UPDATE:

A handful of details have emerged about the discovery of an Auburn man’s body late last week in Springfield.

Sangamon County coroner Jim Allmon says the remains were identified as that of 37-year-old Derek Wartenbe. Allmon says the corpse was scientifically identified during the postmortem procedure yesterday.

Allmon said the preliminary autopsy findings showed no evidence of traumatic injuries, but he told the State Journal Register that the official cause of death is pending toxicology and histology reports.

Allmon told the paper Wartenbe’s body was found lying up against a concrete foundation about 15 to 20 yards inside the densely wooded area near South MacArthur and Wabash.

His body was found last Friday.

Allmon says there were clothes hanging from trees and furniture near the body, but he couldn’t confirm they belonged to Wartenbe.

Springfield police were notified about the body by another witness in the area.

A former Greene County Sheriff hopes to be re-elected to the office in 2026.

Ben Picou, who was Greene County Sheriff from 1974 to 1982, announced his bid for election to the office over the weekend. Picou was one of the youngest county sheriff’s in the State of Illinois when he served Greene County at just 26 years of age, according to the Journal Courier.

Picou has served in a number of positions since leaving the office. The 77-year old served as Randolph County Sheriff from 1990-98, an investigator for the Illinois Attorney General’s Office after leaving Greene County in 1982, then as a police trainer/adviser and deputy commander in Kosovo for the U.S. Department of State. He also spent 18 years in the military, serving active duty with the 3rd Infantry Regiment, the Old Guard, the Army’s ceremonial unit in the Washington Military District. He later served in the Army Reserve, then transferred to the Air Force Reserve, reaching the rank of captain. After his military service, Picou returned to the U.S. and was elected Randolph County Sheriff.

Picou, who now lives in White Hall, will be seeking the Greene County Sheriff’s Office as a Democrat. He will run against current Greene County Chief Deputy Cale Hoesman, who announced his bid for the office as a Republican last week.

Dr. Michael Woods has announced his bid to seek election to the Morgan County Board.

Woods made the announcement on July 4. Woods is the lone Democrat that’s an elected or appointed official in the county. “As your Commissioner, I pledge to continue rolling up my sleeves and working tirelessly on the vital issues that touch every part of Morgan County. Together, we will move forward—transforming our shared vision into real, lasting results that uplift every family, farmer, and small business in our community,” Woods said in a press release.

Woods was appointed to fill out the remainder of Bradley Zeller’s term in October 2024.

Few details are known at this hour but Greene County law enforcement and first responders responded to a bomb threat on the Roodhouse square late this afternoon.

Roodhouse Fire & Police, White Hall Fire & Police, the Greene County Sheriff’s Office, Greene County EMS were dispatched for a possible bomb threat in or around a home in the 200 block of Franklin Street near the library shortly after 3 p.m. All roadways leading into and around Roodhouse were shut down, including Route 67 for approximately two and a half hours. Residents within a few blocks of the area were told to evacuate for safety concerns.

The Illinois Secretary of State bomb squad was called to the location approximately half hour after the initial call. Chief of Police Kyle Robison said in a press release that during the investigation the object that was located was not an explosive device.

The scene was said to be secured shortly after 5:30 p.m. The area has been deemed safe and clear to return to at this point in time.

No other information is currently available. This story will be updated.

99th District State Representative Kyle Moore (R-Quincy) announced his bid for re-election to the Illinois General Assembly today.

According to a press release, Moore says he is going to fight for more government transparency and conservative values. Moore touted the passage of the bill he authored this Spring, House Bill 1362, which allows smaller counties to form Multi-County Veterans Assistance Commissions to expand access and improve services for veterans across rural Illinois.

Jacksonville Police arrested a homeless woman last night after she allegedly went on a topless spree with a golf club.

Officers were called to the parking lot of Ashley’s Home Furnishings in Lincoln Square in the 900 block of West Morton Avenue at approximately 11 p.m. The caller reported a naked woman was striking people and vehicles with a golf club.

Upon arrival, police located and arrested Nicole J. Petrie, 43. Officers had responded earlier to an incident with Petrie at the intersection of South Fayette Street and West Chambers Street at 9:45 p.m. where a caller reported a woman standing in the middle of the street walking topless in public. Petrie was issued a city ordinance violation for public indecency and released.

Upon investigation of the Lincoln Square incident, Petrie is alleged to have struck a 17-year old juvenile with a golf club causing minor injuries, and then struck at least two vehicles with the golf club causing damage.

Petrie was cited for three felonies: one count of aggravated battery and two counts of criminal damage to property of more than $500. As of this morning, she was being held at the Morgan County Jail pending a pretrial detention hearing.

A Brown County man has been imprisoned for violent sex offenses committed between 2020 and 2024.

Online court documents reveal today that Robert W. Crafton, Jr., 27, formerly of Versailles was sentenced to two consecutive 4 ½ year sentences in Brown County Circuit Court on April 7. 

Crafton was originally arrested in December 2021 for 4 counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, domestic battery, 4 counts of criminal sexual assault, and unlawful restraint. All of the 2021 charges are in regards to a different victim. 

While out on bond for the 2021 charges, Crafton was arrested in March 2022 by Illinois State Police Division of Criminal Investigation Zone 4 agents during a traffic stop. ISP and the Brown County Sheriff’s Office began to further investigate Crafton’s activities after a separate victim came forward and disclosed that she was both sexually and physically abused by Crafton. Crafton was eventually charged with 2 more counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, 3 more counts of criminal sexual assault, 2 counts of home invasion, and 3 more counts of domestic battery. Crafton was detained at the Schuyler County Jail after the arrest.

In April 2024, Crafton was charged by the Brown County State’s Attorney’s Office with bribery of a witness and communicating with a deposed witness. 

On April 7, Circuit Judge Jerry Hooker accepted a plea from Crafton on 2 counts of criminal sexual assault by force with all remaining charges dismissed. Hooker sentenced Crafton to a total of 9 years in prison and ordered payment of an undisclosed county fine. Online court records did not indicate whether Crafton was given day-for-day credit for time served. The Brown County State’s Attorney’s Office has not released information on this case. The case was scheduled to head to a jury trial on May 19 prior to the plea agreement.

A Ripley man was killed when his motorcycle and a truck collided on a rural southern Brown County road this past weekend.

KHQA reports that Rusty Rickard was headed north at the intersection of 1400E Street and County Road 950N when his motorcycle was hit by a truck. Rickard was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Brown County Coroner.

Authorities said the truck driver, Cody Whitaker of Mt. Sterling, Illinois, was headed east on CR 950N when the crash happened. Whitaker was later cited for failure to yield at an intersection.

The Brown County Sheriff’s Office report says the crash remains under further investigation.

A southern Illinois Congressman is calling on the federal government to audit the St. Louis Processing and Distribution Center, citing ongoing mail delays.

12th District Congressman Mike Bost sent a letter on Wednesday to U.S. Postal Inspector General Tammy Hull requesting a compressive audit of the St. Louis distribution center, according to a report by KTVI in St. Louis. He said his office has received a surge in complaints over the past several years, including reports of chronic delivery delays, misdirected mail and missing items.

In his letter, Bost pointed to a July 2022 USPS audit of the St. Louis distribution center that revealed staffing shortages, scanning errors, machine processing issues and thousands of late or canceled mail trips. He claims many of these problems still remain unresolved. Bost issued a press release on the letter saying: “When seniors fail to receive their medications on time or working families are hit with late fees for bills that never came, it’s clear something is broken. Southern Illinoisans depend on the Postal Service for timely and reliable mail delivery; if the system fails them, there must be accountability. While an audit was conducted in 2022 with assurances of future reforms, my constituents have not seen the improved level of service they deserve. Therefore, I believe a new top-down review of operations at the St. Louis facility is necessary.”

Bost asked the Inspector General to examine the facility’s staffing levels, training, infrastructure, and whether USPS has followed through on reforms recommended in the 2022 audit.

The St. Louis Processing and Distribution Center is the primary mail processing hub for most of the region, including most of the WLDS News listening area.

A man in Kincaid has died after local authorities say he leapt from a grain elevator on Thursday morning.

According to a press release from the Christian County Sheriff’s Office, at approximately 9:16 a.m. on Thursday, Christian County 911 received a report of a male subject observed walking on top of a grain elevator located near South Main and Beech Street in Kincaid. Deputies from the Christian County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene and made contact with the individual from the ground. The male appeared to be in distress, and deputies attempted to establish communication in an effort to de-escalate the situation. Due to limited communication, additional resources were requested.

Midland Fire and EMS were placed on standby, and assistance was requested from the Taylorville Fire Department, including deployment of their ladder truck. Christian County Mental Health Services and the Illinois State Police were also contacted. Despite these efforts, the 35-year-old male jumped from the top of the grain elevator, landing on a lower level. Emergency personnel pronounced him deceased at the scene.

The identity of the decedent has been withheld pending notification of next of kin. The incident remains under investigation by the Christian County Sheriff’s Office in coordination with the Christian County Coroner’s Office. No further information has been made available.