In September 2022, the Benton Police Department received information from a juvenile claiming to be the target of some form of sexual exploitation. Officers handling the complaint in Benton contacted Detectives from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and a coordinated investigation begun. The investigation resulted in a search warrant at the residence of the suspect, 28-year-old Garrett Biggerstaff of McLeansboro. Evidence was collected and examined by the Sheriff’s Office member of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. From this work, a second juvenile victim was identified. Jefferson County Detectives, with the assistance of the McLeansboro Police Department and US Marshall’s Service served the arrest warrant on January 5th. Biggerstaff was arrested on the warrant for two counts of Grooming, with bond set at $150,000.
Congratulations to Kylar Porter on winning this year’s Patriot’s Pen essay contest. This year’s theme is “My Pledge to Our Veteran’s”. Kylar was awarded $350 by Wayne County Memorial VFW Auxiliary . She is a student at Cisne Middle school and is sponsored by JoAnn Collins. Her essay will advance on to district level.
Congrats to the Wayne City spelling bee winners…Harper Beehn is Wayne City’s Spelling Bee winner. Connor Gerrish is Wayne City’s runner-up. Both will advance to the Wayne County Spelling Bee on Thursday, February 2 at City Hall in Fairfield.
The National Weather Service is confirming that seven tornadoes touched down in central Illinois on Tuesday. One of the tornadoes happened near the community of Gibson City in Ford County. That one had maximum estimated winds of 100 mph, and continued for a path of nearly three miles before lifting. The Gibson City area funnel cloud and the others in central Illinois were spawned from mini supercell thunderstorms.
Decatur Public Schools is recommending masks in all facilities. The recommendation comes as Macon County is at a high risk level for transmission of COVID-19. Masks will also be provided to students when requested. Students should stay home from school if they are experiencing any symptoms of the virus.
Governor Pritzker is highlighting investments in early childhood education under his administration. Speaking yesterday at the Carole Robertson Center for Learning in Chicago, the governor said one of his top priorities has been making Illinois the best place to live and raise a family. The Pritzker administration says it has committed the largest amount in state history to expanding and improving early childhood education across Illinois. This includes the expansion of the Strengthen and Grow Child Care grant program and the extension of the Child Care Assistance Program eligibility for job seekers.
The man charged with the murder of four University of Idaho students is coming off a stop in Champaign. TMZ reports Bryan Kohberger was photographed at Champaign’s Willard Airport yesterday. The images show Kohberger being lead by law enforcement agents from the plane to the airport. He was in the process of being extradited to Idaho where he will likely go to court this week.
A Decatur man is facing charges following a child predator sting last month in Paxton, Illinois. Police said they started investigating Dylan Conerty last August when they learned he contacted a 14-year-old girl. He was arrested during a traffic stop last week. At least eleven other men have been taken into custody as a result of the sting.
A seven-year-old girl is learning what it is like to be Peoria Police Chief. Rosie Schlink served as chief for a day on Tuesday. She took the oath of office, looked at police vehicles and had a one on one with K-9 Officer Fuze. Rosie won this honor through a silent auction.