MARION CO., Ill. - An accident on U.S. 51 at Boat Dock Road in Marion County sent one of three people from DeSoto in Jackson County to the hospital in Centralia this afternoon.

Illinois State Police said the accident occurred at 1:39 p.m. today (Tuesday, November 8).

Preliminary investigative details indicate that a 2007 International truck tractor with a 2008 Kruz dump trailer being driven by David McClelland, no age given, of Centralia, was stopped at westbound Kinoka/Boat Dock Road at the stop sign intersecting with U.S. 51 in Patoka.

A gold 2000 Mercury grand Marquis being driven by Kevin Pearson, no age given, of DeSoto was southbound on U.S. 51 just north of the intersection; there were two passengers with him: Stanley Ezell and Terri Fuller, no ages given, both of DeSoto.

The International truck proceeded to cross 51, casing the Mercury to strike the axle on the passenger side tire head-on.

Fuller was injured and transported to St. Mary's Hospital in Centralia by Patoka Fire/EMS.

McClelland was cited for failure to yield oncoming traffic.

Edwards County State's Attorney and judge-elect Mike Valentine

EDWARDS CO., Ill. - Our first return for the evening is for that of a Second Judicial Circuit judge, and it's coming out of Edwards County.

There, Mike Valentine took the nod from the voting populace in Edwards County for the seat being vacated by the retirement of Judge David Frankland.

Democrat Valentine, the sitting state's attorney in Edwards for the past eight years, swept the ballot box today with 2,264 votes against his challenger, Republican Brian Shinkle, who received 1,055 votes.

Frankland has been judge since 1998; it so happened that that year, Shinkle also ran for the seat that Frankland ascended to.

Valentine, originally from Orland Park in upstate and who moved to Albion after marrying a local gal (Megan Hallam Valentine, who is also an attorney, practicing in neighboring Wabash County) has had a rather remarkable career in law and the courts since he defeated Shinkle in 2008, winning that election by just 48 votes.

There's no doubt that gap widened this year; with this being Shinkle's fourth bid for judge, and with the Edwards County Republican Party having said in early 2008 that they weren't backing him for another run (they must've forgotten that promise), look for him to try it again next time an at-large or associate position comes open.

Taking over for Valentine in the state's attorney's office in Edwards will be local attorney Eric St. Ledger, who ran unopposed in this election.

WAYNE CO., Ill. - Another 'overcorrection' accident has sent a White County man to an area hospital as of yesterday evening.

Illinois State Police in District 19 said the accident occurred on U.S. 45 near Wayne County Road 520 North at 7:15 p.m. last night, Tuesday, November 8.

ISP said that a white 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix being driven by Scott A. Denbo, 53, of Enfield in White County, was northbound on 45 approximately four-tenths of a mile north of Wayne County Road 520N when he ran off the right side of the roadway.

Denbo overcorrected, which caused the Pontiac to spin out of control and run off the left side of the roadway, where it eventually came to rest.

Denbo was transported to an area hospital for treatment of minor injuries. Rick's Towing of Fairfield towed the vehicle from the scene.

Denbo was cited for Improper Lane Usage.

ISP District 19 was assisted at the crash scene by the Wayne County Sheriff's Department, Wayne County Ambulance, Fairfield Rural Fire Protection and Rick's Towing of Fairfield.

Emma Tate

WHITE CO., Ill. - The White County Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's help in locating two missing juvenile female subjects.

Emma M. Tate, 15, and Jena G. Weathers, 14, have been missing since late yesterday afternoon, Tuesday, November 8.

They both failed to return home from school at Carmi White County High where they both are freshmen.

It's possible both girls took the bus from Carmi to Crossville after school and disappeared at that point, White County Sheriff Doug Maier said.

Jena Weathers

Emma, who is from Crossville, is described as being five-foot-two and weighing 100 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes; she was last known to be wearing a black hoodie that had "BOSTON" in pink letters and "MASSACHUSETTS" in white letters on it.

Jena is five-foot-four and 115 pounds with black hair and green eyes. She was last known to be wearing a gray short-sleeved shirt with "TEN MILE BAPTIST CHURCH" written on it, black stretch pants and a black-and-white spotted jacket. Her residence is reported as 949 East 1300 North, Carmi, a rural location

If you have any information on the whereabouts of these two girls, contact Crimestoppers at 800-637-3577 or the White County Sheriff's Office at 618-382-5321.

FLORA— According to Flora Police Chief John Nicholson, his department has handled everything from domestic situations to outstanding warrants during the time period of November 1-5 and even recovered several stolen handguns.

On Tuesday, November 1 at 9:16 p.m., Flora Police arrested Ricky Kimbro, 29, of Flora, for Battery, Domestic Battery and an Outstanding Clay County Warrant, following an incident in the 433 block of Vincennes.

Kimbro was taken to Flora Police Department for booking procedures before being transferred to the custody of Clay County Sheriff’s Office.

On Friday, Nov. 4 at 5:15 p.m., Joey Nauman, 52, of Herrin, was issued a Local Ordinance Citation for Possession of Open Alcohol on Public Property, following an incident on US Route 50.

On the same day, at 5:17 p.m., Flora Police arrested Paul Irby, 42, of Zeigler, on a Williamson County Warrant, following a traffic stop on US Route 50.

Irby was transported to Flora Police Department, where he underwent booking procedures and was then take to Clay County Sheriff’s Office.

Then on Saturday, Nov. 5 at 11:17 p.m., Brandon Goodiel, 21, of Xenia, was issued a Citation for Operating Uninsured Vehicle, following a traffic stop in the 400 block of West North Avenue.

About 15 minutes later, at 11:33 p.m., Flora Police issued Local Ordinance Citations to Brianna Burgess, 25, of Flora and Tasha Enriquez, 21, of Clay City for fighting following an incident in the 100 block of East North Avenue.

Nicholson also reported a break in a burglary case involving stolen weapons.

The chief said that on Monday October 24 Flora Police recovered three stolen handguns that were later determined to have been taken during a burglary at Mel’s Sporting Goods on October 24 2016 in the morning hours.

After further investigation it was determined that the suspects were two male juveniles from Flora.

All guns that were taken have been recovered and the case has been sent to the Clay County State’s Attorney Office for review and/or prosecution.

Weathers, Tate

WHITE CO., Ill. - White County Sheriff Doug Maier has notified the public that the two girls reported missing earlier today have been located.

Maier said the two female juveniles - Emma Tate and Jena Weathers, 14 and 15 years of age, respectively - were located in West Frankfort.

However, only one is in custody; the other, Maier said, has been "spotted in the area but not apprehended at this time.

"This appears to be a runaway situation and no foul play is suspected," Maier said.

Maier didn't distinguish which of the girls was in custody and which was still at large, likely because this has gone from a missing persons case to an underage runaway complaint, and so the material released by authorities is done differently at this point. However, the understanding is that she is fine, just still categorized as a runaway. Anyone with information may call the White County Sheriff's Department at 618-382-5321.

DISTRICT 12 - Illinois State Police District 12 Commander Captain Cory Ristvedt has announced various patrols coming up this month in the several counties covered by his district.

Occupant Restraint Enforcement Patrol

Clay, Marion, Crawford, Lawrence, Jasper, Richland

ISP will conduct Occupant Restraint Enforcement Patrols (OREP) in Clay, Marion,  Crawford, Lawrence, Jasper and Richland Counties during November. OREPs allow the ISP to focus on safety belt and child safety seat laws. Illinois law requires all vehicle passengers (front and back) to be buckled up.

Special Traffic Enforcement Patrols

Clark, Cumberland, Effingham, Fayette

ISP will conduct Special Traffic Enforcement Patrols (sTEP) in Clark, Cumberland, Effingham, and Fayette counties during November. These sTEPs allow the ISP to focus on these fatal four violations

which contribute the greatest to traffic crashes and fatalities:

- Driving Under the Influence (DUI);

- Safety Belt and Child Restraint use;

- Speeding; and,

- Distracted Driving

The ISP will increase daytime and nighttime patrols to ensure the safety of vehicle travelers through enforcement of all traffic safety laws. Impaired driving is a factor in more than 30 percent of traffic deaths in Illinois. Likewise, speeding is a factor in nearly 35 percent of fatal crashes; and, nearly 50 percent of vehicle occupants killed in traffic crashes were known to not be buckled up.

Nighttime Enforcement Patrols

Fayette, Marion

ISP will conduct Nighttime Enforcement (NITE) patrols in Fayette and Marion counties during November. NITE patrols allow the ISP to focus on preventing, detecting, and taking enforcement action in response to impaired driving and occupant restraint violations especially between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.

The number of unrestrained drivers killed in traffic crashes is significantly higher at nighttime and combined with impaired driving means even more traffic deaths during these critical hours. Officers will strictly enforce violations including:

- Driving Under the Influence (DUI);

- Safety Belt and Child Restraint use;

- Speeding;

- Distracted Driving; and,

- All Illinois Vehicle Code and Criminal Violations

Alcohol and drug impairment is a factor in more than 30 percent of all fatal motor vehicle crashes in Illinois. Over half of all fatal crashes in Illinois occur at night. The NITE program allows officers to work even harder at removing dangerous impaired drivers from the road and making sure everyone is buckled up.

Roadside Safety Checks

Effingham

ISP will conduct Roadside Safety Checks (RSCs) in Effingham County during November. The use of RSCs combine a strong sense of public awareness and enforcement in order to save lives of the motoring public.

The ISP has zero tolerance for impaired driving in Illinois. Officers working the detail will be watchful for drivers who are operating vehicles in an unsafe manner, driving with a suspended or revoked driver’s license, transporting open alcoholic beverages, and most importantly:

- Driving Under the Influence (DUI);

- Safety Belt and Child Restraint use;

- Speeding;

- Distracted Driving; and,

- All Illinois Vehicle Code and Criminal Violations.

Alcohol and drug impairment is a factor in more than 30 percent of all fatal motor vehicle crashes in Illinois, and throughout the U.S., nearly 10,000 people die each year due to alcohol-impaired driving.

RSCs are designed to keep our roads safe by taking dangerous DUI offenders off the road.

CLAY CO., Ill. - Clay County Sheriff Andy Myers and his deputies dealt with folks from all over the area including Olney and Fairfield, as well as handled a couple of motorcycle wrecks during the first week of November.

Nov. 1, Colten Oakley, 30, Charleston, was arrested on an outstanding Clay County warrant for Deceptive Practice.  Bond set at $1,500.00 (10 percent). He posted bond and was released.

Nov. 3, Tyler Adams, 24, Olney, was arrested on an outstanding Clay County warrant for Driving While Driver's License Suspended. Bond set at $5,000.00 (10 percent), plus $75.00 warrant fee. He posted bond and was released.

Nov. 4, Clay County Sheriff's Deputy arrested Eric Willett, 29, Fairfield, on an outstanding Clay County warrant for Failure to Appear on the original charge of Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol. Bond set at $5,000.00 (10 percent), plus $75.00 warrant fee. He posted bond and was released.

Nov. 7, Clay County Sheriff's Deputy arrested Angela Payne, 52, Louisville, on an outstanding Clay County warrant for Driving While Driver's License Revoked. Bond est at $25,000.00 (10 percent). She appeared in Clay County Court, her bond was reduced to $15,000.00 (10 percent).  She is currently incarcerated in the Clay County Jail.

Nov. 8, the Clay County Sheriff's Office was notified of a motor vehicle accident at 7:50 a.m. north of the intersection of Xenia/Iola Road and Merlin Drive. Apparently Nathan E. Pontious, 39, Xenia, operating a 2002 Ford Excursion, was travelling north on the Xenia/Iola Road, lost control of his vehicle and overturned in a field. Pontious was transported to St. Anthony's Hospital for his injuries.

Nov. 8, the Clay County Sheriff's Office was notified of a motor vehicle accident at 10:30 a.m. at 150 E. Chestnut Street in Louisville. Apparently Walter C. Hale, 95, Louisville, operating a 2006 Chevrolet was attempting to park at the Louisville Post Office when instead of braking, accelerated and hit the building and flag pole. No injuries reported.

Nov. 9, Clay County Sheriff's Deputy arrested Jesse Fisher, 24, Effingham, on an outstanding Clay County warrant for Failure to Appear on the original charges of Aggravated Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol, Endangering the Life of a Child and Violation of Bail Bond. Bond set at $10,000.00 (10 percent) plus $75.00 warrant fee. He is currently incarcerated in the Clay County Jail.

Nov. 9, Clay County Sheriff's Deputy arrested Shelbey Young, 25, Clay City, on an outstanding Clay County warrant for Failure to Appear on the original charge of Driving While Driver's License Suspended. Bond set at $3,500.00 (10 percent), plus $75.00 warrant fee. She appeared in Clay County Court and was released.

Nov. 9, Clay County Sheriff's Deputy arrested Richard Fisk, 56, Iuka, for Violation of Bond Conditions on the original charge of Possession of Controlled Substance. Fisk appeared in Clay County Court and bond set at $25,000.00 (10%).  Fisk is also wanted on an outstanding Pike County warrant for Failure to Appear on the original charge of a traffic
citation. Bond set at $2,500.00 (10 percent). He is currently incarcerated in the Clay County Jail.

CARMI, Ill. - Illinois State Police District 19 Commander, Captain Cory Ristvedt, announced today activity and enforcement figures for the month of October. Troopers in District 19, which includes Wabash, Edwards, Wayne, White, Hamilton, Saline, and Gallatin Counties, recorded 1,543 incidents during the month.

nforcement activity consisted of 617 citations and 1,011 written warnings, including 277 speeding citations, 9 DUIs, 107 occupant restraint citations, 19 criminal citations, and 441 written warnings for speeding. Troopers also assisted 59 motorists, conducted 230 Motor Carrier Safety Inspections, and investigated 35 traffic crashes. There were two fatal traffic crashes investigated by District 19 during September, resulting in two fatalities.

Moreover, 412 citations and 524 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.

In addition to providing a Child Seat Informational Booth at a local Fall Fest, District 19 Troopers provided 18 Safety Education Programs to various schools, businesses, and civic organizations during the month. Presentation topics / classes included Driver’s Education, Drug Awareness, Search and Seizure, Internet Safety, Occupant Restraint, and K9 Demonstrations.  

UPDATE 8 P.M.

We've had it confirmed that this WAS a two-car accident that occurred at 4:30 today.

We've received no vehicle description, nor names nor ages of victims, but we can say at this time that there was one victim that was dead on arrival at the hospital, and one that was in full cardiac arrest when the first responders arrived.

The helicopter that took the victims from the scene left at 6 p.m.

When we learn more, we'll post; below is the original article, unaltered.

LAWRENCE CO., Ill. - An accident this evening north of Lake Lawrence outside of Lawrenceville resulted in a victim having to be extricated from the wreckage.

The accident occurred around 4:30 this evening, Saturday, November 12, 2016, at County Road 1350 North and Lake Lawrence Blacktop, as shown above by the gray arrow.

For right now, we can report that this was a single-vehicle accident; how it happened is unknown at this point, however, reports indicate that the vehicle was on its side when first responders arrived.

Mutual aid from Vincennes Fire was called; and a helicopter (St. Mary's LifeFlight) flew to the location to evacuate at least one individual involved. It's being reported that one woman, mid-30s, had to be cut from the vehicle, and that another person was in cardiac arrest, although whether that referred to a driver or a passenger is unknown.

Reports indicate it took about 20 minutes to cut the woman from the wreckage.

We'll update if/when more information becomes available.

LAWRENCE CO., Ill. - The names of those involved in the two-vehicle accident last night near Lake Lawrence have been released, and both individuals, from Flat Rock, were killed in the collision.

Illinois State Police said the accident occurred at 4:34 yesterday evening (Saturday, November 12) on County Road 1900 East just north of 1400 North, north of Lake Lawrence.

Preliminary investigative details indicate that a black 2012 Ford Fusion being driven by Jennifer Thompson, 40, of Flat Rock, was traveling southbound on 1900 E just north of 1400 N; a black 2001 Chevy Cavalier driven by Blake Parker, 31, of Flat Rock, was northbound on 1900 E just north of 1400.

Thompson appears to have veered into the northbound side of the unlined roadway, causing the two vehicles to strike each other head-on.

Thompson's vehicle then slid off the roadway and came to rest in the west ditch. Parker's vehicle slid off the roadway and overturned, coming to rest on the driver's side.

Both drivers were pronounced dead at the scene by the Lawrence County Coroner.

DOUG W. BOWLAND

WABASH CO.— In an incident of cross-county contamination that seems to be a growing thing between Richland and Wabash, a convicted drug felon out of Richland County is now charged in Wabash County with dealing drugs.

According to information filed in the case, Douglas W. Boland, 32, of 602 West Cherry St., Olney, was nabbed while he was at the Mt. Carmel McDonald’s, located at 111 East 9th St.

Police say that Boland was taken into custody after he was found to have on his person 15-100 grams of meth.

He was formally charged with Unlawful Possession with Intent to Deliver Methamphetamine.

Boland is a convicted drug felon out of Richland County after he was found guilty December 13, 2004, of one count of Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance (prescription medication) for which he was sentenced to the Illinois Department of Corrections for one year and ordered to pay $929 in fines and fees.

Cash bond in the case was set at $4,000.

DAKOTA S. WHEELER

WABASH CO.— An Evansville man has been charged with stabbing a Mt. Carmel man with legal problems of his own.

According to the information filed in the case, on October 23, at approximately 4:21 a.m., while at 414 Ash St., Mt. Carmel, Dakota S. Wheeler, 23, of 1115 East Tennessee St., Evansville, is said to have committed the offense of Aggravated Battery when he knowingly caused great bodily harm to James Brendon Agnew, 20, when he stabbed Agnew in the stomach.

There is no indication as to what exactly lead to the alleged stabbing, but given the charges filed in the investigation it appears self-defense is not a consideration.

The victim, Agnew, has his own problems with the law including an April 27, 2015 conviction for Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, for which he was sentenced to court supervision for one year and was ordered to pay $1,267 in fines and fees, of which he still owes $1,167.

In addition to the paraphernalia conviction, Agnew was convicted in May of 2016 on one count of felony Aggravated ID Theft, for which he was sentenced October 4 to jail for six months, conditional discharge for two years and was ordered to pay $1,337 in fines and fees, of which he has only paid $100.

Cash bond in the case against Wheeler was set at $10,000.

Conditions of that bond include that Wheeler have no contact with Agnew and Matthew Doan.

Matthew Doan, 23, of Mt. Carmel, is a convicted felon from December 17, 2012 when he was found guilty to Domestic Battery/ Strangulation and sentenced to probation for four years, ordered to obtain drug treatment and alcohol treatment and to pay $2,513 in fines and fees.

However, after violating the terms of his release, Doan was re-sentenced in the case on September 15, 2015 to the Illinois Department of Corrections for three years.

Wheeler is expected back in court later this month.

SO. ILL. – The wrapup of the raging 2016 general election is presented here by region and kept to a minimum largely because everybody’s about done with it, even just a short time thereafter; but these are the offices that were contested and these are the numbers as they were turned in; all material is UNOFFICIAL at this point, and official results will be available at a later date and likely won’t change much and won’t alter the outcome.

Fourth Circuit: Clay 

The single Fourth Circuit county in Central’s coverage, Clay, did have a couple of contested races, but not as many people were as excited about them as it might’ve first been perceived, what with the turnout being only 66.39 percent.

Perhaps the surprise of the evening was the emergence of the state’s attorney challenger as winner. Democrat candidate and assistant SA Melanie Pearce was a victim of the downballot sweep of Republicans, which saw Joel Powless taking the office, 3,690 to 2,561.

One county board seat also went that route: Challenging Democrat Linda Judd was defeated by Republican incumbent Barbara McGrew.

The ballot question of “Shall members of the Board of Education of Flora CUSD 35, Clay, Wayne, and Marion counties, be elected in 2017 and thereafter at large and without restriction by area of residence within the district instead of the current restriction that not more than three members on the board may be selected from one congressional township in the school district?” passed 2,162 to 991.

Clay retained their Fourth Circuit judges, but not by much, as the resident judge W. Robin Todd isn’t the best-liked in the circuit, and the message has been getting through to Clay for more than a decade now that you CAN vote no to retain judges.

Second Circuit: Edwards, Hamilton

The big story coming out of Edwards County of course was the fact that the Second Circuit has a new judge, and that’d be Mike Valentine, EC’s two-term prosecutor.

This drove the turnout to 78.64 percent, a phenomenal number for the second-smallest county in the state’s 102.

There were 3,390 total ballots cast in the EC, and 2,264 of those went to Valentine, while 1,055 voted for Republican Brian Shinkle in Shinkle’s fourth bid for a judge position.

Valentine will be succeeded by Eric St. Ledger.

In Hamilton County, where the voter turnout was a respectable 73.52 percent, the big race was for coroner, and while Republican challenger Tad Ziehm tried, he didn’t overcome the incumbent, Dem Steve Bowling. Bowling prevailed, 2,338 to 1,696.

For county board, three of four were selected: Republicans John Chapman (2,349) and Chad May (2,285), and Dem Brad Miller (2,030). Challenging was Republican Joe Bernard, who received 1,815 votes.

Second Circuit: Lawrence, Richland

Lawrence had one of the lower voter turnouts at 65.67 percent; but that’s still a respectable number of 6,157 total ballots cast as opposed to turnouts in the 30-percentage range.

The only major offices in which there was a race were for two county board seats. For county board in District 1, it was the Republican, Thomas G. Robinson, who took it over Dem Alan Thompson, 558-300.

For county board in District 6 Dave White took it over John L. Seed, 655 to 553. 

The ballot question didn’t pass: The school district was attempting to pass a one percent sales tax on the few shoppers Lawrence still has (since the last time they tried it, Lawrence has lost every grocery store they had and now have to go to Walmart for that shopping). The “no” vote overwhelmed the “yes,” 4,135 to 1,662, so look for the school district to begin pressuring the county board to raise property taxes for the institutionalization-like buildings that are the new schools, none of which the county needed.

In neighboring Richland County, which has traditionally dismal voter turnout, they bumped it up considerably: 68.58 percent, with 7,757 total ballots cast.

A single contested race pulled in at least a few voters in a certain section of the county and proved the Republican downballot impact was alive and well and happening in Richland: Brian VanBlaricum defeated incumbent Greg Amerman for the District 1 seat on the county board, 668-431.

And the handful of voters in the village of Claremont said ‘yes’ to the sale of alcohol being prohibited (these ones didn’t want it) in the village, 34; ‘no’ to it being prohibited (these ones did want it), 59. The possibility exists that the ones who voted the way they did actually meant to vote the other way, but the question, as they usually are, was worded so backwards-looking that the sale of alcohol at a bar is now a reality…meaning the village lushes can now Snapchat their alcoholic misadventures from a bar instead of from a friend’s house or their own lonely kitchen.

Second Circuit: Wabash, White

In little Wabash County, the upsets had little to do with downballot Republican voting, as Wabash is traditionally a Democrat stronghold.

With a voter turnout of 63.91 (this, while seemingly high, is actually low by comparison to other presidential elections in Wabash in the past and is among the lowest in the readership area) and 5,526 total ballots cast, the big contests were that of county coroner and one of three county board seats.

The coroner’s race went to the Dem challenger to the Republican incumbent, Shawn Keepes against Larry Hodgson. Several hundred votes separated the two: Keepes, 3,081; Hodgson, 2,334.

The county board seat, however, was retained by the Republican incumbent, Rob Dean, who was challenged by Democrat Charlie Sanders, formerly a county board member for a number of years. Dean kept his seat over Sanders, easily reaching 3,306 to Sanders’ 2,005.

In White County to the south of Wabash, the turnout was 69.12 percent, or 7,389 total ballots cast. The issues in White were on the county board, and the Republican downballot vote held sway, resulting in the boot for two deeply entrenched Dems who’ve been on the board for a long time: Mike Ray lost his seat to Ron McAnulty, 823-687. Tim Scates, too, was sent packing; Republican Don Puckett took the vote with 891 to 576.

SO. ILL. – The wrapup of the raging 2016 general election is presented here by region and kept to a minimum largely because everybody’s about done with it, even just a short time thereafter; but these are the offices that were contested and these are the numbers as they were turned in; all material is UNOFFICIAL at this point, and official results will be available at a later date and likely won’t change much and won’t alter the outcome.

Fifth Circuit: Clark, Edgar

There were no surprises in Clark County, and that includes the turnout, which was among the lower numbers in the coverage area: 66.51 percent turnout, with 7,994 ballots cast.

Over 70 percent of votes went to Reggie Phillips for 110th District Rep in the only other state-level contested race; his contender, cupcake Dem Dennis Malak received only 2,191 votes out of Clark.

In contested county races, incumbent Republican Ami Shaw kept her office as circuit clerk, winning with 4,559 votes over challenger Nancy Lueken Stepp.

No judges were booted in the retention vote as it pertains to Clark; likely because not enough people understand that they can vote no to retain in the Fifth Judicial Circuit.

In the other Fifth Circuit county covered here, Edgar County also had no surprises, but no real races, either, which produced the result of a low-by-comparison 60.1 percent, with 7,976 ballots cast.

Edgar, too, managed over 70 percent favorable votes for the incumbent Phillips versus a little more than 26 percent for Malak, so the word definitely got out about the very liberal-progressive Malak, who was funded by the Chicago machine according to campaign disclosure documents. Republican Scott Barrett took the vote over Jack Hoffman, an Independent, for county coroner, 6,548-1,196.

Edgar, too, retained all Fifth Circuit judges by a comfortable margin. They also passed the ballot question regarding imposing a sales tax to fund school expenditures, but just barely: 4,165 yes to 3,513 no.

Second Circuit: Crawford

In Heartland’s Second Circuit county, Crawford, there also was pretty standard fare.

In Crawford, 66.77 percent of registered voters cast 8,669 ballots.

Phillips beat Malak in Crawford 5,874 to 2,432. For coroner, there was no real contest for the incumbent Earl Deckard despite a challenge from former and now current once again Crawford resident Steve Skidmore (who lied to the Edgar County Watchdogs about his criminal history when asked; view article online), 5,905-2,490.

For County Board, in District 1 Republican John Daugherty took the vote over Toni Earleywine, 989 to 647. In District 3, Republican Kevin Utterback took the nod over Aaron Ikemire 935 to 606. In District 4, Republican George Bohman defeated James Napier 1,117-702. And in District 5, Republican James Keller defeated Penny Kaye York 856-692.

Second Circuit judges Larry Dunn, Robert Hopkins and Paul Lamar were retained by comfortable margins in Crawford.

Fourth Circuit: Jasper, Marion

Jasper County in the Fourth Judicial Circuit did have several local contested races, but the outcome was as expected. Jasper had a good turnout at 75.65 percent, with 5,229 total ballots cast.

Republican incumbent Jamie Blake has kept her office as circuit clerk after the challenge by Ami Smithennry, 3,743-1,303; Republican State’s Attorney Chad Miller retained his office against Dylan Hartigan 3,665 to 1,379.

A challenged race in the county board’s District 2 saw Republican AC Pickens take it over Mike Hall and Ronnie Diel, 1,324-1,038-807; and in District 3, Democrat Jason Warfel and Republican Doug Weddell got the offices with 970 and 870 votes respectively, defeating Dem Calvin Wilson as the third contender.

In Marion County, the big draw being the state’s attorney’s office resulted in a good 69 percent turnout. A last-minute filing by attorney Stephanie Corum, the Dem candidate, didn’t help her situation at all but it might produce some financial largesse in the future – she filed a defamation suit against her challenger Billy Milner’s mom and an employee of his for allegedly talking bad about her prior to the election. In the suit, it’s claimed that Corum said Milner’s associates linked Corum to an attorney who a few years ago was sanctioned for having a sexual relationship with a woman he was representing as a public defender. If Corum has proof of this, she has a fine case, as even a public official cannot be defamed by baseless claims of sexual impropriety or wrongdoing. Truth is the ultimate defense here, and if the two ladies in question – the elderly Judy Milner, and Carol Jones-Griffin, the employee – don’t have unequivocal proof that Corum did have a sexual relationship with Clinton County attorney Tim Huyett, it could go badly for them.

However, the election went badly for Corum, with a loss to Milner, 9,556 to 6,974. Apparently voters felt sorry for the “recovering” alcoholic Milner and maybe felt some kind of kinship with him, as he was arrested last summer in Richland County and charged with DUI and pot possession (see election edition for details). However, those voters apparently weren’t aware of the coddling Milner got as a result of “professional courtesy,” and there’s just no telling whether or not if they had been apprised, would they have voted differently. Whatever the case, look for a fun four years ahead, as Milner will likely screw up somewhere along the line, since literally, a leopard can’t change his spots and this, as well as domestic violence and battery against cops, is in Milner’s history.

SIAN KUESTER

MARION CO. – Another Marion County educator has been hemmed up on charges pertaining to sexual impropriety with a student.

Sian Zorns Kuester, 36, of Salem, was formally charged on October 31 after word got out that Kinmundy’s South Central High School board of education had learned of alleged material Kuester had disseminated to a male student.

Kuester was a special education teacher at SCHS; the alleged victim was one of her students, age 18. The material disseminated was reportedly photographs of Kuester (naked selfies) as well as a video of Kuester in a sexual act; reports don’t make it clear exactly what that “sexual act” was.

In the state of Illinois, such actions between a consenting adult and an 18-year-old are not considered a crime unless the individual accused is in a position of supervision, authority or trust over the 18-year-old, such as between a teacher and a student.

The school board became aware of the material at an undisclosed time during the school year in 2016, but whether that’s the 2015-16 school year or 2016-17 school year was not made clear.

What is clear is that during an executive session of the school board on Oct. 19, the board was apprised of the pending felony charges and their response was to suspend her for five days without pay.

However, she left the school on the 21st and has not returned.

Sources indicate that in the course of the school board’s investigation into the matter, Kuester had been ordered, by the board, to stop having text contact with the student, and she reportedly refused.

There’s no indication that she had any further communication with him, however, after the case was opened on the 31st.

The boy’s mother was the one who took the information to the county’s law enforcement, this on Oct. 21. When law enforcement became involved, information then began leaking out about the case even prior to formal charges being filed.

The situation was apparently bad in the Kuester home prior to any of the allegations coming to the fore in the school, to the boy’s family, or to law enforcement authorities: Kuester’s husband Jason, 37, of Centralia, had already filed for divorce on July 21 of this year.

That divorce was almost final as of press time; a mediator is involved and the matter was apparently moving slowly through the system, since the couple has two very young children whose interests must be considered.

In the criminal case, Kuester’s formal charge is a Class 4 felony Manufacturing Harmful Material with Webcam Device.

She’s set for a first appearance on the case Nov. 29, and has Timothy Hudspeth as her defense attorney.

JOHN RYAN TENNIS

WABASH CO. – Mt. Carmel and Wabash County residents are still scratching their heads over why it was that John Ryan Tennis allegedly robbed a convenience store at gunpoint.

Tennis (who goes by Ryan), 37, became the subject of the investigation after Family Video in Mt. Carmel was robbed at gunpoint on October 11; and Jumpin Jimmy’s convenience store and gas station, located at the end of Illinois Route 15 (West Ninth Street) at Mulberry, was robbed at gunpoint on Oct. 22.

There was no reported video of the Family Video robbery; however, there was some grainy vid captured of the robbery at the gas station.

Mt. Carmel city police asked the public for their help following the gas station robbery, and within about a day, word got around that an arrest was made, and on Oct. 24, Sgt. Ryan Turner announced that Tennis was the one arrested and charged in both robberies.

The community was stunned: Tennis is from a good family and has a family of his own, and has virtually no criminal history except a 13-year-old deceptive practice (bad check) charge.

However, Turner stated that Tennis had given a statement admitting to the crimes, this being a recorded statement to be used in court in the course of prosecution.

Tennis was formally charged with two counts of Armed Robbery on Oct. 24, where the public learned that he hadn’t been allegedly armed with a deadly weapon, but instead had been bearing an airsoft rifle. The case was still considered “armed” robbery, however, because the people who were threatened believed there was force being used against them.

An amount of cash taken in both robberies was not disclosed.

Friends of Tennis’ advised in the days that followed that Tennis had been working at a coal mine in Princeton across the river from Mt. Carmel roughly a year ago, then earlier this year he was hired at Oakwood Mine near Vincennes. The financial situation of the family was already precarious, the source said, when Tennis lost his job at that mine.

Tennis, friends said, was afraid he was going to lose his wife Crystal with the financial situation being so rough, and possibly believed that if he was losing everything, being in prison would be easier. That premise might be supported by the fact that Tennis was so ready to talk to authorities when they came to question him.

The same source advised that a 12-year-old stepchild and a 9-year-old child Tennis has with Crystal were left home alone when Tennis went to allegedly commit the robbery at the gas station.

The family is understandably upset and confused and are every bit trying to sort out the situation as anyone else who was close to Tennis.

Both charges are Class X felonies (because of the perception of a weapon being used) and bond is high: $100,000 cash.

Tennis has been appointed public defender Jim Lane.

A next hearing has been set for Tennis on December 12.

WHITE CO. – A Carmi man with Gallatin County ties is headed off to prison again, this after a spectacular leap back into the headlines in mid-October, this despite members of his family imploring that those headlines be taken down from access on the internet.

The Duffy family at the Gallatin/White county line (New Haven) has apparently been used to having things their way when one of them gets in trouble – and lots have, including federal drug charges – and so apparently they believed that coming on to Disclosure’s Facebook page and complaining that coverage of 29-year-old Brant Duffy’s latest crime spree was inaccurate and the material “shouldn’t be shared” was something that could be done.

It couldn’t, as Disclosure stood by the story, which came in as a press release from Carmi Police Chief Jason Carter on Oct. 16.

Carter’s release gave great detail about a break-in and burglary at the little Plum Street Pharmacy at 311 Plum Street in Carmi, with information coming in to the police department the evening of the 16th which prompted them to respond to an apartment at 722 Renshaw – a citizen had called in and had reported finding a large quantity of unattended medication by a path through the treeline at the end of West Webb Street toward Renshaw Avenue.

There was also blood on the same pill bottle-trail, which caused quite a bit of concern.

Authorities traced the trail to the window of Apartment 15, which was open and which contained a large amount of blood on the inside and on the bed in that room.

Several currency bills with blood on them could be seen just inside the window.

Authorities saw Duffy inside the room and they requested he exit the room, which he did through the window…and as he existed, authorities observed that he had a quantity of blood on his check, neck, arms, hands and jeans.

When Duffy was read his rights, he declined knowing anything about the blood, currency or medication and refused to give consent for a search; however, he was handcuffed and taken in, particularly when two bottles of morphine sulfate was located in a back pocket.

When officers examined the pharmacy, they learned that there were two locations of forced entry…and a large amount of blood inside and outside the building.

With that, Duffy was advised that he was under arrest and a search warrant was secured, which revealed numerous bottles and boxes of medication located, with most being covered in an amount of blood. They also found bloody burglary tools hidden in the wooded treeline behind the apartment, along with a pile of bottles and boxes of medication. Items collected under the warrant included pills, bottles, currency and fentanyl patch bottles.

Processing of the pharmacy crime scene revealed that numerous items of prescription medication had been taken from inside the store, along with an undetermined amount of currency.

Duffy was charged with Class 2 felony Burglary, Class 3 felony Theft over $500, Class 4 felony Criminal Damage to Property and Class 4 felony Possession of a Controlled Substance.

The latter three were dismissed on November 9 in exchange for a plea of guilty to the Burglary, for which he was sentenced to ten years in Illinois Department of Corrections. With 24 days time served, it’ll be quite some time before Duffy perpetrates his brand of criminality in the area; he also must pay $1,947 in fines and fees, none of which has been paid.

Duffy is a career burglar, although the record shows he’s not very good at it. In 2013 there were two cases against him in White County, the first stemming from a December 21, 2012 incident which wasn’t charged until January 17 after the calendar turned over. The count of Residential Burglary at that time got him a sentence in DOC of four years, primarily because on January 1 of 2013, he was indicated again in yet another burglary, and when that was charged, the prosecutor opted to take care of sentencing in both crimes, with a prison sentence on the 2012 incident and probation on the second (primarily because it wasn’t Residential Burglary, which is a Class 1 felony; the second charge was a Class 2).

In both those cases combined, he still owes $1,244 in fines and fees.

It’s unclear whether he went through drug treatment ordered at the time of sentencing in 2013.

Duffy also has records in Gallatin and Saline counties.

In Gallatin, he was popped in April of 2010 for driving under the influence of drugs (pot) and possession of cannabis; in Saline, he was busted in late 2012 availing Harrisburg’s Kroger store inexplicably of light bulbs and a package of Jet Dry for a dishwasher. The joke at the time was that maybe Duffy was trying to get a clue and heard that lightbulbs appeared over peoples’ heads in comics, which seems to be about his speed.

Duffy is the little brother of David Duffy Jr., who in early 2010 was found passed out in his car up in Ford County, having nearly overdosed on heroin; a syringe and several grams were present with him. Their father, David Sr., and mom Jackie spent a number of years in federal prison on meth and conspiracy charges. An explosion of Facebook activity was seen in 2013 when the elder David Duffy was out of FBOP, making it appear as though he was home from being a prisoner of war in the late 60s as opposed to done serving time for doing something wrong.

But apparently in Gallatin, there are some instances in which that’d be considered one and the same.

As of press time, Brant Duffy remained in White County Jail, awaiting transfer to inprocessing at Illinois Department of Corrections.

FAIRFIELD – As if no one could see it coming as soon as NAFTA was signed years ago, now city and county officials in Fairfield and Wayne County are experiencing locked bowels with the bankruptcy the parent company of the city’s primary employer, Airtex, is going through.

And since that Chapter 11 bankruptcy was filed in Delaware (where the parent company, UCI Holdings, is incorporated) on June 2, the solution to locked bowels for the local public officials has been to decide to rein in spending and hold the line while they see what’s going to happen in the future.

One public official who isn’t going to be an active part of that future, however – at least in a leadership role – is Fairfield mayor Chuck Griswold.

At the beginning of November, five months into the restructuring bankruptcy that Airtex is a part of, Griswold advised that he was not going to be seeking a second term in office.

Griswold has actually done a good job running the city since his election in 2013, taking on certain reprobates in town who continued to thumb their noses at city-provided utilities and not pay during cold winter months, knowing that no one would cut their heat off when it was 20 degrees outside, as well as encouraging growth and expansion out at Frontier Community College.

However, Griswold couldn’t do anything about Airtex, which used to be locally owned many years ago when there were actually factories sited all over rural southern Illinois where a family head could get a job and sustain his brood.

Now, with the buildings shuttered all down Main Street, and ‘for sale’ signs popping up prominently, it kind of looks hopeless…and there ultimately was no impact a city mayor could make.

The county board likewise has made a recent reaction likely inspired by the vacating of the last of the Airtex jobs and the many properties they have in town from the county’s tax rolls: They voted not to raise the county’s tax levy for the upcoming fiscal year.

During the meeting, held Thursday, November 10, references were made to “tough financial times ahead,” translated from coyness to mean that since Airtex is effectively gone and there’s no replacement being courted, there’s likely going to be a mass exodus of people from the county, and so there’s no reason to burden those who are left (roughly translated to mean that they don’t want to push even more people from the county.)

In past years, Airtex employed hundreds, and had three locations in town.

The jobs that represented what was left of the rank-and-file union employment staff were in the shipping department, and those were moved to Canton, Ohio, two months ago.

In past years also, previous mayors made little effort toward (and were even rumored to block) siting of any other manufacturing or industry in town, mainly because Airtex held such sway that they demanded of city officials not to take employees from “their” employment pool.

That has proven to be a desperately-bad set of actions to have taken over the past 30 or more years, making local workers completely dependent on their jobs with the aftermarket auto parts company.

Parent company UCI, under the “guidance” of billionaire Graeme Richard Hart of New Zealand, apparently couldn’t make their bills to several creditors as well as couldn’t sell their balance sheet restructuring ideas to bondholders. The bankruptcy was filed June 2.

Airtex, via UCI, has been sold a few times since Disclosure has been covering the debacle.

The descent into destruction was aided along the way by union demands and inflexible company leaders hired from out of the area to come “manage” both Airtex and its sister company, Champion Labs, situated in Albion and at one time, West Salem.

Greed apparently got the best of the company, although “free trade” (read: Sending manufacturing jobs to Mexico) probably did the most damage.

Now, apparently Fairfield isn’t even going to be a destination location for a “retirement community,” as anyone who retires there is going to be tasked with higher property and other taxes to fund the children of those who don’t pay any, as now, lots of people will be on ‘assistance.’

Welcome to southern Illinois.

CLAY CO. – The wave of hubris that preceded the U.S. Presidential election reached a southern Illinois county in a big way, and caught a local schoolteacher up in it.

And Clay County, of all places, was the locale.

Clay has, in recent decades, been a hotbed for political dissent as far as those go in southern Illinois when it comes to surreptitious as well as open attacks on people for various ideologies: Issues with blacks and gays have come to the fore in recent years, as there was rumored to be a strong white supremacy movement active in the county and in the border communities of those surrounding it beginning many decades ago and continuing right up until the present.

Those ideologies, however, had little to do with what happened at the end of October; a ‘practical joke,’ ‘scavenger hunt’ and ‘poor judgment’ have all been used as excuses for the theft of Trump signs from a property along Old Highway 50 to the west of Flora, almost directly between Flora and Xenia.

Signs stolen

A complaint was issued at the end of October that Trump signs were being stolen out of the property of a Clay resident, David Burt, at the intersection of Cedar Elm and Old Highway 50, south of Burt Farms.

Deputy Mark Feldhake was dispatched to the location and met with Burt at his place of business on Oct. 31, where Burt, according to paperwork generated by the incident, explained that he’d purchased “numerous political signs” at a cost of $10 each. He told Feldhake that he’d placed the signs on property over which he had control/permission at the intersection to the south of his premises at Cedar Elm Drive and Old Highway 50.

At or about Oct. 26/27, one of the signs was removed by unknown person(s). After this, he placed a camera near the location of the remaining signs. On Oct. 30, two more signs were stolen; the camera captured an image of a female with her hand upon the sign. Also in the image was a vehicle with is passenger door opened; there was a male driving the vehicle.

Burt told Feldhake that the female was Denise Wood, with the male being her husband Michael Wood, Burt’s neighbors.

Burt submitted a digital image to Feldhake via email, and advised that at the time, he’d just prefer his property be returned/replace, and that the Woods be advised that no further actions would be tolerated.

Wood turns over signs

At about 4 p.m. Oct. 31, Feldhake met with Michael Wood. Making no mention of the reason for his presence, Feldhake asked “Are we going to get this thing taken care of?”

Wood explained that the situation “was blown out of proportion” and that the missing signs were a result of a “practical joke” and a “scavenger hunt.”

Feldhake explained that the complainant, Burt, “wished for no charges, but merely wished for his signs to be returned and that his signs be left alone.”

At that point, Wood opened his garage, invited Feldhake to follow him in, retrieved a metal/wire sign stand from open view and retrieved two political signs from a closed metal cabinet, handing all of it to the deputy.

Feldhake met with Burt to return the signs and advised Burt of what Wood had said about the whole thing being related to a “practical joke, scavenger hunt and poor judgment.”

And then, Denise Wood called the sheriff’s office.

Denise was ‘offended’

Feldhake went to meet with her at the school in Flora where she is employed.

“Denise stated that she was not admitting to anything,” Feldhake wrote in his report, “but complained that she was ‘offended’ that Burt had signs on property which does not belong to him, was ‘offended’ that Burt evidently had a camera on property which does not belong to him, and was ‘offended’ that the picture of a person, which she stated she would not admit to being her, was published on the Internet/Facebook.

“She stated she would like those offenses investigated,” Feldhake wrote of her request.

Feldhake asked Wood if she wished to pursue charges stemming from the offenses and she declined; and at this he explained that he had no intention of using resources investigating the alleged ‘offenses’ if no charges were sought.

He further explained that she had no standing as a complainant, as the property owner would be the “offended” parties in the placement of the signs and/or camera, and the person in the pic was not.

She stated that the person in the photo was not her.

To this, Feldhake supplied the explanation that there was no infraction that had been committed by the camera getting a shot of whoever it was in the photo, as the picture was of a person upon a public way and “there is no expectation of privacy while on a public way or of what is visible from a public way.”

No surprise

Ultimately, Burt advised Clay County Sheriff Andy Myers that he wasn’t seeking charges, and he was willing to just let the whole matter blow over.

And while that may be the case, in the days following the presidential election that were filled with rioting and violence by “protesters” in liberal big cities, the situation underscores the ongoing hubris and indignation libs all over the country believe it’s their ‘right’ to assert.

It’s no surprise that a teacher would feel the way she does; it’s no surprise she didn’t make mention of the nonexistent ‘practical joke’ and  ‘scavenger hunt’; and it’s no surprise that a conservative Republican would not pursue charges, as, generally speaking, conservatives just want left alone to go about their business.

The saddest part is that across the readership area, there were other reports of signs being stolen or vandalized, and every single one of them, from Saline County to Crawford, were Trump signs. There was not one report of a Clinton sign being stolen or vandalized (not that there were that many of them).

And that, too, in light of the ridiculous protests and riots going on post-election, is in itself no surprise at all.