Archives

Third Suspect Arrested in Springfield 10th Street Triple Homicide

A third arrest has been made in a triple murder in Springfield.

WICS Newschannel 20 reports that 20 year old Larry McClain, Jr. of Springfield was arrested today for three counts of first degree murder and one count of obstructing justice. McClain is connected to the murders that took place in the 2500 block of South 10th Street last year.

McClain is currently being held at the Sangamon County Jail on $5 million bond. He is set to be arraigned tomorrow.

Galmore (left), Hembrough (right)

Two other suspects, Kelton C. Galmore of Chatham and Joseph W. Hembrough of rural Jacksonville were arrested on similar charges in connection to the murders on February 22nd. Both men remain held at the Sangamon County Jail.

The three suspects are accused of killing 27-year-old Bryant K. Williams of Houston, Texas, 27-year-old Savante English of Springfield, and 25-year-old Keyera Gant of Springfield. Their bodies were found by a friend on Aug. 9th and reported to police.

Sangamon County State’s Attorney Dan Wright issued a statement today saying that all the suspects for the murders are now in custody. Wright thanked the the Springfield Police Department Criminal Investigations Division and the United States Marshals Great Lakes Fugitive Task Force for their work on the case.

All three men face a potential sentence of natural life in prison.

Jacksonville Man Gets Decade in Prison For Gunfire Exchange in June 2020

A Jacksonville man was sentenced to 10 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections yesterday for a shots fired incident in Jacksonville in the summer of 2020.

24 year old Quantorious J. Courtney, listed as homeless of Jacksonville, pled guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon.

Courtney was arrested by Jacksonville Police on June 7, 2020 as a passenger in an SUV at the intersection of South East Street and East Beecher Avenue.

The vehicle was pulled over after it matched the identity of a vehicle that had exchanged gunfire with a 2011 Audi sedan at the intersection of South Clay Avenue and East Morton Avenue. Police determined the SUV had been hit by gunfire and questioned three occupants in the vehicle. Courtney was arrested subsequent to the questioning and a search of the vehicle yielding a firearm and ammunition.

Courtney also had subsequent follow-up arrests on October 13, 2020 for aggravated battery in a public place and a December 28, 2021 arrest for aggravated battery of a corrections officer. Both charges were dropped per the plea.

Courtney was sentenced to 10 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, 1 year of Mandatory Supervised Release, a $500 county fine plus fees and court costs. Courtney was credited for 633 days served in the Morgan County Jail.

Jacksonville Man Who Escaped County Jail Receives Probation, Restitution Sentence

A Jacksonville man who escaped from the Morgan County Jail for approximately 8 minutes back in January plead guilty to felony escape yesterday in Morgan County Court.

21 year old Daveon L. Mapes of the 1000 block of East Morton Avenue pled guilty to felony escape from a penal institution. Mapes was originally arrested by Jacksonville Police on January 22nd after a brawl at the West Morgan Depot. Mapes was cited for battery in the case.

Mapes was placed in a visitation booth after being booked into the jail. According to reports, Mapes was able to tear out the trim around the glass about 8 hours after his arrest and break out of the booth. Mapes then was able to break through a glass door entrance to the jail and escape on foot. Jacksonville Police and Morgan County Sheriff’s Deputies later located Mapes in the vicinity of Jacksonville Public Library on College Avenue, less than 3 blocks away.

Mapes was sentenced to 2 years of adult probation, a $200 county fine, plus fees and court costs. Mapes was also ordered to pay $700 restitution to the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office for damages incurred at the jail. Mapes other charges were dropped per the plea.

Jacksonville Alderman Asking For More Input, Transparency In City’s Appropriations, Budgeting Process

One Jacksonville Alderman is unhappy with the process of the city’s appropriations and budgeting.

On Monday night the city voted to adopt the 2022 Operating Budget and approved appropriations for fiscal year 2022 in a 7-1 vote. The lone ‘no’ vote was Ward 3 Alderman Kent Hannant.

Hannant says there needs to be more transparency and accountability when it comes to the city’s finances: “I think 10% and almost $5 million and no accountability on the way to spend it is way too much. The percentage of discretionary spending is what I had a problem with. As far as the operating budget, I think the council should be more involved in it then just throwing out a package that we had no say-so in, and then when you ask questions then no one has an answer.”

Hannant was also the main reason why the council tabled a motion to renew an agreement with the county for animal control. Hannant told the council that the county had overcharged the city by about $4200 over the last two years after doing his own independent investigation on the matter. Hannant told the council that the animal control program charges fees based on a municipality’s population. The 2020 federal census revealed that the city’s population had fallen to 17,616 resulting in the alleged overcharge.

Hannant says he had to work hard to find a straight answer on why the city was paying money to the county for animal control in the first place: “The dog pound thing…I was able to do that but it took a lot of leg work just to figure out what [the city] has been doing for the last 10 years and to get people to just give me an answer. The reason it sparked my attention on that is that I had no idea why we were giving money to the dog pound. After I figured out why and why the money was going there and how it was [being spent], then I understood that the fees are changed every ten years, but they overcharged us based on their own intel. Like I told [Mayor] Andy Ezard tonight, I think we should all meet as a group to decide on these decisions with these department heads and find out what they need and where this money is going.”

Hannant also questioned the council’s decisions of the council to purchase lawn mowers and side-by-sides for the Planning & Public Works Department and the Utility Department. Hannant voted unanimously with the council approving a new lawn mower for the City Hall & Plaza Maintenance Department from Henry Service for $11,919 and another lawn mower for the Wastewater Treatment Plant for $10,419. Hannant wants to know why the city doesn’t have a replacement program for equipment: “Why are we spending $50,000 on side-by-sides and not replacing other worn out side-by-sides? It’s frivolous spending, and [the council] had no say-so in it. They just lump it in a budget and nobody even knows what they are voting on.”

Hannant says he’s getting conflicting stories about other city spending and he’d like the council to have more input. He says he’d like to have notice for city’s finance committee meetings so all alderman can attend.

Greene Co. Man Behind Bars For Charges in Multiple Counties

A Greene County man has been indicted in Jersey County on drug charges.

36 year old Clinton L. Elliott of Greenfield was charged Feb. 23 with unlawful possession of methamphetamine, a Class 3 felony. On Feb. 17 Elliott allegedly had less than five grams of methamphetamine and was in possession of drug paraphernalia in an arrest by Jersey County Sheriff’s Deputies.

Elliott is currently being held at the Greene County Jail. Elliott was arrested by Greenfield Police on February 14th on two counts of arson, theft between $500 and $10,000, and residential burglary. An order for Elliott to have a mental examination for fitness was made in Greene County court yesterday. A status hearing on the Greene County charges are set for March 28th.

Elliott is due in Jersey County court on the aforementioned drug charges for a preliminary hearing on March 22nd.

Jones Meat & Locker Win 8 Awards At IL Association of Meat Processors Convention

A local meat locker recently walked away from a downstate convention with a handful of awards for their service.

Terry Jones and Marty Cockerill of Jones Meat and Locker recently attended the Illinois Association of Meat Processors Convention in Effingham.

The local meat processing plant came home with eight awards, including Grand Champions in the Fully Cooked BBQ Ribs, Luncheon Meat, and Deer Jerky & Snack Sticks categories. Another distinguished award was the 2022 Innovative Beef Grand Champion, which was sponsored by the Illinois Beef Association.

These awards are an addition to multiple state and national awards for their meat and locker service they’ve won over their last 79 years of business.

IL State Fair Announces First 6 Grandstand Acts for 2022 Schedule

The Illinois State Fair announced the first 6 acts for the grandstand for the State Fair this year.

The State Fair in Springfield will run August 11-21st.

Sam Hunt will headline Friday, August 12th. He’ll be followed by country duo Brooks & Dunn returning to the fair on August 14th. The duo last appeared at the State Fair in 2008.

TLC and Shaggy will bring hip-hop to the grandstand on Wednesday, August 17th.

Country star Jon Pardi who will have openers Lainey Wilson and Chapel Hart on August 18th.

Metal band Disturbed with Nita Strauss will rock the grandstand on August 20th. They’ll be followed by Sammy Hagar & the Circle on closing night.

Tickets for the shows will go on sale on March 11th at Ticketmaster. More information can be found at illinoisstatefair.info. Future grandstand acts will be announced soon.

MacMurray Foundation & Alumni Association Scholarship Deadline March 15

Prospective and current college students with a connection to MacMurray College have a few weeks left to submit applications towards the college’s scholarships.

MacMurray Foundation and Alumni Association Chair David Ekin says that applicants can come from a direct connection to the college or may be majoring in a program that MacMurray was known for: “Our focus there is of course a connection with the college…might be a grandparent, might be someone who is a son or a daughter of a staff member, an employee, or a faculty member. It’s very broad in that regard. Then, also looking at those who may not have a connection but want to go into a program that is an area of emphasis that the college was known for – nursing, social work, music, deaf education, special education. So those are the things that we are looking to support students to continue that legacy of what MacMurray was. And as I’ve said to many people, the college is no more but it doesn’t mean that the impact that the college has also goes away.”

The MacMurray Foundation and Alumni Association has 11 scholarships they currently offer, including one through the Jacksonville Promise.

Ekin says to get applications in now ahead of the March 15th deadline. All awards are for one year only, but previous awardees may apply for additional years. More information can be found at https://www.macalumfoundation.org/scholarships.

Ezard Appoints Henry to Vacant Ward 4 Alderman Seat

The Jacksonville City Council welcomed its newest member last night.

Brett Henry was appointed to the council to the vacant Ward 4 alderman seat. Henry replaces Mike Wankel who resigned from the council in January to take a vacant seat with the Morgan County Commissioners.

Henry says he’s been thinking about a city council seat for awhile now: “I’ve got strong roots in Jacksonville. I’m not from Jacksonville originally, but I know that we have a strong future in Jacksonville. I’m hoping to do what I can to improve it. It’s something that I’ve been thinking about for awhile now. The last time the Ward [seat] was up [for election], I was thinking about it but I didn’t take it back then. I didn’t talk to Andy [Ezard] back then, but once Mike [Wankel] took his new position and my ward seat was up again, it made me start to think about it again, so I called the mayor.”

Henry says he’s looking to the future of Jacksonville. By trade, Henry says his background is in information technology as he currently works as Assistant Director Of Information Technology at Central Laborers Pension in Springfield. Prior to that, he was a system administrator at the former Passavant Area Hospital and an I.T. Manager at Benton & Associates.

Henry says he’s more of a listener than a talker, and hopes that skill help bring new ideas to the table in fixing problems in the city: “I was basically writing down notes tonight. Basically, I wanted to spend most of this meeting listening. I’m new to the game, and that’s how I tend to take a lot of things – just listen, speak up when I need to or when I’m spoken to, but generally I like to listen and think things through before I make any kind of decision.”

Henry says he is familiar with some of his fellow alderman and looks forward to hearing from them and his constituents to address problems and move the city forward.

Pleasant Hill Drug Warrants Nets Two Arrests

Two individuals were arrested in Pleasant Hill yesterday after an execution of a search warrant for drugs.

According to Pike County Sheriff David Greenwood, yesterday at 4:43PM, the West Central Illinois Task Force, Pike County Sheriff’s Department, and Pleasant Hill Police Department executed a court-authorized search warrant at a residence located in the 300 block of Mound Street in Pleasant Hill.

Subsequent to the execution of the warrant, authorities arrested 25 year old Philip R. Stauffer of Pleasant Hill on charges of unlawful possession of methamphetamine, unlawful possession of firearms and/or ammunition, resisting arrest, three Pike County failure to appear warrant charges for drugs, and a Calhoun County failure to appear warrant on possession of methamphetamine.

Authorities also arrested 27 year old Nickie M. Shewmake of Pleasant Hill on charges of unlawful possession of methamphetamine, obstructing justice, and concealing or aiding a fugitive of justice.

Both are currently being lodged at the Pike County Jail in lieu of a first appearance in court.