Doug Maier

WHITE CO., Ill. - White County Sheriff Doug Maier has announced his participation in the Illinois Sheriffs' Association Scholarship Award coming up.

Maier said the Illinois Sheriff's Association has announced it will be awarding over $54,500 in college scholarships throughout the State of Illinois to students wishing to pursue higher education during the 2017-18 academic year. The scholarships are to be applied to tuition, books and fees only. The student must be enrolled full-time at a certified institution of higher learning within the State of Illinois.

Sheriff Maier himself will be awarding a $50 scholarship.

There will be no restriction on any applicant by reason of race, age, creed, color, sex or national origin. The only limitations are:

---Applicants must be permanent Illinois residents
---Scholarships must be utilized at institutions of higher learning within the State of Illinois
---Students must be enrolled as a full-time student during the 2017-18 school year (excluding summer session)

Applications are now available at your local sheriff's office or on the internet at www.ilsheriff.org. Students must complete the application; answer the essay question and return all documentation to the sheriff's department in their permanent county of residence by March 15, 2017 (must be postmarked by this date).

For more information, please contact your local sheriff's office, Illinois Sheriff's Association, high school advising center or college financial aid office.

EFFINGHAM, Ill. - Illinois State Police District 12 Commander, Captain Cory Ristvedt, today announced activity and enforcement figures for 2016.

Troopers in District 12, which includes Clark, Clay, Crawford, Cumberland, Effingham, Fayette, Jasper, Lawrence, Marion, and Richland counties answered 2,748 calls for service and initiated 21,905 incidents in the field during the year.

In addition, enforcement figures totaled 11,183 citations and 9,271 written warnings, including 5,733 speeding citations, 195 DUIs, 1,549 seatbelt citations, 73 child restraint citations, 3,013 written warnings for speeding, and 431 criminal arrests.

Troopers also assisted 2,760 motorists, conducted 4,762 Motor Carrier Inspections, and investigated 978 traffic crashes. Of those crashes, 34 were fatal crashes.

During the year, 8,118 citations and 3,670 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.

WHITE CO., Ill. - A burglary reported yesterday from a rural location in Enfield is being investigated by White County Sheriff's officials.

The sheriff's department reports that a Billy Ward, 71, of rural Carmi, advised the office by phone that there had been a burglary reported from a rural location in Enfield that he owns.

Ward told deputies that the burglary occurred either Wednesday, January 11, or Thursday, Jan. 12. He'd been in the barn on the 11th and when he arrived back on the 12th he found the front doors of the structure opened.

Ward advised as to how he believed the barn was accessed (which information won't be published here) and said he'd bring in a list of items taken.

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ill. - We're going to jump on the bandwagon here over this situation...which is a sad one, but is being handled in an AWESOME manner if attention is what they want to attract.

Because they've really done it. This is all over social networking sites.

Scroll down to see.

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For those mobile-y challenged and who can't see the pics, here's what it is: A white soft-haired Wheaton Terrier dog by the name of "Josie" was reported stolen from the yard of a gentleman in Lawrenceville, Mark Puntney. Puntney at first noticed up everyone on his social networking pages that Josie had been stolen. However, the dog was found dead at some point in time thereafter, and now Puntney's offering a sizable reward - $2,500 for the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the dog's death.

His phone number is 618-554-2092, and he's asking for people with serious information ONLY to contact him.

If you know anything about this terrible situation, by all means get in contact with Puntney and let him know. And tell him that his social networking pleas are working...he's attracted a lot of attention with the way it's being promoted: With the lead-in being:

REWARD!! 
Stolen from Lawrenceville IL & killed ! 
Body Found in Mt Carmel 
(I have no more info, just trying to help find person responsible!!!) 
This was not just a dog......It was someones beloved furry friend!! Part of the family!
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...he just can't go wrong, getting people's attention like this.

Hope the culprit is found. Anyone who can kill a dog is right down there with child abusers and other sick people who can't be rehabilitated.

Please like and share.

Tyler Caswell

SALEM, Ill. - New Marion County State's Attorney Bill Milner is going to have his hands full in the coming months following arrests after a big party this past weekend in Salem.

In what amounts to a bunch of punks trying to act like their idea of grown-ups, the Friday night (January 13, 2017) festivities were terminated when two people were shot and one was arrested for that, and a kid with a stolen loaded weapon was arrested for that.

Tyler Caswell, at the tender age of 18, has been charged with two counts of attempted murder along with two counts of aggravated battery with a weapon after it's alleged that he shot two other young people, Jacob Joyner, 21, and Jacob Hayes, 20, both of Salem.

The action took place at a location in the 700 block of Markland Street in Salem, where there was evidently a big birthday party underway, and where a bunch of underage kids were allegedly imbibing right along with the adults. Whose birthday remains unaddressed by authorities.

Whatever the case, the two young guys shot were ultimately transported to hospitals out of the area; their conditions were unavailable today but Hayes, while in St. Louis, was apparently able to give an interview to police that confirmed the focus of the investigation would remain on Caswell.

However, another teen was also apprehended, this for taking off from the party with others in a vehicle and later being found with a gun that allegedly wasn't his; they took off when police arrived at the wild party in response to the shootings.

Roderick Oats

Roderick Oats, 18, of Mt. Vernon, was in one of two cars full of partiers that fled the scene and were shortly thereafter found by police parked on the parking lot of Denny's in Salem.

The partiers in the cars were patted down before being questioned, and just prior to his pat-down, Oats advised police that he had a weapon on him.

The gun turned out to be a .38 Special. It was found on his person containing four bullets...and had the hammer cocked.

There was no report of exactly WHERE the revolver was found on Oats, but chances are really good that it was in an idiotic gangsta-wannabe location (like in a waistband, pointed at the holder's gonads).

As it turns out, that surmising has support in the fact that the weapon was discovered to have been stolen...from a location in Hanover, Massachusetts, in 1982, long before this young gangsta-wannabe was a gleam in his momma's eye, and quite possibly before she was a gleam in her momma's eye.

So, Oats was arrested and charged with Unlawful Use of a Weapon and Possession of a Stolen Firearm, and bond of $25,000 was set in his case.

Caswell is facing a much larger bond: $75,000 cash was the preliminary amount to hold him pending formal charges (that'd be $750,000 bail, identified as "bond" in other media but that's not accurate; "bail" and "bond" are two different things; bond is 10 percent of the bail in the state of Illinois).

The big party was the kickoff of a turmoil-filled weekend in Marion County, where in Centralia, there were two separate reports of gunfire occurring early yesterday morning (Sunday, Jan. 15).

No one was injured in those two incidents, but there was one vehicle struck by gunfire.

The teens from the big birthday bash will be in court this week; we'll follow it and see if any of the charges change.

Michael Whipple

MARION CO., Ill. - It must have been a stressful weekend for North Counties residents, as there have been a whole bunch of them getting in trouble with the law.

Another is Michael Whipple, 19, of Edgewood.

Whipple was arrested Saturday by, of all things, police in Kinmundy following a high-speed chase which hit Interstate 57 and reached speeds in excess of 100 mph.

Kinmundy police were the ones attempting to stop the vehicle they say Whipple was driving speeding neart the intersection of Illinois Route 37 and Kinoka Road.

Whipple didn't stop, and allegedly fled the scene, leading police on a wild ride. Taking off down Kinoka Road, Whipple hit Interstate 57 northbound, taking the Farina exit, traveling east on Rout 185, then back over to 37, where he was northbound.

At the intersection of 37 with Altamont Road, he lost control of his truck, spun out, and ended up in a ditch alongside the road.

By this point, Fayette County police had joined in on the adventure.

There was a passenger with Whipple in his vehicle; that person wasn't identified in reports but was released from the scene, apparently uninjured.

Whipple, however, was taken into custody...after telling authorities that he fled because he was driving revoked.

The incident resulted in charges of Driving While License Revoked, Aggravated Fleeing/Eluding, Operating Uninsured, Expired Registration, Unlawful Use of Registration, and Speeding. More charges reportedly are coming.

Beau D. Price

WABASH CO.— A convicted drug dealer and a man with a history of legal problems with alcohol are both charged with packing drug making ingredients with intent to cook themselves up a batch.

Beau D. Price, 23, of 7475 East 650 Rd., and Brandon L. Banks, 35, of 617 West First St., both of Mt. Carmel, have been charged with a trio of felonies after police say December 29, 2016, they found then in the 600 block of West First St., Mt. Carmel in possession of 150-500 grams of ephedrine, two cans of Johnsen’s Premium Starting Fluid, one Energizer advanced lithium battery, one container of Kleen-Out drain opener, and one digital electronic scale.

Both men were formally charged with Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine Precursors with Intent to Manufacture Methamphetamine, Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine Manufacturing Materials with Intent to Manufacture Methamphetamine and Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine, less than five grams.

Price was convicted October 3, 2011 of one count of Unlawful Consumption of Liquor by a Minor and sentenced to court supervision for one year and to pay $372 in fines and fees.

Brandon L. Banks

Approximately five years later, February 9, 2015, Price was convicted of Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol and sentenced to court supervision for one year and ordered to pay $2,261 in fines and fees.

Cash bond in the case was set at $5,000.

Banks’ criminal history includes a conviction for Burglary and Theft January 29, 2001 for which he was sentenced to the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) for three and a half years and ordered to pay $4,538.09, of which he has paid nothing.

And in one of the best examples of recidivism in southern Illinois, Banks was convicted July 20, 2002 for Manufacture/ Delivery of Cannabis 30-500 grams, Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine Manufacturing Materials, Unlawful Tampering of Anhydrous Ammonia, Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Felony Escape and two counts of Unlawful Possession of Controlled Substance, for which he was sentenced to IDOC for six years and ordered to pay $2,110 in fines and fees.

It is unclear exactly how Banks was back on the street (two years later) long enough to get himself convicted December 27, 2004 of Unlawful Transportation of Anhydrous Ammonia, which allegedly earned another IDOC sentence of three years.

Banks was also ordered as par of his sentence to pay $435 in fines and fees.

Cash bond in Banks’ case was also set at $5,000.

And in a separate case Banks was charged with felony Deceptive Practice after authorities say on October 5, 2016 he attempted to obtain control over property of John C. Warnken doing business as JR’s Repair when he wrote a $745.94 hot check to JR’s.

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

Brett H. Ewald

HAMILTON CO.— A Dahlgren teen has been charged with four counts of molesting a young family member under the age of 13.

Information filed in the case alleges that on or about July 4-November 24, 2016 Brett H. Ewald, 18, of 7228 South Dahlgren Rd., Dahlgren, committed the office of Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault of a Victim Under the Age of 13.

The first of those two counts alleges that Ewald committed an act of sexual penetration with the victim when he allowed his mouth to come in contact with the vagina of the victim.

The second count alleges that he committed an act of sexual penetration with the victim when he allowed his finger to come in contact wit the vagina of the victim.

Ewald is also charged with two counts of Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse alleging in the first count that he committed an act of sexual conduct with the victim, who is a family member, when he knowingly placed his hand on the vagina of the victim for the purpose of his sexual arousal.

The second count alleges that he committed an act of sexual conduct with the victim, who is a family member, when he knowingly placed the victim’s hand on his penis for the purpose of his sexual arousal.

Cash bond in the case was set at $15,000.

Aaron Heath Duckworth

WHITE CO.— One of the largest past drug cases in the area has spat one of the participants back onto the streets with just enough time to be charged with yet another felony.

According to information filed in the case, Aaron Heath Duckworth, 31, of 1630 Co. Rd. 125 East, Enfield, committed the offense of Theft when on August 9, 2016 he knowingly exerted control over property of Beatrice Garrett, of 1450 Co. Rd. 300 East, Enfield.

The charge identifies that property as a washer and dryer and a refrigerator from a rental house, identified as Duckworth’s latest address.

Value of the items has been estimated at more than $500.

Duckworth’s claim to criminal fame took place on April 27, 2011 when he was taken into custody and charged with Aggravated Manufacture of Methamphetamine Near a Place of Worship, Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine Precursors, Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine Manufacturing Materials, Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine, Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Unlawful Possession of Cannabis.

In a plea deal put together in less than two months later, Duckworth pleaded guilty to the possession of meth manufacturing materials charge in return for all other charges being dismissed and a sentence to the Illinois Department of Corrections for five years and $1,599 in fines and fees, of which he hasn’t bothered paying the first dime.

No bond information was available in the case.

Fulkerson, dope, needles and lying

In an unrelated drug case, Stephanie L. Fulkerson, 37, of 205 Railroad Ave., Carmi, been charged with Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine after authorities say she was found to have less than five grams of the drug on her person.

Fulkerson was also charged with Obstruction of Justice for allegedly furnishing false information to police, also known as lying, when she told Carmi Police Sergeant Brad Spence that she had not seen Clayton Coaliron for three days, when in fact she had.

And as of she wasn’t having a bad enough day, Fulkerson was also charged with Unlawful Possession of a Hypodermic Syringe.

Cash bond in the case was set at $2,500.

Jeremy R. Flexter

RICHLAND CO.— A Clay City man with a history of alcohol-related arrests has now been charged with a meth crime.

Court documents show that Jeremy R. Flexter, 31, of P.O. Box 209, Clay City, was the subject of a traffic stop by officer Jonathon Pflaum, December 31, 2016 while driving at 9:41 a.m. a black 2002 Chevy truck at Lafayette and Saratoga streets, in Olney.

The stop appears to be just the beginning of Flexter’s bad morning.

Subsequent to his arrest for Driving Revoked, he was also found to have on his person drug paraphernalia and less than five grams of meth, garnering him an additional charge of Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine and Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Flexter has a fairly lengthy criminal history in Clay County and was apparently a screw-up as a younger man when, after being sentenced April 19, 2004 to probation for 12 months following a Clay County conviction for Unlawful Possession/ Consumption of Liquor by a Minor, he was re-sentenced a little more than two months later, June 28, 2004 to 60 days in jail and two more years of probation when he violated the terms of his probation.

He was also ordered to undergo medical/mental treatment

But it didn’t stop there.

Court records show that he violated the terms of his sentencing again January 19, 2005 and was re-sentenced a second time to an additional 180 days in the county jail.

The problem with alcohol didn’t stop there.

Flexter was convicted again in Clay of Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol and Battery Making Physical Contact for which he was sentenced May 13, 2009 to jail for 10 days, conditional discharge for 18 months, court supervision for two years and ordered to undergo alcohol treatment.

He violated the terms of that sentence and was re-sentenced November 4, 2009 to 60 days in the county jail.

No bond information was available in Flexter’s Richland County case.

This is a screencap of the final total raised in the GoFundMe campaign organized by Olney resident Denise Haley. Haley advised as to where the money is going, but stated that it ended up not being as much as what is shown here.

RICHLAND CO. – The woman who organized a crowdfunding page in memory of Sabrina Stauffenberg has addressed questions about what will be done with the huge amount of money amassed.

Denise Haley of Olney, who put together the GoFundMe page for the 8-year-old girl who was murdered in Olney the day before Thanksgiving, told Disclosure that the funds are going to be used for two purposes: To start a scholarship in Sabrina’s name, and to help Sabrina’s grandmother, Susan Vaughn.

Haley spoke with Disclosure in mid-January after questions arose about the sheer amount of money raised on the GFM page in the weeks following Sabrina’s murder, allegedly at the hand of former Johnson County resident, Glenn R. Ramey.

Ramey remains jailed in Olney, awaiting the outcome of a psychological evaluation, which likely won’t be concluded by the time he’s next in court, January 27. He is not only charged with Sabrina’s murder, but stands charged with a brutal rape as well.

People opened their wallets and their hearts

In the wake of the horrific crime, and considering that the majority of her family is developmentally disabled, people opened their wallets along with their hearts and gave in abundance at the GFM page, where the initial declared intent was to cover Sabrina’s funeral expenses.

However, after it came to light that Kistler-Patterson Funeral home in Olney had donated the expenses of the funeral services and burial, the amount of money raised – a staggering $20,192 – leveled off.

Haley said that at that point, when people found out that the funeral expenses had been donated, they also began asking for their money back.

Haley said that she wasn’t even aware that GoFundMe operated in that way – that folks could demand their donated funds back – but that they did (GFM uses credit card charges for donations, and if a person wants their money back, they just contact GFM, and a credit will be made to the donator’s card; it’s that simple).

Then, Haley said, “After GoFundMe took their cut and several others getting refunds…we went over our goal,” which, she said, was over $11,000.

This means that GFM deducted their cut of roughly $1600, and then roughly $7,000 was returned to donators.

And about the TV…?

However, Disclosure had fielded questions in recent days about just how much money was going to be going toward Susan Vaughn…and in what form. According to a reliable source, a large-screen TV (65 inch diagonal flat screen) had recently been purchased either by Vaughn or for her, from Walmart in Olney.

Disclosure asked Haley if any of the GFM funds had gone toward that purchase.

Haley’s answer was “No.”

After stating that some funds had been used “helping the grandma” (Susan Vaughn), Haley clarified that “None of (the money) is going directly to her, but instead is being paid out as needed. It’s also helping out Margie,” she said, referencing Marie Vaughn, Sabrina’s aunt who had taken over custody of the child a couple of years back after it became clear that Susan Vaughn, the legal guardian, couldn’t physically keep up with the girl.

Haley did note that most of the money will be going into an interest-bearing account at an area bank, to be used as a scholarship for “someone with a disability that wants to go to college.”

Haley added that she and the family (she is not a relative, it might be pointed out) would like to thank everyone for all they have done for the Stauffenberg-Vaughn family.

What happened to Hannah?

Most of the initial furor over Sabrina’s murder has dimmed to a low roar, owing to the fact that there have been few developments in the weeks following Ramey’s first appearance in Richland County Circuit Court.

However, Disclosure has been tracking people and situations that lead up to Ramey landing in Richland County in the first place. One of those people was his mother, Hannah Ramey-Palmer-Gilliland, 72.

Hannah became relatively famous in a backwoods, southern Illinois kind of way when an episode of a ridiculous reality TV show, “Hoarders,” selected her to be filmed at her Johnson County trailer in deep southern Illinois, 140 miles away from Olney.

After the episode, which aired in early 2011, Ramey’s mother became known as “Hannah from Vienna,” given that her mobile home in rural Johnson County was as close to Vienna, Illinois, as it was to any other incorporated municipality.

Disclosure’s correspondent traveled to the location in Johnson County to interview Hannah on a handful of occasions in the weeks following Sabrina’s murder, taking the older woman a strawberry milkshake from McDonald’s in subsequent visits as, on the initial interview, Hannah had indicated those were “her favorite.”

But in early January, Disclosure’s correspondent received word from Glenn Ramey’s ex-mother-in-law, Deena Witt, that Hannah had gotten ill, was taken to a hospital in Indiana, and had passed away.

Disclosure’s correspondent was unable to get down to Johnson County prior to press time to check out the report, so Disclosure contacted a public official in Johnson to see if this actually were the case.

Interestingly, the public official said that word had gotten around the county that Hannah had indeed passed, but no one seemed to know much about it, so the report couldn’t be 100 percent substantiated prior to going to press.

The understanding from Witt was that there was no local obituary because Hannah’s body may have been kept in Indiana and interred there.

Disclosure is still looking into the matter.

As already pointed out, Ramey is next in court Friday, January 27.

All non-juvenile court hearings are open to the public, and the public is encouraged to attend.

This is a screencap of the final total raised in the GoFundMe campaign organized by Olney resident Denise Haley. Haley advised as to where the money is going, but stated that it ended up not being as much as what is shown here.

CHRISTOPHER SWANGO

WHITE CO. – Not a few people are questioning a Carmi man’s sanity after a series of incidents in January 12 brought about his arrest.

It was the sheer inexplicableness of Christopher Lee Swango’s behavior that day that had White County residents wondering whether he was seriously under the influence of intoxicating substances, or whether he should just be toted off to Choate for his and everyone else’s safety.

Whatever the case, Swango, 38, was in custody not long after the situation emerged.

Scene 1: Crossville

White County sheriff’s reports indicate that at 7:18 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 12, reports began coming in from a location in Crossville about the driver of a silver Pacifica passenger car being parked in front of a residence there, allegedly attempting to sell the resident’s sons drugs and alcohol.

Crossville Police Officer Scott Cantrell was dispatched to go see what was going on.

He was told that an unknown white male had stopped at the residence, with that male asking the kids (ages not made available) at the residence if he could “see their mother’s dog.”

Cantrell was told that the man then asked about a car and whether the residents wanted to sell it.

The residents at the location noted at this point that the man was “acting strangely.”

They told Cantrell that the man “began asking them if they wanted to buy items that he had in his car, such as binoculars, weed, pain pills and alcohol.” The kids told him they didn’t want to buy anything, at which point he asked if he could “borrow a phone to call someone.”

This was when one of the residents handed the driver a phone, and the driver “began messing with stuff in his car, then told them ‘thanks for the phone’ and left.”

Scene 2: Little Giant

One of the residents was able to get the plates on the vehicle, which, she said, appeared to be temp plates and apparently not from Illinois.

She also advised that the phone the man had just driven off with was a Samsung S7 valued at $700.

While authorities were assimilating the information, they learned that Carmi police had been contacted regarding a similar vehicle being at Little Giant Grocery on the southwest side of town. There, the driver of the vehicle was attempting to sell items to customers in the parking lot. The driver was identified as Christopher Swango.

A few moments later, White County Dispatch received information that a vehicle matching this description had pulled into a driveway near Phillipstown. The caller said the vehicle parked for a few minutes then left, going south away from Phillipstown.

Two county deputies attempted to locate the Pacifica, and while traveling toward that area, Swango passed them going in an opposite direction near the intersection of 1650 North and 1500 East.

One of the deputies attempted to catch up with it but the vehicle sped away, being last seen turning south from CR 1500 E onto Highway 1 going toward Crossville.

Traveling west from Crossville on CR 1950 North, the Pacifica passed one of the deputies a second time, so another deputy positioned himself to block the roadway so the initial deputy could make a traffic stop.

Went to school with a guy 14 years younger…?

When that was effected, Deputy George Spencer instructed Swango, who’d stepped out of the Pacifica, to put his hands on the back of the vehicle; Swango was then handcuffed.

He was read his rights, stated he understood, then was asked about the incident in Crossville earlier.

Swango said he’d gone to see his father there.

When asked if he’d stopped at someone’s house and had taken a cell phone from a young man, Swango stated he’d talked to one guy, but “the guy hit him in the face,” and he stated he didn’t know anything about a cell phone.

Spencer asked Swango the identity of the person who’d “hit him,” but Swango said he couldn’t remember the guy’s name, stating “he’s never liked me ever since we were in school together.” He said the guy had bushy red hair (which the deputy noted fit the description of Geoffery Miller, 24 (a full 14 years younger than Swango), one of the complainants at the residence in Crossville.

Spencer asked Swango if he’d been trying to sell items out of his car, but Swango said no. Asked about trying to sell drugs from his vehicle, Swango stated he “didn’t know anything about any drugs.”

Never had a license

About that time, dispatch came back and advised Spencer that Swango didn’t possess a valid Illinois driver’s license.

Spencer asked Swango why he didn’t have a license as he was taking Swango into custody, and the strange-acting man replied “I’ve never had a license.”

Swango was asked if there were anything illegal in the car (answer: no) and then he stated that they could “run a drug dog around the car.” So Spencer asked permission to search (answer: “I would prefer that you don’t search the vehicle”) and Spencer advised that the vehicle was going to be towed, so an inventory would have to be conducted before the car was secured, anyway.

After Swango was transported to jail, the vehicle was searched, via inventory, and among the junk and other items found was a partial bottle of Hennesy cognac.

Meanwhile, at the jail, corrections officers located a small cloth bag in Swango’s jeans pockets. This bag contained nine white round pills later identified as codeine, a Schedule 2 controlled substance.

Swango was issued a citation for No Valid Driver’s License and Illegal Transportation of Alcohol.

Swango was also charged with Theft regarding the swiped Samsun phone, as well as a felony count of Possession of a Controlled Substance.

Trouble for decades

Swango has been in trouble in White for decades, with his first criminal antics naturally having to do with substances (in 1996, as an example, Possession of Liquor by a Minor, Possession of Cannabis, and in a traditionally-stupid move, Obtaining Cable Service without authorization, the latter two dismissed in exchange for a plea to the alcohol) and heading downhill from there. He obtained his first White County felony in 2001 (after having a Theft count in 1998 dismissed), which was an equally-dumb charge of Escape (in which he failed to show up for periodic confinement for a previous misdemeanor conviction), and over this count, he was sent to DOC in 2004 after the court apparently got tired of him.

However, more felonies – apparently having less and less impact – followed, including a dope distribution charge ten years ago that got him five years in IDOC.

As of press time (January 15), Swango’s bond, as well as a next court date, hadn’t been set.

RICHLAND CO. – Information at the Richland County courthouse shows that the lawsuit filed in December against East Richland High School (ERHS) might be frivolous.

According to the evidence in a set of Orders of Protection on file dating back to late December 2015, Hannah Reeves, the girl who was the petitioner in the civil case against the school filed in December 2016, was actually the aggressor in the matter, and not the victim.

Why the case never went to law enforcement, however, remains the real question at hand, since David Hyde, long known as the do-nothing prosecutor in Richland County, was out of office when the situation emerged, and yet, no charges were filed against Reeves.

Alleged attack December 2015

In the January Special Edition, the article about Reeves’ lawsuit against two other ERHS girls at the time, Julia and Eva Shaw, was featured and noted that it was Reeves’ claims that the two beat her up on the school parking lot, in front of ERHS assistant principal Andy Julian.

It was alleged in this suit, filed December 15, 2016, a year after the alleged incident, that school officials did nothing to stop the attack, and that Julian watched as the two girls beat up the innocent Hannah, who had supposedly forewarned the school that she was “being harassed” by the two girls.

Reeves and her mother Kathy, both of whom brought the suit, named not only ERHS and the two girls (both of them minors at the time), but also the ERHS board of education, Richland County Community Unit School District #1, Julian, and the girls’ parents, Doug E. Shaw and Jodi E. Shaw, as culpable in this alleged attack, and are seeking a judgment in excess of $50,000 for each count, five in all.

OP wars in Richland County civil court

However, OPs on file at the Richland County Courthouse in Olney tell a bit of a different story.

Hannah Reeves’ mother Kathy initially took out OPs against both Julia and Eva Shaw on behalf of Hannah, this on Dec. 18, 2015, outlining their version of events, and was granted those on an emergency basis on that day, the Shaws apparently felt like they had a bit of a better case for OP, and they set out to prove it.

According to the filings made Dec. 28, 2015, under a Stalking/No-Contact Order (civil order where there exists no relationship between the parties involved), the Shaw girls’ father Doug brought the case against Hannah Reeves because, as they brought out, she had been harassing and had been the one to subsequently attack his girls, not the other way around.

“On Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015,” Doug Shaw wrote in one of the petitions for protection for his girls, “Hannah Reeves repeatedly sent threats to Eva Shaw while she was in her home. A total of 20 times she threatened Eva with violence. On Wednesday 12/16 the threats continued while at school. After school Hannah lunged at Eva and Julia during a confrontation. She repeatedly scratched and pulled both girls’ hair.”

In the second petition, he elaborated a little further, indicating that “On school property, Hannah still threatened Eva and then included Julia as well. In the school parking lot, on 12/16, Hannah lunged at Julia and Eva, pulling hair and scratching both girls repeatedly.”

The record sheet shows that the petition was filed as an emergency OP and Shaw took the petitions in front of Judge Larry Dunn.

Dunn heard the pleadings with both Shaw parents and at least one of the girls present. However, since an emergency OP had been issued for Kathy Reeves, Dunn denied an emergency OP under the circumstances, and advised that he was setting an expedited hearing on the case for two days from that date (for Dec. 30, 2015), and the Reeves were notified.

Harrell hears the other side

They all appeared in court on the 30th in front of Judge Kim Harrell this time, and it was, according to court sources, something of a petty response on the part of the Reeves.

For whatever reason, Hannah Reeves had set her attention on the pretty Julia Shaw, and had, prior to the incident at the school, begun sending her social networking messages telling her she was going to beat her up and the like. Despite Shaw first telling Reeves to leave her alone, then ignoring her, Reeves kept up the electronic communication referencing violent attacks.

The Shaws provided roughly 20 pages of printed-out threats from Reeves, which also contained proof that Shaw had told the girl to stop contacting her and had never once threatened back in response.

In fact, information came to light that Julia Shaw had actually started up an anti-bullying program at ERHS, in order to fight this very thing.

Harrell heard all testimony and ordered a six-month Stalking/No-Contact Order against Hannah Reeves and in favor of the Shaws.

Things become clearer

Whether that was something that begat the impetus for the Reeves to file a lawsuit against the Shaws remains unknown.

However, the suit, perpetuating Hannah Reeves’ version of events, was filed on the one-year anniversary of the alleged incident.

Given that the Shaws had provided material showing Hannah Reeves to have been the instigator of the situation, that the situation was limited to a little bit of hair-pulling and scratching, and that it boiled down to a she-said/she-said situation, it becomes clearer why there was nothing done on the criminal court end of things.

As well, given that Assistant Principal Andy Julian was present when the alleged physical contact broke out and that it was somewhat limited in scope, it becomes clearer why the school probably decided to sit this one out until someone in the court system made some sort of decision.

That the alleged assault was limited, according to court testimony, doesn’t bode well for the Reeves’ recently-filed civil suit, however.

And that Hannah Reeves seems to be doing just fine, posting photos and videos of herself conducting strenuous yoga techniques on her social networking pages and doesn’t display the first sign of “permanent injury” that would lend to some kind of obvious indication she was hurt badly enough to warrant any judgment of $50,000 under any count, also does not bode well for the civil suit.

So the next question would be why the Reeves felt it was necessary to take up the court’s time and effort with something that effectively had already been decided – and hadn’t warranted a criminal filing – after a year.

That question might best be answered in court, as the case proceeds and someone makes a determination that it actually has merit, or is just a frivolous filing by a drama-fueled fitness nut who, according to sources at the school, has a tendency to send photos of herself to people that she probably shouldn’t be distributing.

More on that in upcoming issues.

The civil complaint filed in December 2016 has had a first setting made, for March 1, 2017, in front of Judge Harrell.

MICK SPITZNER

CLAY CO. – What would ordinarily have been a high-profile arrest was kept quiet for a while in Clay County in early January, owing to the identity of one of the suspects and his association with one of the county’s law enforcement officers.

Michael W. (Mick) Spitzner, 47, was one of the subjects of a meth arrest on Thursday, January 5.

Arrested with him was his girlfriend/live-in, Leslie D. Carter, 37.

The two were the subject of what appears to be a major investigation into drug possession, which involved agents of many law enforcement entities, including Clay County and Illinois State Police.

The situation is reminiscent of the front-page article from the January 2017 issue of Disclosure, in which another area lawman, White County Sheriff Doug Maier, received a brief mention as it was his brother, Bradley Maier, arrested in Noble on a meth charge, that gave the article its prominent position – Spitzner is a brother of a Clay County Deputy, Steve Spitzner.

And a few in Clay took issue with the mention during coverage, likely because they lack understanding that the reference (to the relationship between the two men) is not only what makes the story…but also what makes mainstream media cringe and hesitate on coverage, since it took a week for a press release to come out about the matter.

What Clay City residents saw

Residents of Clay City knew it had happened, however.

They noted to Disclosure that the “raid,” as it was described, went down about 8 a.m. on the morning of Jan. 5, apparently as lawmen were waiting for Mick Spitzner’s boys to be safely out of the residence and at school.

LESLIE CARTER

Sources advise that it appeared Spitzner had taken the boys to school, then was returning to his trailer on Fourth Street South West in town when, for whatever reason, he parked his truck at the town’s post office instead of proceeding to his home, shortly before law enforcement officials converged on the place.

Residents of Clay City told Disclosure they observed Spitzner running from the post office and over to his trailer, entering, and then not coming to the door when the law showed up.

These residents advise that law enforcement pounded on the door of the trailer, finally getting Spitzner to emerge.

They didn’t advise as to how the girlfriend, Carter, was apprehended; however, a press release issued by Sheriff Andy Myers indicated simply that she was “also arrested.”

Serious drug charges

The two were charged with Class 3 felony Possession of Methamphetamine; Spitzner was additionally charged with Class 4 felony Possession of Cannabis with Intent to Deliver (between 10 and 30 grams).

Court documents showed that bail was set for Spitzner in the amount of $50,000 ($5,000 cash) and $25,000 for Carter ($2,500 cash).

To his credit, the new prosecutor for Clay, Joel Powless, did not bow out of the case on a conflict (the state’s attorney of a county is the legal counsel for the county’s officeholders and entities, and frequently, if a relative of someone in the county is so charged, the duly-elected prosecutor will bow out and bring in a special prosecutor. Often, it ends up being Appellate Prosecutor’s Office’s David Rands, who generally gives the defendants a pass and behaves more like a defense attorney than a prosecutor…especially in Clay).

Instead, Powless plowed ahead. Both Spitzner and Carter were in court on Jan. 6 for a probable cause hearing, at which time they were advised of bond conditions.

Carter got something of a break; a week later, with Flora attorney Mary Beth Welch Collins representing her, Carter was advised that she could do a drug assessment by Department of Human Services in Springfield to determine whether or not she would be able to receive inpatient drug treatment, the general course of action for first-time offenders who are somewhat coddled in the courts, since there always exists the possibility that they were just “drawn in” to meth or other harmful substances and aren’t hardcore addicts.

The court noted that if the assessment is positive, a treatment plan may be set up and because it’s “inpatient,” that means Carter could go off to rehab instead of sit in jail til her case is disposed of in one way or another.

How it works

Spitzner, however, with his criminal history, wasn’t subject to the prospect of such special treatment.

Being represented by public defender Chris Elliott, Spitzner appeared on Jan. 11, having asked for a bond reduction to $2,500 and receiving it. Terms of his release – should he be able to post the bond, which hadn’t been affected as of press time, Jan. 15 – were that he be subject to random substance testing, that he report to the Clay County Sheriff’s Department following release on every Friday either in person or by telephone, and of course he must make all court appearances.

Both, as of last check prior to publication date, were still in the county jail in Louisville.

Spitzner is a felon in Clay County, with his criminal history there dating back a number of years; in 2004, he was convicted of Class 2 felony burglary and received two years probation, at which time it appeared he might’ve been a bit rehabilitated, since he had few incidents of running afoul of the law after that.

Many in Clay have put forth the premise that it was Carter who may have dragged him back into the crim life, but there exists nothing documented to support this, and the premise comes from questionable sources anyway – those who are apparently oblivious to how things work in media. These are the ones who, because Clay County media generally doesn’t cover anything that might bring “reproach” on public officials, are unfamiliar with the fact that because an arrestee is related to a person whose paycheck is derived from tax dollars, that fact is relevant to the story, and is generally listed almost immediately in any coverage.

Spitzner was scheduled to appear back in court for a preliminary hearing on Jan. 23; Carter was given a February 1 prelim date.

FLORA, Ill. - City police were tasked with working a couple of wrecks involving young people, as well as the usual stuff they deal with, this during the time period of January 9 through 15, 2017.

Here's the report:

Monday, January 9 at 7:57 pm, Flora Police arrested Sara Slover, 29, of Flora for No Valid Driver’s License, following a traffic stop in the 100 block of West 3rd Street. Slover was transported to Flora Police Department for booking procedures and released with a Notice to Appear.

Wednesday, January 11 at 3:23 pm, Raymond Dugan, 53, of Clay City was issued a Citation for Operation of Vehicle with Expired Registration, following a traffic stop in the 700 block of East North Avenue.

Wednesday, January 11 at 4:30 pm, Matthew Reed, 18, of Clay City was issued a Citation for Speeding on Old Rt 50 in Flora.

Thursday, January 12 at 11:29 pm, Lydia Smith, 25, of Xenia was issued a Citations for Driving While License Suspended and Operating Motor Vehicle when Registration Suspended for No Insurance following a traffic stop in the 100 block of Camelia Road.

Friday, January 13 at 5:49 pm, Flora Police investigated a one-vehicle accident in the 900 block of West 3rd Street, involving a 2002 Jeep operated by Layton Barnes, 21, of Flora. Barnes was ticketed for Improper Lane Usage, Failure to Reduce Speed/Accident and Operating Uninsured Vehicle. A 17-year-old female passenger and a 16-year-old male passenger in the vehicle were both transported by Clay County Ambulance to Clay County Hospital in Flora.

Sunday, January 15 at 2:20 am, Felicia Lane was issued a Citation for Operating Uninsured Vehicle, following a traffic stop in the 400 block of Emory.

Sunday, January 15 at 2:54 pm, Flora Police investigated an accident in the 300 block of East 7th Street involving a 2003 Ford, operated by Edna Sebring, 82, of Flora and a 2005 Chevrolet, operated by a 17-year-old male, of Flora. Sebring was issued a Citation for Driving on the Wrong Side of Roadway. No injuries were reported.

EFFINGHAM, Ill. - Illinois State Police (ISP) District 12 Commander, Captain Cory Ristvedt, announces the ISP will conduct Occupant Restraint Enforcement Patrols (OREP) in Lawrence, Clay, Clark and Cumberland counties during February.

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!

Safety belts are still one of the most effective safety devices in vehicles, estimated to save nearly 14,000 lives each year. Half of vehicle occupants killed in a traffic crash were not properly buckled up.The objective of this program is to increase occupant restraint compliance through education, child seat inspections, and enforcement.

ISP has also announced they will conduct Alcohol Countermeasure Enforcement (ACE) patrols in Effingham and Fayette Counties during February.

ACE patrols allow the ISP to focus on preventing, detecting, and taking enforcement action in response to violations associated with impaired driving and illegal transportation or consumption of alcohol or drugs.

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. There is one alcohol-related traffic fatality every 53 minutes in the United States. The ACE program allows officers to work even harder at removing dangerous DUI offenders from the road.

This project is funded through the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Jerrod Reid

WHITE CO., Ill. - Hot on the heels of Meesha Mocaby's most recent reemergence into the headlines, another frequent flyer has also made it into the news...only this time as a victim, not a perp.

Of course, she generally wants people to think she's the "victim," as she proved a couple of summers ago.

Batteese and the now-dead dog

We're talking about former stripper Jennifer Batteese, who caused trouble in June of 2015 getting people riled up over her dog getting fatally shot after it continued to engage in unprovoked attacks on neighbors.

Batteese's antics can be read in full at the links; bottom line is, the stuff she pulled a year and a half ago caused grievous problems for her neighbors, including health problems, and yet she went all out, attempting to tug on the heart strings of animal lovers everywhere by stating that her dog was "shot in cold blood" when in reality, the county deputies had been apprised of the situation and had told her neighbors that if the dog threatened them again, they had the right to shoot it if it was on their property. It did, it was, and it was shot. She tried to pass herself off as a poor little picked-upon girl, but as soon as the reality of the story emerged, her true character emerged right along with it, and when people saw what a foul-mouthed, hateful, vicious human she was...her veneer was shattered and she became headline fodder.

Now, she's claimed to law enforcement that her most recent significant other has been thumping on her.

A very brief Carmi police report about the situation says that Jerrod Reid, 31, of the 600 block of Oak Street in town, was arrested at 3 p.m. yesterday (Monday, January 16) for domestic battery.

Reid's problems were compounded when a warrant check revealed that he was wanted out of Moultrie County on a Failure to Appear warrant for driving revoked.

Reid was taken into custody on the two arresting charges and held pending bail on the alleged thumping of Batteese, and a thousand-dollar-bond on the Moultrie County FTA. He remains there as of this evening, as apparently Batteese can't exactly find stripping work in White County to post his bond so he can go back and allegedly do it again.

Nathan Johnson

Also in jail tonight is Nathan Johnson, 25, of James Avenue in Carmi.

His apprehension was a lot less dramatic; he was strolling along late Saturday evening on Sycamore Street in town when a Carmi cop and White County Deputy Scott Cantrell saw him and knew he was wanted on two warrants, one of them a 2015 felony for domestic battery.

He was searched and found to be in possession of a smoking pipe, say the cops, which later tested positive for cannabis.

He was taken into custody and held on $2,500 cash bond on the warrant arrest.

CARMI, Ill. - A 17-year-old high school girl is in trouble after authorities were called to Carmi-White County High School on the report of a smackdown at the school auditorium.

Carmi police say they were called to the school yesterday (Tuesday, January 17) at 8:36 a.m. on the report.

The student, whose name is being withheld on account of her name, was according to police report arrested after attacking another 17-year-old female while in the auditorium of the school. The incident took place at approximately 8:05 a.m. after the alleged victim - a female whose name is also being withheld - entered the auditorium.

A teacher in the auditorium separated the females and escorted the suspect to the office.

The female suspect was transported to the Carmi Police Department, where arresting charges were Disorderly Conduct and Battery.

She was later released to her mother.

It's not illegal to report the 17-year-old's name if you have it, so feel free; it's only that authorities can't release the name (unless she's charged as an adult). If you know the circumstances, also feel free to opine.

CLAY CO., Ill. - A two-vehicle collision on Dieterich Blacktop has sent two drivers to hospitals, with one sent on to Deaconess in Evansville for treatment.

Illinois State Police in District 12 said that the wreck happened this afternoon (Wednesday, January 18) at 3:07 p.m. in the southbound lane of Dieterich Blacktop about a quarter-mile north of County Road 900 North (or, about a mile and three-quarters south of Sailor Springs) in Clay County.

ISP said a black 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer being driven by Jacob A. Sharp, 28, of Ingraham, was southbound, while Andrew G. Herman, 52, of Olney, driving a white 2007 Freightliner utility truck was northbound at the aforementioned location, when the Chevy crossed the center line and side-swiped the utility truck.

The truck ran off the roadway to the right and came to final rest overturned on its passenger side facing northbound in the east ditch.

The Chevy came to final rest in the northbound lane of traffic facing east.

Both drivers were wearing their seatbelts.

Both were sent to Clay County Hospital by ambulance, but Sharp was subsequently flown to Deaconess Hospital in Evansville. There's been no indication by authorities of his condition at this time .

FLORA, Ill. - Two teens were transported to Clay County Hospital following a collision with a truck-tractor in Flora this evening.

Illinois State Police worked the scene, which occurred on U.S. Route 50 at Worthey Street at 5:31 p.m. this evening (Wednesday, January 18).

ISP said preliminary investigative details indicate a silver Mitsubishi Galant, being driven by a 16-year-old male from Flora, was turning northbound from US 50 onto Worthey Street. With hims was a passenger, a 13-year-old female also from Flora.

The minor driver turned into the path of a white Freightliner Cascadia truck-tractor being driven by Darrel Frank Bell, 49 of Everton, Arkansas, as the truck was traveling westbound on U.S. 50.  

During the crash, the Mitsubishi spun around and came to rest facing westbound on US 50. The tractor-trailer came to rest facing westbound on U.S. 50.

Both teens were transported to the Clay County Hospital; their conditions are unlisted by ISP. There were no citations issued.