The Macoupin County Sheriff’s Office announced the results of a recent sex offender and violent offender against children compliance check in the county.

Macoupin County Sheriff Shawn Kahl says three people were arrested after compliance checks found they were not in compliance with registration requirements.

41 year old Ronnie W. Swann of Bunker Hill has been charged with failure to register as a violent offender against youth. Swann is awaiting a first appearance in court.

58 year old Jerald P. Bailey of Nilwood has been charged with failure to register as a sex offender. He is currently being held at the Macoupin County Jail. Bailey will have a preliminary hearing with counsel on Thursday, September 8^th.

36 year old Keithen A. Stilwell of Chesterfield has been charged with failure to register as a sex offender. Stilwell is also awaiting a first appearance in court.

All have been charged through the Macoupin County State’s Attorney’s Office.

A Baylis man will spend the next 20 years of his life in an Illinois prison following a guilty plea on 4 charges last month.

On August 15^th, Pike County Judge J. Frank McCartney sentenced 41 year old Stephen R. Howard of Baylis to 20 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections following a guilty plea on 3 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and one count of child pornography possession. 19 other counts varying from child pornography possession, domestic battery, criminal sexual assault of a juvenile family member, and aggravated criminal sexual abuse were dropped per the plea.

Howard will also serve 3 years of Mandatory Supervised Release, was fined $17,000, plus court costs.

The investigation began in March of 2021 after a complaint of sexual abuse was made by a victim under the age of eighteen. A 19-count information was later filed in Pike County Court, followed by 4 more counts filed at a later date.

The investigation was conducted by Chief Deputy Zack Orr and Deputy Chastity Anderson of the Pike County Sheriff’s Department. Pike County Assistant State’s Attorney Leecia Carnes prosecuted the case.

Pike County State’s Attorney Zack Boren says he appreciates the investigative work and prosecution of the case: “I appreciate the excellent work by Chief Deputy Zack Orr, Deputy Chastity Anderson, and Assistant State’s Attorney Leecia Carnes on this case. My office will continue to work closely with all of our local law enforcement agencies to prosecute sex offenders who endanger children in Pike County.”

Chief Deputy Orr said in a press release his agency will continue to aggressively investigate claims of sexual abuse and child pornography.

The Village of Bluffs was recently listed as a recipient of an Illinois EPA water infrastructure loan.

The low-interest loans fund wastewater, storm water and drinking water projects around the state.

Bluffs is receiving $1,435,970 with a Principal Forgiveness of $400,000 to replace its existing water tower.

The village plans on building a new 150,000 gallon tower at a higher elevation and will also update and install associated piping, a new supervisory control and data acquisition system that monitors tank levels, and replace two water pumpers with new high service pumps. The remainder of the funds will go towards making repairs at Bluffs’ water treatment plant.

The Illinois EPA announced today over $254 million worth of loans for the fourth quarter of the state’s fiscal year.

The Illinois Department of Human Services may be summoned to Sangamon County Court again for a contempt citation.

WMAY reports that Sangamon County Judge Adam Giganti has set a hearing for September 12^th after DHS missed a deadline to transfer a county jail inmate to appropriate psychiatric care. Alonzo D. Billups was found unfit to stand trial on a felony retail theft charge back on June 24th.

Under state law, Billups should have been transferred into a DHS facility within 20 days, he remains in custody at the Sangamon County Jail.

Billups is one of seven Sangamon County Jail inmates who remain in county custody more than 20 days after they were found unfit for trial, according to WMAY.

The State Journal Register reported that DHS was found in contempt of court by Judge Giganti at the end of June after DHS blocked a transfer of an inmate into McFarland Mental Health Facility. Giganti ruled that a pandemic-era executive order issued by Governor J.B. Pritzker giving DHS broad authority to suspend provisions in state law requiring it to provide psychiatric treatment to inmates at their facilities was unconstitutional.

DHS Secretary Grace Hou had been asked to appear in court for the September 12^th hearing.

A Springfield man charged with multiple felonies in Adams County is seeking to represent himself in court again.

35 year old Bradley S. Yohn filed a motion on August 24^th once again to represent himself in his case. According to Muddy River News, a status hearing was held on the motion in Adams County Court, and Judge Roger Thomson has set a hearing for the motion on September 7^th. A trial is scheduled to begin in the case on November 7^th.

Yohn filed a motion on July 18 for withdrawal of public defender Todd Nelson as his counsel. However, Thomson ruled two days later there was no evidence of ineffective counsel and denied the motion.

Yohn’s original public defender John Citro was excused from the case on May 11^th after Yohn complained for several months and asked to defend himself.

In Muddy River News’ report, Yohn’s most recent motion says Nelson has not talked to him to form a defense and feels like Nelson has not upheld the standards of the Illinois bar. Yohn went on to claim his civil rights under the U.S. Constitution and Illinois Constitution have been violated, and he believes he can be more effective as a pro se litigant.

The Sangamon County Board is expected to consider adopting a moratorium on carbon dioxide pipelines through the county after local pushback against the Heartland Greenway project.

WMAY reported yesterday morning that Sangamon County has filed a motion to intervene in the Illinois Commerce Commission permitting process for the proposed CO2 pipeline that will cut across portions of Morgan, Scott, Brown, Pike, Schuyler, and Sangamon.

Local environmental groups and landowners are objecting to the Navigator Heartland Greenway project, which would take CO2 emissions from plants in North and South Dakota and carry them to a sequestration facility in Christian County.

A docket entry with the ICC says the county wants to be a party to the permit process, so that it can offer input on the pipeline’s potential impact on the economy, infrastructure, and public safety. It’s not clear when the ICC might rule on the county’s request to intervene. The permitting process is expected to last into Summer 2023.

WMAY further reported yesterday afternoon that the Sangamon County Board believes they have legal standing to intervene, but acknowledge that the ICC or the courts could rule otherwise. In the meantime, the county says a moratorium is prudent to allow time to research health and safety concerns related to CO2 pipelines.

The moratorium is expected to be a part of action items at the Sangamon County Board meeting scheduled for next month.

Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon has announced the identity of the Jacksonville man found deceased in a vehicle yesterday in rural Sangamon County.

Allmon says that 42 year old Nickholas Stambaugh of Jacksonville was pronounced deceased at 8:45 yesterday morning on the Lost Bridge Trail just off of Interstate 55, between Springfield and Rochester.

An autopsy performed today Allmon says revealed minor blunt force injuries sustained in a motor vehicle crash at the scene as well as significant natural disease process in Stambaugh’s body. Allmon says that a cause of death is pending additional studies at this time and that there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding Stambaugh’s death.

The incident remains under investigation by the Sangamon County Coroner’s Office and the Illinois State Police. Services for Stambaugh have been announced for 1PM Tuesday, September 6th at Williamson Funeral Home in Jacksonville.

Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon says a Jacksonville man was found deceased just off Interstate 55 yesterday morning.

Allmon says a 42 year old man was found dead in a vehicle near the Lost Bridge Trail, just off of I-55 between Springfield and Rochester at 8:45 yesterday morning.

An autopsy is being performed today. The identification of the decedent is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

The incident is under investigation by the Sangamon County Coroner’s Office and District 9 of the Illinois State Police.

The Canton Police Department says a teen that’s been missing since early August has been found safe.

17 year old Summer Rayne Rodgers was reported missing on August 12^th after leaving her home to go meet someone.

According to an update posted by the Canton Police Department and Missing Persons Awareness Network, Summer was located and found safe last night. No further details about the situation has been released.