Two individuals were arrested by Jacksonville Police after a loud disturbance at a residence in the 800 block of North Church Street early Sunday morning.

Jacksonville Police were called shortly after 3:15 a.m. Sunday to a home in the 800 block of North Church for a report of a male subject trying to forcefully enter a residence. Upon arrival, one individual was treated by EMS after he reportedly was intoxicated and fell.

During the course of the investigation, officers arrested 44-year old Demond L. Harris of that vicinity for obstructing a peace officer after police reports say that Harris refused officers’ commands and prevented further investigation of the disturbance. Harris was later released.

Officers also arrested 26-year old Jamerea S. Gordon of the 800 block of Hoagland Boulevard on an outstanding failure to appear warrant from Ford County on a speeding charge. She remains held at the Morgan County Jail.

Officers were called back to the same residence approximately an hour later after multiple subjects could be heard screaming in the background of a 9-1-1 call. Officers returned and separated two subjects who were told to remain away from each other to prevent further issues.

Two people received minor injuries after a three-vehicle collision on West Morton Avenue on Saturday afternoon.

According to a Jacksonville Police report, police, fire and rescue, and EMS responded to a three-vehicle collision in the 900 block of West Morton Avenue at approximately 3:30 p.m. According to the report, a vehicle driven by 18-year old Andre C. Gutierrez de Griffin of rural Jacksonville was traveling eastbound in the 900 block of West Morton Avenue. A vehicle driven by 27-year old Gretchen N. Hart of Chapin and a third vehicle driven by an unidentified driver were also traveling eastbound ahead of Guiterrez de Griffin and had slowed down for traffic. Gutierrez de Griffin’s vehicle then struck the rear end of Hart’s vehicle pushing Hart’s vehicle into the rear of the third vehicle.

Gutierrez de Griffin and Hart’s vehicles were towed from the scene due to disabling damage. Both Gutierrez de Griffin and Hart complained of injuries. Gutierrez de Griffin was taken from the scene to Jacksonville Memorial Hospital by ambulance. Hart is said to have taken herself to the hospital by private vehicle.

Gutierrez de Griffin was later cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid a traffic crash.

A Jacksonville woman was severely injured after the car she was driving flipped over on South Diamond Street on Saturday morning.

Jacksonville Police, Jacksonville Fire and Rescue, and EMS responded to a single-vehicle crash with injuries report from the intersection of Edgehill Road and South Diamond at 9:30 a.m. Saturday. According to a Jacksonville Police report, a blue passenger car driven by 47-year old Angela L. Hearold of the 300 block of West Beecher Avenue was traveling northbound in the 600 block of South Diamond when it crossed over into the southbound lanes and struck the curb on the west side of the roadway. The vehicle continued northbound in the southbound lane of travel and then struck a utility pole. The vehicle continued northbound before eventually overturning onto its roof before coming to rest in the middle of the roadway.

Hearold was incapacitated from the crash and sustained major injuries. She taken by ambulance from the scene and later airlifted to St. John’s Hospital in Springfield. Her current condition is unknown.

Eye witnesses corroborated the narrative of the crash to police. No citations have been issued at this time and no further information is available.

Two Peoria men have been arrested for an alleged armed robbery that occurred Saturday night in Jacksonville.

According to a press release from the Jacksonville Police Department, at approximately 9:25 p.m. Saturday, officers with the Jacksonville Police Department, along with the Illinois State Police (ISP) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted an investigation and surveillance detail into two serial armed robbers, who were suspected of targeting a business in the 1100 block of West Morton Avenue.

Shortly after the surveillance detail began, the two suspects entered the business and committed an armed robbery. The suspects exited the business and entered into a suspect vehicle which was parked hidden, across the road. The ATF, ISP, and the Jacksonville Police Department were able to safely apprehend both suspects without incident. A single victim was treated by EMS and released at the scene.

The Jacksonville Police Department believes this was an isolated, targeted occurrence, and do not believe there is any further threat to our community as both suspects are in custody.

The two suspects have been identified as 43-year-old Mitchell R. Smith from East Peoria Illinois, and 32-year-old Titus J. Alexander from Peoria Illinois. Both remain held at the Morgan County Jail.

If anyone has any further information regarding this investigation, or any other investigation, please contact the Jacksonville Police Department or Crime Stoppers at (217) 479-4630. Additional information may be received with the ATF at (312) 846-7200.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office has issued the following alert as of 7:05PM Saturday, May 17:

Cass County Sheriff’s Office is assisting a police department in Missouri with a missing person with a medical condition. This person was in Beardstown and left southbound on US HWY 67. Subject is driving a black 2009 Honda Civic…License number JB6V8C out of Missouri. Please dial 911 or call the local police if you see this vehicle.

The new Jacksonville City Council was seated last night and Mayor Andy Ezard says aldermen have a lot of work ahead of them.

After swearing in of the new council and a pinning ceremony for a promotion of Corey Foster to sergeant in the Jacksonville Police Department, the better part of the workshop session was spent on a presentation by Dr. Charles Sheaff about the Jacksonville Promise scholarship program and discuss matching a contribution of Rabbi Rob & Lauren Thomas for operation funding for the Jacksonville Area Museum. There was also lengthy discussion about a proposed ordinance to make camping on public property illegal.

The council adjourned the workshop session at 7:15 and completed the rest of the discussion during the regular business meeting.

Mayor Andy Ezard says that the unhoused camping ordinance and the 1% grocery sales tax are being moved as items to the scheduled meeting on May 27: “At the next meeting in two weeks, the Tuesday after Memorial Day, we will be spending most of our time on [the 1% tax], I would imagine. We had a full agenda tonight with some important topics so that grocery tax will be pushed back to that next meeting in May. We are still in good shape as far as our timeliness goes to pass that and discuss if that’s the case, but we will do that at the next meeting.”

In business that was passed during the meeting, the city approved a $25,000 fund from the revolving loan fund for Marcy Patterson and Kathleen Mann to purchase Kim’s Other Place and rebrand it to the X’s & O’s Donuts and Bakery on West Morton as well as several zoning requests and two demolitions. The council also approved a liquor license reclassification for Guse’s Pub & Eatery from a tavern license to a restaurant license, the hiring of a probationary hoseman to the fire department, and accepting a proposal to begin potholing by Rouland Construction for lead service line inventory.

Morgan County Coroner Marcy Patterson has released the name of the man killed in a two-vehicle crash involving a motorcyle and truck on IL-267 south of Jacksonville over the weekend.

Timothy Pennington, 60, of Greenfield was pronounced deceased at the scene. According to crash reports, Pennington’s motorcyle and a pickup truck were traveling southbound on IL-267near Lake Jacksonville Road, when for an undisclosed reasons, the motorcycle struck the rear of the pickup. The highway was closed for approximately 5 hours due to reconstruction and clean up of the scene.

An autopsy is scheduled for today.

A Carrollton man was sentenced to 20 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections in Greene County Circuit Court on multiple weapons and sex offenses Friday morning.

Greene County State’s Attorney Craig Grummell said in a press release that William “Billy” Orr, 60, of Carrollton was sentenced to 20 years in IDOC for unlawful possession of a firearm and firearm ammunition by a felon and possession of child pornography.

Orr was arrested on March 20, 2024 after a search was conducted by members of the Greenfield Police, Illinois State Police South Central Illinois Drug Task Force, and Greene County Sheriff’s Department, along with investigators from Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office at a residence in the 300 block of Main Street in Greenfield. The Greene County State’s Attorney’s Office initially charged Orr with five counts of possession of child pornography, four counts of failure to register as a sex offender, six counts of possession of a firearm by a felon, and three counts of possession of ammunition by a felon. At the time of his arrest, Orr was on the Illinois Sex Offender Registry stemming from a conviction in 2011 in Macoupin County Court for aggravated criminal sexual assault, and according to the report, has previously been convicted for failing to regularly report or correct his address information with authorities as a registered sex offender.

Orr pleaded guilty Friday morning to all of the charges before visiting Judge Tawnya Frioli. State’s Attorney Grummel extended special thanks to Illinois Assistant Attorney General Jennifer Peck and Illinois Attorney General Investigator Larry Rayburn for their collaboration on the case.

One person has been pronounced dead after a fatal two-vehicle crash north of Carrollton on US 67 Friday afternoon.

Eyewitness reports the crash occurred on the s-curve in the southbound lanes of US 67 at approximately 1 p.m. Friday. An ISP report says that ISP Troop 8 responded to the location for the report of a fatal, head-on collision. A black Ford Fiesta sedan reportedly crossed the center lane markings and struck a truck-tractor semi-trailer head-on. The driver of the sedan was reported deceased, while the semi driver reported no injuries.

Traffic was rerouted at the stop sign at the Carrollton Square going north. Southbound traffic was rerouted at Berdan Road, north of the scene. Providence Road was the only passable southbound way for traffic during the reroute. US 67 reopened at approximately 7:00 p.m. after a lengthy investigation and clean-up of the scene.

Greene County Coroner Brady Milnes confirmed the death of a 69-year-old man who was pronounced deceased at the scene on US Highway 67 near mile marker 12, according to an announcement released late Friday.

Milnes says the identity of the deceased is being withheld at this time pending notification of next of kin, and post-mortem procedures are scheduled for Saturday. The death remains under investigation by the Greene County Coroner’s Office, the Greene County Sheriff’s Office, and the Illinois State Police.

No further information has been released at this time.