charged with dragging woman with truck and fighting with police officer: For the safety of those in the area, might I recommend to Justin Hood that someone needs to DO something with Cody Cropper...? Thx.

 e-Edition Xtra: EDWARDS CO. - Multi-county crim charged with violence in Albion: George. Getting in trouble again.

 e-Edition Xtra: WHITE CO. - Crossville man charged with breaking jaw: There are quite a few broken bones in this issue, I've noticed.

WHITE CO. - Boosted Panama Jack bicycle lands Carmi man behind bars: Nobody rides bicycles anymore. Except those annoying helmet-wearers out on the highway, and people who don't have driver's licenses. Wait...

WABASH CO. - Convict on first time offender status gets arrested again: The level of dumb regarding some of these Wabash County accused crims continues to plummet. It's like they're drinking stupid soup straight from the holding ponds at PSI or Dynergy or whatever they're calling it these days....

RICHLAND CO. - Suspected meth user and dealer busted on Elm Street: If it's Olney, even Freddy Krueger isn't safe from dope on Elm Street.

LAWRENCE CO. - Sex offender found living near Bridgeport Head Start: If people only knew the sex offender/daycare issues going on all over the state, they'd...well, they'd really be upset.

LAWRENCE CO. - Elderly doper charged with meth possession: This is probably one of the most amusing doper stories we've produced in a while. Scott Tewell, the guy who stayed in jail in Lawrence several years ago so he could get his meth-rotted teeth fixed at the county's expense, was claiming that the stuff found in his possession wasn't his; it was his former roomie's, Cameron Jones'. I mean...hilarity, here.

The girl who thinks she's a boy, Malynne Peterson.

LAWRENCE CO. - Teen female-on-female sex offender from Marshall sentenced in Lawrence: She thinks she's a boy. She looks like a boy. But only the DNA knows for sure. Well, that, and all the non-boy parts.

RICHLAND CO. - Former P'burg man accused of holding meth in Dundas: Two of Richland County's lil burgs, rep'd.

WABASH CO. - Fifth Street man charged with breaking nose of 'domestic partner': That had to be a pretty hard blow, actually....

RICHLAND CO. - Main Street man accused of firing weapon: The point here being ON Main Street...

CHASE RUNYON

RICHLAND CO. - Wynoose Road Runyon accused of meth possession: Sometimes my creative headlines crack me up; somebody from outside of the area would look at that and probably think "Wynoose Road Runyon...that's a weird thing to name your kid...."

LAWRENCE CO. - Lawrenceville man charged with smacking: It wasn't his lips he was smacking while he was eating. Although to some people, that should be a charegable offense.

LAWRENCE CO. - Murder charge filed in Bridgeport stabbing: How this one got past us when it happened, I'll never know. Wait...yes I do know. Mike Mefford. That's how.

CLAY CO. - Flora doper works his way up to drug dealer charge: They're always reaching for something 'higher'....LOL

WHITE CO. - Carmi woman tries for oxycodone with fake script: We touched upon this one here at the website when the arrest was made, and there were a lot of unanswered questions there. Here, they're answered.

CLAY CO. - Fairfield man escapes from rehab: His name is 'Hyder.' He proved to be not very good at it.

RICHLAND CO. - Olney woman jailed after lying to police to keep boyfriend from being arrested: Bad timing to have an identity crisis....

OP-ED

COLUMNS

SURLY & UNCOOPERATIVE (Jack) - To the trooper who assaulted someone because they mentioned me: I have something for ya, Junior
ICY (Ang): Polarizing America, one event at a time
MINKUS INK (Bubba): Welcome to the prison planet...I mean, Illinois

VOICE OF THE PEOPLE (Letters)

BACK OVER YOUR TALES: From the pages of the September-October 2011 edition of Disclosure

We like this one. From fullredneck.com

CLAY CO., Ill. - Apparently, the very trendy topic of scaring the feces out of people by dressing up as a scary clown and lurking around dimly-lit areas is being frowned upon by local police authorities.

As such, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and Flora Police Department are stepping forward with a press release to remind citizens of the dangers associated with the upcoming Halloween season.

The presser states that Halloween season is a time that allows for our children to dress up in costumes as different characters and people, have fun and go throughout the neighborhoods collecting treats from their neighbors.

However, "Anyone caught using this opportunity to use these costumes with only the intent to scare people and cause disturbances in the community will be arrested. Similar activity to this has been reported to local law enforcement, those subjects involved in these situations were found to be juveniles attempting to play pranks on their friends and is still being investigated."

The press release concludes that law enforcement are strongly encouraging residents to "use caution when dealing with any suspicious activity and immediately report it to their local law enforcement agency."

We get the impression that the underlying sentiment is: Please don't shoot these clowns. As Idiocracy becomes reality instead of just a movie, and people are getting more and more stupid and aren't interested in getting UNstupid, things like this that trend are really opportunities for people to become news stories. Don't do it, folks, and don't let your friends or family do it. Stuff's getting weird out there...let's make an effort to reduce the weird effect, no matter if it's scary clowns or just some clown BEING scary.

CLAY CO., Ill. - Clay County sheriff Andy Myers has released information on some activity his deputies have been dealing with these past couple of days...specifically September 27 and 28.

Kory Hilliard

On Sept. 27, Kory Hilliard, 32, Flora, was arrested on an outstanding Clay County warrant for Unlawful Restraint and two counts of Felony Domestic Battery. Bond set at $30,000.00 (10 percent). Hilliard is also being held on a Parole Warrant. He is currently incarcerated in the Clay County Jail.

Darren Frank

On Sept. 28, a Clay County Sheriff's Deputy arrested Darren L. Frank, 51, Sailor Springs on an outstanding Clay County warrant for three counts of Unlawful Delivery of Controlled Substance Within One Thousand Feet of a Church. Bond set at $50,000.00 (10 percent). He is currently incarcerated in the Clay County Jail.

And on Sept. 28, a Clay County Sheriff's Deputy arrested Evangeline Bradham, 35, Flora, for Petition to Revoke Probation on the original charge of Driving While Driver's License Suspended. Bond set at $5,000.00 (10 percent). She posted bond and was released.

James Walker, White County jail mugshot

EDWARDS CO., Ill. - The West Salem man who apparently had a whole lot of people convinced that he "didn't do it" managed to enter a plea in his criminal sexual assault case yesterday in Edwards County court.

James A. Walker, 39, is the man charged back in late February of this year with multiple counts of sexual assault of his former girlfriend's 16-year-old daughter, dating back to October of 2012.

He was initially charged with three separate accounts of Criminal Sexual Assault of a Family Member under the age of 16.

Yesterday, at a regularly-scheduled pretrial hearing, he was able to get one charge dismissed, as well as one amended (to which he entered a guilty plea) if he entered a plea to the first count, which he did.

The Class 1 felony was reduced/amended to a Class 2 felony, Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse of a Family Member under the age of 18. Between the two felony convictions, he'll serve a  nine-year DOC sentence. He's getting credit for 50 days time served.

Initial response to the charges were that he "didn't do it" and that the girl "lied" about him, as can be seen at the initial post as well as the Facebook page link on the post.

Nathan Weidner

FAYETTE CO., Ill. - An Olney felon has been set for a preliminary hearing next week in Fayette County Circuit Court after a bizarre occurrence in the village of Farina this past Sunday.

Nathan Weidner, 39, is the man who came into Ellen’s Café Sunday (September 25) crying hysterically, and rambling about stuff (authorities haven’t indicated what his topic of rambling actually was).

To add to the disconcerting behavior, Weidner was toting a handgun openly.

Since he’s a felon out of Richland County, that was a big no-no, as well as a serious concern for other patrons in the restaurant. Law enforcement was called, but by the time they arrived, apparently Weidner had been convinced that everything was going to be okay, and he had put down the weapon on the floor. Deputies found him standing in the west doorway of the building, and despite his hysterics he was taken into custody without incident on an arresting charge of Aggravated Unlawful Use of a Weapon.

When a search was conducted, not surprisingly a sizable amount of meth was found: A small amount on Weidner’s person, a bigger amount in his vehicle, for a total amount of 55 grams, which resulted in an additional charge of Possession of Meth more than 15 but less than 100 grams.

As it turned out, there were two people with Weidner when he arrived at the restaurant, and when they got out of the car, they left (it’s being characterized as they “fled on foot.”) A search for the two ensued, and involved Fayette County Sheriff’s Department personnel, ISP and IDNR, but the two were never located. One was a woman; she’s been “identified” to the extent that authorities know she’s from Salem, but they haven’t released her name. They’re still searching for both of them as far as we can ascertain.

Weidner, meanwhile, is set for a prelim on October 7. This is his first felony in Fayette; he became a felon in Richland years ago (2004) on a drug charge, this when he was a resident of Bridgeport. He remains jailed in Fayette County on a $10,000 cash bond, so apparently authorities are taking his alleged actions very seriously.

WHITE CO., Ill. - White County State’s Attorney Denton Aud has announced something new and completely different that might change the face of the drug community in his county.

A press release reads as follows:

With September being National Recovery Month, White County’s law enforcement entities are proud to jointly announce a new weapon in the arsenal to combat the presence and destructiveness of illegal drugs in our community.

Time and time again, we have seen the correlation of those in our community who abuse drugs with those whose lives are destroyed resulting in families broken and children irreparably damaged. Since the inception of the War on Drugs, a barrier has existed between law enforcement and drug addicts, resulting in those who want help with addiction staying in the shadows instead of seeking help.

Following the successful lead of other law enforcement entities, we are excited to announce the creation of our new C.H.A.N.G.E. Program. Through C.H.A.N.G.E., our goal is to: Create Hope, Assess Needs, Give Encouragement. For any White County resident that has reached the point of wanting treatment for an addiction to drugs but does not know where to go, White County law enforcement is offering to be the starting spot by inviting those with an addiction to drugs to come to their local police department, where counselors at the Egyptian Health Department will be contacted to coordinate appropriate treatment.

Those with active arrest warrants and/or pending criminal charges are not eligible for this program. Participants must be at least 18 years old or accompanied by a legal guardian. Furthermore, as part of the goal of getting illegal drugs off the street, those enrolling in the program may deliver their drugs and drug paraphernalia to the enrolling law enforcement entity for destruction without criminal charges being initiated.

To be clear, law enforcement in White County will continue to vigorously enforce all drug laws; nevertheless, we are reaching out to those with addiction issues by offering our help to get them treatment if they choose to ask for help. The law enforcement community encourages any eligible White County resident seeking treatment for drug addiction to come enroll in the C.H.A.N.G.E. Program by contacting your local law enforcement entity, filling out some paperwork, meeting with a counselor, and finding an appropriate treatment center.

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

The press release was signed by Denton Aud, as well as Sheriff Doug Maier, Carmi Police Chief Jason Carter, Grayville Police Chief Roy Mann, Norris City Police Chief Diana Tharp, and Enfield Police Chief Nathan Poore.

So the question is…will this work? Or will the “addicts” (who’ve been convinced for years that addiction is a “disease,” ergo there’s nothing they can do about it, thus taking the onus off them) find a way to game this system, too?

HAMILTON CO., Ill. - A McLeansboro man is in custody in Wayne County after being apprehended following a homicide in his home town.

Zachary J. Shock, 22, is the man authorities took into custody early this morning (Friday, September 30) after authorities - who were looking for him in conjunction with the homicide - found him at Fairfield's Casey's General Store out on 45 South on the south edge of town.

Authorities were searching for Shock following the death of an individual at a location in McLeansboro, specifically 407 East Broadway. The victim hasn't been identified by authorities yet, and the cause/manner of death hasn't been released. The homicide is said to have happened either overnight or in the early morning hours this morning; the victim was pronounced deceased by the Hamilton County Coroner at approximately 1:40 a.m.

When we learn more, we'll bring it. Mark your RSS feeds or keep a tab up for refreshing.

From Zachary Shock's Facebook page

HAMILTON CO., Ill. - The name of the victim of an early-morning homicide in McLeansboro has been released, and the man authorities are saying is responsible for his death has been charged.

Hamilton County State's Attorney Justin Hood advises that Zachery J. Shock, age 22, of McLeansboro has been charged with three felony counts - One count of Aggravated Battery with a Firearm, Class X felony, two counts of First Degree Murder (charged with alternative language) - for the shooting of James L. Berkel, age 45, of Salem with a firearm.

Shock was arrested in the early morning hours of September 30, 2016 in Wayne County. He will be incarcerated in White County Jail on $2,500,000.00 bond. His first appearance will be in Hamilton County Circuit Court on October 3, 2016

The investigation was handled by Illinois State Police with assistance from Hamilton County Sheriff Department, McLeansboro City Police, and Wayne County Sheriff Department.

Location of incident this morning

LAWRENCE CO., Ill. - A tense situation emerged this morning on the outer edge of Lawrenceville, but apparently all is well this evening, this after a woman was threatening to jump off the bridge over the Embarrass River.

Our sources report that this occurred right before 11 a.m. this morning, Friday, September 30.

Initially the woman was reported sitting on the edge of the overpass of the Embarrass, located on the east side of Lawrenceville not far from the radio station. Reports indicate that she was threatening to jump.

However, in about ten minutes, authorities had her talked down. She was shortly thereafter transported to Lawrence County Hospital.

The name has been withheld for now; no charges are pending.

Zachery Shock

HAMILTON CO., Ill. - Illinois State Police District 19, being the investigating agency on the incident yesterday that resulted in the death of a Salem man, has issued a press release on the case.

However, Disclosure has learned some backstory that's showing this situation to be its own special brand of tragedy.

First, ISP's release reads:

The Illinois State Police is investigating the death of James L. Berkel, 45, of Salem, Illinois. McLeansboro Police Department and Hamilton County Sheriff's Department officers responded to a call at a McLeansboro residence on September 30, 2016, after receiving a report of a man suffering from a gunshot wound. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene by Hamilton County Coroner Steve Bowling. The suspect, Zachary J. Shock, 22, of Dale, Illinois, has been arrested and charged in Hamilton County with one count of Aggravated Battery with a Firearm and two counts of First Degree Murder. Autopsy results are pending, and the investigation continues. Any media inquiries should be directed to Hamilton County State's Attorney Justin Hood's office.

Hood's office came through yesterday with preliminary information, but the most informative folks are those related to Berkel, and they contacted us yesterday, as well.

According to what they've been told, the incident may have involved what Shock thought was going to be a drug deal.

While details are yet sketchy, it appears that Shock believed that Berkel - who does have a criminal record, just nothing recent - might've had some kind of dope connection, and Shock wanted some.

Shock is said to have texted Berkel, telling him he was on the way over with funds for the deal, to which Berkel objected, saying he didn't have anything to do with that anymore. Then when Shock arrived, the two got into a fight, and Shock is alleged to have shot Berkel (reportedly in the back), then fled.

It's our understanding that the relationship between Shock and Berkel wasn't necessarily a casual one: Berkel was seeing Shock's mother, and had been for a number of years until recently, so it was more like a stepfather/stepson thing. Why it turned off violent, unless it was over dope, isn't being disseminated at this time.

Zac Shock is being held at the White County Jail; he's set for a court appearance Monday, October 3 at 10 a.m. in front of Judge Barry Vaughn.

WAYNE CO., Ill. - A Fairfield woman and a 15-year-old passenger were fortunate earlier this afternoon to have escaped with only minor injuries after a single-vehicle crash out on Interstate 64.

Illinois State Police in District 19 who worked the wreck said it occurred in the westbound lane at milepost 111.5 at 1:16 p.m. today (Saturday, October 1).

According to the preliminary traffic crash investigations, the driver of a black 2004 Dodge Dakota, Pamela R. Martin, 56, of Fairfield, was traveling westbound on I-64 in the passing lane. As Martin attempted to make a lane change in heavy rain, she lost control of her vehicle on the wet pavement. Her vehicle crossed the driving lane and struck an embankment, causing the vehicle to overturn.

Martin and the 15-year-old passenger were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash preventing major injuries.

Wayne County Ambulance service transported both occupants to an area hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

Martin was cited for Driving Too Fast for Conditions.

Illinois State Police District 19 was assisted at the crash scene by the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, Wayne County Ambulance Service, Fairfield Rural Fire Department and Rick’s Towing from Fairfield.

MT. CARMEL, Ill. - Mt. Carmel police contended with locals as well as with a couple of out-of-area folks (including one from Flat Rock in Crawford County) over the two-day time period of Thursday and Friday, September 29 and 30.

FLORA, Ill. – Flora city police were as busy at the beginning of October as they were at the end of September, and that activity included dealing with a person from Ingraham wanted on a Champaign County warrant.

It starts with Tuesday, September 27 when at 10:25 p.m., Patrick Kimmel, 22, of Fairfield was issued a Citation for Operating Uninsured Vehicle, following a traffic stop in the 600 block of West North Avenue.

Also on Sept. 27 at 10:40 p.m., Robert McGowen, 37, of Fairfield was issued a Citation for Wrong Way on One Way, following a traffic stop.

On Thursday, Sept. 29 at 7:33 p.m., was when Flora Police arrested John White, 35, of Ingraham on the Champaign County Warrant and a Local Ordinance Citation for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. White underwent booking procedures at Flora Police Department and was transferred to the custody of Clay County Sheriff’s Office.

Also on Sept. 29, at 11:48 p.m. Mary McCormick, 57, of Wayne City was issued a Citation for Expired Registration, following a traffic stop on North Mill.

On Friday, Sept. 30 at 4:14 p.m., Flora Police arrested Sara York, 29, of Flora on an outstanding Clay County Warrant for Failure to Appear. York was taken to Flora Police Department for booking procedures and was released after posting the necessary cash bond.

Then on Saturday, October 1 at 7:00 p.m., James Smith, 42, of Flora was arrested on a Clay County Warrant. Smith came to Flora Police Department for booking and was able to post bond and was released.

Alex Cohen discusses the day's activities before 30 arrests were made

SANDUSKY, Iowa - Over 200 people from all over the country took part in a peaceful protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline on Saturday, Oct 1, near Sandusky, Iowa. This is the location where the pipeline is scheduled to go under the Mississippi River from Iowa into Illinois. The encampment along the river is known as Mississippi Stand.

Alex Cohen, 20 years old, stated: "We’re here to defend the mighty Mississippi. We know that if we get the critical mass we can stop this pipe from ever going beneath the river."

It is anticipated numbers will continue to grow as awareness builds. Mississippi Stand was established to show solidarity with the Native American camp, North Dakota’s Standing Rock, and to stop construction. More demonstrations are planned.

From the October 1 protest

About 100 people have been arrested at this site to date.

Jim Arenz, 54 yrs old, Milledgeville, Ill., said: "I’m here for my children and my grandchildren. We have a responsibility to leave them a better world than we inherited. More than 30 million people depend on the Mississippi River for drinking water. None of us get the economic benefits of this pipeline, but when it ruptures all of us will pay the cost."

Work is progressing 24 hours a day at the Mississippi site. "This worries me," stated Annette McMichael, a member of NoDAPL Illinois. "Mistakes happen when workers don’t get enough rest. These mistakes could result in pipeline accidents once the oil is flowing."

Protesters and security meet at construction site

About the pipeline:

Dakota Access LLC, a subsidiary of Energy Transfer Crude Oil Co., is developing the Dakota Access pipeline to transport crude oil from North Dakota to a terminal in the Marion County community of Patoka, Illinois. The project is approximately 60 percent complete, and owners expect the pipeline to be fully functional by 2017.

The pipeline route runs through North and South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois. In Illinois it passes through Hancock, Adams, Schuyler, Brown, Pike, Scott, Morgan, Macoupin, Montgomery, Bond, Fayette, and Marion counties. Opponents of the pipeline claim that public input was not allowed when planning the pipeline route and that permits were hastily granted without proper environmental studies. Major concern revolves around the safely of the project regarding the Missouri, Mississippi and Illinois Rivers.

https://www.facebook.com/nodaplil/

https://www.facebook.com/MississippiStandCamp/?fref=ts

CLAY CO., Ill. - The extent of the injuries to four teens last night in a Clay County wreck hasn't been updated this morning, but it appears at least one may have been injured fairly seriously in a single-vehicle rollover last night.

Illinois State Police District 12 said the wreck happened last night (Tuesday, October 5) around 8:58 p.m. on Mockingbird Road a quarter-mile southeast of Iola.

At that time, a 2002 Jeep Wrangler being driven by Clayten B. Traub, 17, of Mason, was traveling north on Mockingbird Road. With him were three other teens: Trey Hawkey, 18, of Iola, a 15-year-old male from Iola and a 15-year-old male from Edgewood.

The Jeep began skidding on the gravel road and left the roadway to the left (west).  The driver oversteered the Jeep and left the roadway to the right (east). The Jeep struck a power pole, breaking the power pole in half, then began overturning, coming to rest on the passenger side in a field. Traub was thrown into the front passenger seat when the vehicle came to rest. The other three passengers of the vehicle were thrown from the vehicle into the field.

Traub was transported to Clay County Hospital in Flora by Clay County Ambulance; one of the male juveniles was also transported to that hospital, but via Farina Ambulance.

The other male juvenile was transported to St. Anthony's Hospital in Effingham by his parents.

Hawkey, however, was taken by Air Evac to Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, His condition as well as that of the others was unknown as of this morning.

Traub stated he was driving too fast and lost control of the Jeep on the gravel road. He was cited for Failure to Reduce Speed to Avoid an Accident, Failure to Wear Seatbelt, and two tickets for Failure to Secure Child age 8 but under 16; Hawkey was issued a citation for Failure to Wear Seatbelt.