West Frankfort Chief of Police Jeff Tharp provided additional information about the 14-year-old juvenile who allegedly crashed into a home Wednesday morning in the 200 block of South Du Quoin Street in Benton.
He said at approximately 12:45 a.m. Wednesday, the West Frankfort Police Department received an alarm call from Casey's General Store, located at 1305 E. Main St. in West Frankfort.
Upon arrival, officers noticed that the front window had been broken with a brick, but access to the interior of the business had not been gained.
HAMLETSBURG -- The investigation into the fatal fire in Hamletsburg 3 a.m. New Year's Day nears its completion with no cause determined, according to Pope County Sheriff Jerry Suits.
HAMLETSBURG — Authorities continue to investigate the New Year's Day fire that claimed three lives in Hamletsburg in far southern Pope County.
The fire was reported at 3 a.m. at 618 A Dog Island Road and firefighters found three adults had died inside the mobile home.
If anyone thinks the employees of city aren't busy, they should walk a mile in their shoes. Several of the department heads released their October activity reports this week and they reflect brisk business at hand.
SPRINGFIELD — Charges have been filed against three men after an 11-month investigation by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Office of Law Enforcement in a deer poaching case.
The three men — one each from Illinois, New York and Ontario — were cited for numerous Wildlife Code violations, including the illegal take of a potential state-record whitetail deer, and they now face charges through the Grundy County State's Attorney's Office.
Halloween is so much fun. Ghosties and goblins, Batman and Elvis will be about. Monsters, too. But not to worry. They can be appeased and bought off for a small bar of candy or other goodies. Sack at the ready, they accept goodies.
The big day when rumors of witches are about, established by the West Frankfort City Council, is October 31st, 2011.
The traditional Trail of Treats and Trick or Treating will both be held then. The Trail of Treats will be held from 4 p.m. until 5 p.m. The Trick or Treating hours will be from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m.
Halloween is an enjoyable holiday for children. They get to dress up in a costume and receive free candy. What a perfect holiday.
But temper it with caution!
The West Frankfort Fire and police department have each released their monthly reports and they reflect a heavy load of activity. WFPD chief Jeff Tharp revealed that his personnel answered a total of 1,027 calls.
That flurry of activity included 32 traffic accidents, 5 with injuries.
Officers also responded to 29 domestic disputes and 7 fights in progress, answered 29 alarms and handled 10 intoxicated persons.
A three car accident approximately a quarter mile north of Missouri Road north of West Frankfort left several with major injuries, none of which are considered life-threatening. The Franklin County Sheriff's Department received the call at 1:36 p.m. Monday.
Franklin County Sheriff Don Jones, in his report, said a northbound 1999 Mercury Cougar driven by Stefanie N. Whaley, 29, of Benton, struck the rear end of a 2007 Chrysler, driven by Ada J. Summers, 70, of Benton. The collision then pushed Summers' vehicle into a 2001 Dodge Neon, driven by Misty N. Armes, 28, of Benton.
The Franklin County Sheriff's Department is investigating a death that occurred Monday, October 3, just outside of West Frankfort's city limits.
Franklin County Sheriff Don Jones said his department is currently investigating the death of Zachariah D. Richerson, 19, of West Frankfort.
A man who escaped with two other inmates from a federal prison camp in southern Illinois is going to be spending some more time behind bars for it.
A federal judge in Benton sentenced 37-year-old Robert Martin on Wednesday to two years and nine months of additional time in prison in connection with the escape last February.
The grim news of the body of a child be found in the crawl space of a local home shook the town to the core in July and emergency vehicles responded immediately.
An intense investigation followed involving several law enforcement agencies.
This week the culmination of that police work to its next step forward.
The West Frankfort mother accused of killing her 8-year-old daughter in July entered a plea of not guilty during proceedings in Franklin County Circuit Court on Tuesday.
Alert work — and patience, has resulted in a pair of alleged burglars arrested by the West Frankfort Police Department.
WFPD Chief Jeff Tharp reported Wednesday that his department has brought a case involving residential burglaries to fruition after nearly one month of investigative efforts.
Tharp, in his report, said the department received reports of residential burglaries then proceeded to collect items of evidentiary value for processing from each crime scene.
Carbondale's police chief says he's "deeply saddened" that his stolen weapon may have been used to kill a 20-year-old woman.
WSIU Radio (http://bit.ly/pZLWWC ) reports that Chief Jody O'Guinn issued a statement expressing sympathy to the family of Deaunta Spencer, who was shot to death on Sept. 14. An 18-year-old Carbondale man has been charged in her death.
The West Frankfort Fire and police department have each released their monthly activity report and they reflect a heavy load of activity. WFPD chief Jeff Tharp revealed that his personnel answered a total of 1,043 calls.
That flurry of activity included 32 traffic accidents, 4 with injuries.
Officers also responded to 24 domestic disputes and 12 fights in progress, answered 23 alarms and handled 8 intoxicated persons. On more ominous calls, law enforcement officers responded to 8 burglaries, 18 reports of criminal damage to property and 50 complaints of juvenile problems. There were 63 reported thefts and 107 complaints of Disorderly Conduct.
A southern Illinois woman already on probation for stealing flowers from a gravesite is in trouble again, this time for allegedly vandalizing the same burial spot in a crime caught on tape.
Williamson County prosecutors have charged 53-year-old Betty Nelson of Johnston City with a felony count of criminal damage to property.
Authorities say Nelson has been serving a-year-and-a-half probation in connection with her theft of flowers from the Lakeview Cemetery gravesite of Joy Spiller.
A West Frankfort woman accused of robbing several stores throughout southern Illinois last year, including Raubach Video and the BP Station in West Frankfort, has entered a negotiated guilty plea in Willliamson County Court.
Becky Jo Stodghill, 41, pleaded guilty to one count of armed robbery and will be sentenced in October.
She could be sentenced to up to 30 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
In addition to charges in both Franklin and Williamson Counties, Stodghill had been charged with two counts of armed robbery and two counts of attempted armed robbery in Williamson County.
It may be safe to say Melissa Day's upbringing helped influence her career choice. Day, a federal public defender with the Southern District of Illinois United States District Court in Benton, grew up in a house brimming with law and all things related. Her father was a police officer and her mother a court reporter.
Day, at the regular monthly meeting of the West Frankfort Rotary Club, which also welcomed guests from Benton's Rotary, said she graduated from the University of Kansas School of Law. Her first federal position was in Honolulu.
Day said her office doesn't receive payment from its clients and that she is a salaried federal employee.
Illinois will get a $694,370 grant from the federal government to provide inmate substance-abuse treatment.
The U.S. Justice Department grant will pay for programs in the state Departments of Corrections and Juvenile Justice.
The program requires six to 12 months of treatment in a residential setting away from the general inmate population.
West Frankfort Police Department officers arrested a local man early Wednesday morning on several meth-related offenses, said WF Chief of Police Jeff Tharp.
Patrick E. Morgan, 38, was taken into custody at his 1801 E. St. Louis Street home at 2:40 a.m. following a three-month investigation into an alleged meth production and distribution operation.
A West Frankfort business suffered severe fire damage early Friday morning. Firefighters and equipment from West Frankfort, Zeigler and Benton responded to the blaze at Sandy's Flowers and Gifts on West Main Street in West Frankfort at around 1:30 a.m.
Equipment from Johnston City backed up the WF fire station as area personnel battled the blaze. When firefighters arrived, flames were shooting out of the north and east sides of the building, as well as the back of the building.
