Federal court returned a guilty verdict on a Houston, Texas man on Wednesday busted for a half ton of marijuana in South Jacksonville over four years ago.

25 year old Muhammad Usama was found guilty by a jury for knowingly possessing 100 kilograms or more of a mixture and substance containing marijuana, a Schedule I controlled substance, with intent to distribute it. Sentencing for Usama has been scheduled for September 9, 2022, at the federal Courthouse in Springfield.

Usama and 43 year old Syed Fraz Ahmad were stopped at Love’s Travel Stop by a Morgan County Sheriff’s Deputy on New Year’s Eve 2017 after the deputy noticed an R.V. With Idaho plates. According to an article in the Journal Courier at the time, the deputy struck up a conversation with the two men but portions of their story didn’t add up prompting a drug dog to be called to search the vehicle.

Both men consented to the search and police found 1,000 pounds of pre-packaged marijuana valued around $5 million. The RV housed about 30 duffel bags that contained around 34 pounds of cannabis that was individually packaged in various amounts and vacuum-sealed. After the men were arrested, they told authorities the cannabis came from California and was going to be delivered to three places on the East Coast. Sheriff Mike Carmody said at the time it was one of the largest pot busts the county had ever seen.

The two men also were traveling at the time with an 8-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl, both of whom were turned over to the Department of Children and Family Services.

Over three days of testimony in federal court in Springfield, federal prosecutors established that Usama was attempting to travel across the country to sell the cache of drugs.

Usama remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals. At sentencing, Usama faces statutory penalties of up to 40 years imprisonment, up to a life term of supervised release, and up to a $5,000,000 fine.

The case investigation was conducted by the Department of Homeland Security, Drug Enforcement Administration, Illinois State Police, Morgan County Sheriff’s Department, South Jacksonville Police Department, and the Jacksonville Police Department. The Morgan County State’s Attorney’s Office also assisted in the case.

The Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal was investigating an arson incident in Jacksonville’s north end from yesterday morning.

An initial call was placed at 3:56AM yesterday for a structure fire at 603 North Fayette Street in Jacksonville. Upon arrival, Jacksonville Fire officials spoke with Jacksonville Police and found that the structure was unoccupied. Heavy fire involvement was shown on the first floor of the two-story structure.

According to a fire department report, the main body of the fire was at the center of the home on the first floor and they were quickly able to knock it down. A search for potential victims of the home was made with no one found. Jacksonville Police noted in their report that the back door to the home was open when they arrived and a foot print was found on the back deck. Police believe the home has been sitting empty for at least the past two years, as there was no gas meter on the home and the electrical meter was off. Ameren-Illinois representatives came to the scene and disconnected power to the home in case of a potential re-kindle.

According to the Fire Department report, a can of Red & Tacky spray lube had been shoved into the wall with a small burn pattern with no spread. The main burn pattern was found on a western interior wall.

The Fire Department was able to clear the scene by 6AM with no further hot spots and no injuries to report.

Jacksonville Police, Jacksonville Fire, and the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal continue to investigate. If you have any information, please call Jacksonville Police Investigations at 217-479-4630 or call the Morgan, Scott, Cass County Crime Stoppers at 217-243-7300 if you wish to remain anonymous.

13th District Congressman Rodney Davis wants the federal government to help uphold parental notification of abortions when a minor child crosses state lines to get one.

Davis wants a federal law in place if the minor goes across state lines to receive an abortion he wants to uphold the minor’s home state’s law of parental notification.

H.R. 2223, the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act, would make it a crime to knowingly transport a minor across a state line to obtain an abortion without satisfying the requirements of a parental involvement law in the minor’s resident state. A parental involvement law requires parental consent or notification, or judicial authorization, for a minor to obtain an abortion. The legislation also makes it a crime for a physician to knowingly perform or induce an abortion on an out-of-state minor without first notifying the minor’s parent.

Davis says the impetus for the bill is the State of Illinois repealing the Parental Notification Act in December: “I am proudly pro-Life and strongly support the rights of parents to be involved in their children’s lives. This legislation I’m supporting would make sure that when a minor crosses state lines into Illinois to receive an abortion, their home state’s parental involvement in abortion laws are upheld. This is a small step we can take to protect Life and ensure parents can be there for their children during an incredibly difficult moment in their life.”

The House Resolution was initially introduced in October when it was introduced to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security and then, referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary at the beginning of this week.

JBS USA in Beardstown is in compliance with handling of animals.

The Cass County Star Gazette reports that the Beardstown pork producer took immediate steps to correct the mishandling of animals at their facility according to a report they received from the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

According to a statement attributed to Jackson Collier, a public affairs specialist for FSIS in Washington D.C., the inspection personnel with FSIS immediately acted to stop violations that were observed on April 6^th of last year in which a hog was hit in its face with a driving aid.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, sought a criminal investigation into the incidents during the first week in March after non-compliance reports were published to the FSIS’s website.

According to Collier, corrective actions both in writing and in plant processes have been taken at JBS that have been deemed acceptable. JBS USA has not issued a public comment about the incidents in question.

Residents of Menard County are dealing with telecommunications problems this morning.

The Menard County Sheriff’s Office reported last night at 6PM that AT&T services in Petersburg and other areas throughout the county were experiencing outages last night. AT&T Service was restored to the county around 5:15 this morning. The Menard County Sheriff’s Office says the outage was due to a cut fiber optic cable line.

9-1-1 service remained available throughout the outage. However, calls were diverted to neighboring counties and then re-routed. The Menard County Dispatch administrative lines are still down this morning and are presently working on being restored. The Sheriff’s Office says that calls to the administrative offices can be routed through the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office dispatch.

Neighboring counties have been alerted to the ongoing problems and will respond and re-route calls for Menard County when necessary.

Information has been released by the Illinois State Police about an arrest yesterday of a Chandlerville man cited for child pornography possession and distribution.

ISP Division of Criminal Investigation says that 20 year old Bryce A. Eilers of Chandlerville had been under investigation by DCI agents since May of last year after learning a subject was distributing child pornography via a social media application. According to ISP, a thorough investigation ensued, and during the course of the investigation, ISP Investigators assigned to the Office of the Illinois Attorney General Internet Crimes against Children Task Force gathered evidence supporting the arrest.

On Monday, the Morgan County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a two-count information, charging Eilers with one count of Dissemination of Child Pornography and one count of Possession of Child Pornography. Zone 4 Agents took Eilers into custody and transported him to the Morgan County Jail where he remains held on $100,000 bond.

Anyone with further information concerning this case is asked to contact ISP Zone 4 Investigations at (217) 782-4750.

Two individuals out of Tazewell County were arrested today in Pleasant Plains after a scheme of passing counterfeit money to several businesses across the area.

Pleasant Plains Police Chief Mike Long posted on the department’s Facebook page this morning security footage of two individuals who had allegedly passed counterfeit U.S. currency during a transaction at the Pleasant Plains Dollar General on Saturday afternoon.

After multiple tips from the public were posted on the police department’s Facebook page, the individuals were later identified as 49 year old Shane A. Sornson of Pekin and Carla J. Sheppard. Both were taken into custody this afternoon.

Sornson is also currently facing outstanding failure to appear warrants in Cass County for possession of methamphetamine, possession of hypodermic needles, and driving on a suspended and/or revoked license. 

Chief Long says that many locations across the area were allegedly hit with the fake money. Long says charges are currently being written up by the Sangamon County State’s Attorney Office. 

Long says if you have any further information or believe your business may have been hit with the counterfeit money to contact the Pleasant Plains Police Department on Facebook or by calling the department at 217-626-1351. 

Pike County authorities are searching for a Pittsfield man wanted for an alleged role in a recent drug investigation.

The Pike County State’s Attorney’s Office has issued a warrant for 55 year old David S. Smart of Pittsfield for Class 2 Felony Unlawful Delivery of Methamphetamine.

Smart is a white male, is going bald on top, with dark hair on the sides of his head. He may be wearing a dark goatee that does have some gray hair in it.

If you have any information on Smart’s whereabouts, all Pike County Crime Stoppers at (217) 285-1500. All callers will remain anonymous and if your tips lead to an arrest, you may be eligible for a cash reward.

Pittsfield Police arrested a man on March 12th in Pittsfield on drug charges in a traffic stop.

Pittsfield Police Michael Starman says in a press release that 28 year old Zachary Banfield was pulled over by a Pittsfield Police officer on Washington Street in Pittsfield. The officer allegedly had prior knowledge that Banfield’s license was suspended and/or revoked.

Upon initiating the stop, Banfield was cited for driving with a suspended license, illegal possession of cannabis by a driver in a motor vehicle, and unlawful possession of methamphetamine. Banfield was subsequently transported to the Pike County Jail where bond was set at $10,000.

Banfield was currently out on bond from a previous drug arrest in January. Banfield made his first appearance in Pike County Court last Wednesday. Bond remained set, with Banfield’s next appearance set for April 19th.

Illinois Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White’s Office announced on Friday more than $1.4 million in School District Library grants to 672 public school districts.

Based on Fiscal Year 2022 appropriations, school library grants were awarded based on a formula of $.885 per student, with a minimum grant award of $850.

The grants are used for new books, multimedia materials, electronic resources, computers, and wi-fi connectivity for school libraries.

Jacksonville School District 117 received the largest grant in the area with $2,590.12 awarded, followed by Beardstown with $1,144.31, and Pleasant Plains at $1,063.33. Auburn, North Mac, and Pikeland all received over $900 with the remainder of school districts in the area receiving the $850 minimum.

More information can be found here: ilsos.gov/departments/library/grants/schoolpercapgrant.html.