A Springfield man defending himself in a November 2021 sexual assault case in Adams County says he’s planning on asking for a change of venue in the case.

35 year old Bradley Yohn appeared in Adams County Court on December 14th and told Judge Roger Thomson that he wants to change venue because of media coverage on the case. Yohn says he doesn’t believe that there is anybody in the county that can serve as an impartial juror. Thomson disagreed and denied Yohn’s motion along with 9 others in requests for suppression of evidence and testimony.

According to Muddy River News, Thomson granted 6 other motions that Yohn presented including victim Christine Schmitt’s medical records for the past 5 years, funding to conduct independent analysis of DNA & fingerprints, excluding testimony of Dr. Aga Kagumba with Quincy Medical Group who interview Schmitt about the sexual assault that ultimately took her life, access to a cell phone, and photos of Schmitt to help form his defense.

Thomson did not rule on four other motions, according to Muddy River News. Three were motions for discovery of information that Josh Jones, assistant state’s attorney, said already had been turned over or didn’t exist. Thomson didn’t rule on a motion to suppress testimony from eight law enforcement officers, saying he couldn’t rule without more information about the testimony.

Thomson ruled he will address a motion to dismiss and a motion to suppress from June before the next motion hearing on Feb. 1^st.

Yohn was admonished for what Thomson called “extracirricular comments” made during the hearing last Wednesday.

Muddy River News also says Yohn is also defending himself in two separate cases from October and November of this year. Yohn is accused of threatening to kill an Adams County Correctional Officer on October 15^th. Yohn has also been charged with three counts of possession of electronic contraband in a penal institution on November 15^th. Yohn is set to return to court on those cases for motions on January 3^rd.

One Morgan County municipality will not have to hold a truth-in-taxation hearing this year.

The Village of South Jacksonville’s property tax levy is increasing but not enough to trigger a truth-in-taxation hearing with the public.

Illinois’ Property Tax Extension Limitation Law s designed to limit the increases in property tax extension (total taxes billed) for non-home rule taxing districts. PTELL does not “cap” either individual property tax bills or individual property assessments. Instead, the PTELL allows a taxing district to receive a limited inflationary increase in tax extensions on existing property plus an additional amount for new construction, newly annexed areas, and recovered TIF valuations. If the tax rate goes above 5% from the previous year, a hearing is triggered.

Village Treasurer Mindy Olson says South Jacksonville’s increase falls beneath the 5% trigger: “[The levy] is under the 5%. We’re roughly at…the overall general [rate] is up about 2% and the road and bridges levy is up, I believe, to 4.6% over last year’s numbers. We’re not triggering PTELL, the truth-in-taxation, or anything like that.”

Village President Dick Samples says that a person’s personal property tax bill is contingent upon reassessment: “Now, the real truth there is, too is if your house goes up in value, appraised value and [the county assessor’s office] sets the taxes as such, then your taxes could be greater than 105% of the bill from last year. They were going to go up anyway.”

Olson says people should not assume that because they live in the Village of South Jacksonville that their individual property tax bill is going up. She says it is also dependent upon all of the other taxing bodies that property lies in. She says those taxing bodies could be raising their levy, which may cause a tax bill to increase.

The Hillsboro Police Department has released the identity of the body that was found in a creek near Hillsboro High School and Jr. High on Friday.

According to a press release, the decedent has been identified as 33 year old Joshua L. Ernst of Hillsboro. Police say video surveillance footage is being viewed and collected of the incident and the investigation into the circumstances leading up to Ernst’s death remains ongoing. A forensic autopsy has been scheduled for Tuesday.

Ernst’s body was found by students walking home from school near Fairground Avenue just after 3PM on Friday. Hillsboro High School had to cancel activities for the evening while the investigation was very active and in its preliminary stages.

The Hillsboro Police Department and Montgomery County Coroner’s Office are investigating the death with the assistance of Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and Illinois State Police Crime Scene Investigations Unit. If you have any information about this incident, please contact the Hillsboro Police Department at 217-532-6120 or the Macoupin Montgomery Crime Stoppers at 1-800-352-0136.

Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon has confirmed a Routt Catholic High School student has passed away due to injuries sustained in a car crash on Friday morning in rural Morgan County.

Allmon said in a press release tonight that 16 year old Kelly E. Peters of New Berlin succumbed to her injuries at HSHS St. John’s Hospital in Springfield today.

Peters was transported to the hospital on Friday morning by helicopter after she was severely injured in a two-vehicle collision near the intersection of the Franklin-Alexander Road and Loami Road in rural Morgan County. The Sangamon County Coroner and Illinois State Police continue to investigate the crash.

Peters was a junior at RCHS and participated on the volleyball and girls basketball teams.

The Routt community gathered at Church of Our Saviour at 4:30PM for mass in support of the Peters family. Following the mass, a vigil was held in the church and the high school was opened for families and students to gather together.

Outpouring of support for the Peters family has come from several schools in the area tonight. Several area schools have asked students to wear the color blue on Monday in remembrance of Ms. Peters and to show support to the family.

Funeral services for Peters have not yet been announced.

Hillsboro authorities are investigating the discovery of a body found by a student leaving school yesterday afternoon.

The body was found by a student walking home from school near the high school and junior high in a creek on Fairground Avenue by the Lions Club in Hillsboro.

Police told Fox2 News they received an initial report of a body of an adult male being discovered around 3PM.

Hillsboro Superintendent David Powell told Riverbender that he was notified by police the deceased person found was not a high school student.

The Vandalia at Hillsboro varsity boys’ basketball game set for last night was postponed due to the investigation into the discovery being so close to the school. The school says they plan on resuming normal activities today.

Additional information about the incident is limited at this time.

The Hillsboro Police Department is partnering with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department, the Illinois State Police, and the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office to investigate the cause of the man’s death. A message sent to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office has not been returned as of press time.

Jacksonville Police arrested a man this morning after a woman was shot inside a residence.

At approximately 12:43 this morning, Jacksonville Police received a call of a disturbance at a residence in the 600 block of North West Street. Upon arrival, police reports say officers discovered a 36 year old female with an apparent gunshot wound. The female was transported by LifeStar EMS to Jacksonville Memorial Hospital and then later transported to a Springfield area hospital.

According to a press release from Jacksonville Police Detective Lieutenant Doug Thompson, the victim is reported to be in critical but stable condition.

Thompson says during the course of an investigation at the residence, officers identified and located the suspect in the alleged shooting. Police were able to locate and arrest 34 year old Antonio K. King of Jacksonville and took him into custody without incident. Thompson says a firearm was recovered at the scene.

King has been cited for Home Invasion and Aggravated Battery with a firearm. King is currently being held at the Morgan County Detention Facility awaiting booking and a bond hearing.

The incident remains under investigation by the Jacksonville Police Department. Anyone with any further information is encouraged to contact the Jacksonville Police Department at 217-479-4630 or leave an anonymous tip with the Morgan Scott Cass Crime Stoppers at 217-243-7300.

The Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office has announced the prison sentence of an Auburn man for multiple felonies and sex crimes.

On Thursday, 34 year old Mason E. Bertrand of Auburn was sentenced to 69 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections by Associate Judge Jennifer Ascher. The sentence follows Bertrand’s convictions on all counts by a jury.

Bertrand was charged by the Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office in January 2020 with 3 counts of Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault, 3 counts of Criminal Sexual Assault, aggravated criminal sexual abuse, unlawful restraint, and sexual exploitation of a child.

According to a press release, after a 3-day trial, a Sangamon County jury found Bertrand guilty of the repeated sexual assault of his 13-year old daughter between April 2018 and September 2019. In addition to the 69-year sentence, Bertrand will be required to register as a sexual predator for the remainder of his life.

At the sentencing hearing, the victim provided an impact statement about the continued repercussions Bertrand’s crimes have had on her. The case was prosecuted by Chief of the Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office Felony Division Mary Beth Rodgers and Chief of the Juvenile Protection Division Kendra Hansel. The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office lead the investigation into Bertrand’s crimes with the assistance of the Sangamon County Child Advocacy Center Multi-Disciplinary Team.

The Beardstown Police Department is investigating two burglarized businesses from early yesterday morning.

Beardstown Police Chief Martin Coad said in a phone message yesterday that Amigo Tire, located at 905 E. 3rd Street and Dairy Queen, located at 817 East 4^th Street were broken into at around 7AM Friday by at least one individual.

No further information could be provided due to an active investigation. Chief Coad did say that video surveillance footage was captured and field forensics by the Illinois State Police was being completed to help further pursue possible suspects.

Chief Coad says if you have any information about these incidents to leave an anonymous tip with the Morgan Scott Cass Crime Stoppers at 217-243-7300 or call directly to Beardstown Police dispatch and leave a tip at 217-323-3131.

Cass County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested a woman in a search warrant served on Wednesday at a Beardstown residence.

Cass County Sheriff Devron Ohrn reported that 51 year old Loretta L. Haber of Beardstown was arrested at her residence in the 1000 block of Pine Street after a warrant was served due to an ongoing investigation into methamphetamine delivery.

Haber was cited for methamphetamine delivery, possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, and illegal possession of hypodermic syringes.

According to Cass County Court records, Haber was arrested in August for methamphetamine delivery less than 5 grams and possession of methamphetamine less than 5 grams. She appeared in Cass County Court on Wednesday for those charges for a status hearing. She has a final pre-trial hearing set in that case for January 6th.

Haber currently remains held at the Schuyler County Jail on $200,000 bond.