More information has become available about a Jacksonville man who was arrested Monday on sexual abuse charges.

20-year-old Jason L. Ransom of the 700 block of South Fayette Street was taken into custody just after 12 noon Monday in the 600 block of Locust Street.

The Morgan County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a criminal information this morning charging Ransom with class 2 felony aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

According to the charging documents, in December of 2022, Ransom allegedly committed an act of sexual conduct to an individual who was under the age of 13 when the act was committed.

The charging documents allege Ransom placed his fingers on the victim’s genitalia for the purpose of gratification.

According to a follow-up report by Jacksonville Police today, the victim was someone known to Ransom. Authorities opened an investigation into the incident after it was reported on November 9^th of this year.

Ransom appeared in Morgan County Court for a pre-trial detention hearing Tuesday afternoon. Morgan County State’s Attorney Gray Noll says his office filed a motion to detain this morning which was granted by the court.

Ransom will remain held at the Morgan County Jail pending his next appearance in court on Tuesday, December 19^th at 10:00 am.

A project aimed at bringing a 22-unit housing complex to Jacksonville took a major step forward last night.

Springfield area developer and Jacksonville native Mike Niehaus applied with the City of Jacksonville for funding assistance to build a permanent supportive housing project last month.

The complex is planned for the site of the former Hillcrest mobile home court in the 1100 block of Tendick Street. According to Niehaus, the nearly $7 million project could have 90% of the cost funded by the Illinois Housing Development Authority, but he has to secure funding for a 10% match to apply.

Niehaus, who is a developer with Windsor Homes of Springfield, requested the city chip in $220,000 in either cash or in-kind donations. According to the IHDA guidelines, the project would provide housing for the homeless, low-income persons with disabilities, as well as other special needs populations including people with criminal records and military veterans who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

The council finance committee recommended during the workshop session last night, that the city commit $200,000 toward the project in the form of $150,000 in funding and $50,000 of in-kind donations.

Ward 2 Alderwoman Lori Large-Oldenetel proposed tabling the issue citing calls she had received from constituents asking her to vote against the project. Oldenetel said during both the workshop and regular session, that she was in favor of a project like this but would rather see it in a different location. She also shared that some constituents commented that the location was far away from some of the services the target group would need to have access to.

She also questioned portions of the funding coming from the city’s video gaming tax and requested the council be furnished with line item numbers showing where and how the gaming taxes are being spent.

Ward 3 Alderman Kent Hannant also spoke against the measure, saying he had received several calls from constituents and none of them were in favor of putting the complex at that location. During the regular session, the measure passed by an 8 to 2 vote, with Oldenetel and Hannantt voting against.

Mayor Andy Ezard said following the meeting, he was glad city officials heard from constituents on the issue, but in the end, he feels the majority of the council felt the potential of the project outweighed the concerns.

“I think the bottom line is we see the track record of Mike Niehaus and Windsor Development and what he has provided in the community with his projects. And moving forward I think the council felt he has a great track record and also that there is a need for this type of housing.

It’s not necessarily just for the homeless, it’s for folks who are transitioning, or disabled in one way or another and is something that gives them time to be housed and hopefully become productive in society again. To get a job and follow the lead of their caseworker that will be assigned to them through the process.”

Niehaus has previously designed and helped build Prairie Estates, Gilmore Estates, and the Downtown Commons in the Jacksonville area. He has also overseen new housing developments built in Roodhouse and Greenfield within the last 5 years, as well as a project similar to this one that opened in Springfield earlier this year.

Ezard says he thinks when it is all said and done it will all work out, and that the city is sympathetic to those who have expressed concerns over the project. “We’re very cognizant of the concerns. There’s always concerns and I have many of the same concerns, but sometimes you just have to put those aside and kind of look at the big picture. That we know [housing] is an issue and we feel it’s going to remain an issue if not more of an issue and we’re trying to tackle that when they come like this.”

Niehaus says he is also seeking funding from both Morgan County and possibly Blue Cross Blue Shield to help qualify for the project. He says time is of the essence however because the application is due by January 16^th.

“We have to submit an application. We get approved or disapproved on April nineteenth. Once we get approved, we’re looking to hopefully close in the fall of the next year and then be at one hundred percent in the next twelve months.”

The apartment complex would then be turned over to Locust Street Resource Center based out of Carlinville on a 30-year agreement.

Locust Street, which earlier this year opened an office on the downtown square in Jacksonville, would handle all of the intake and provide the on-site caregivers and case managers at the Tendick Street site.

The Tendick Street location would also have 1 apartment for a 24-hour site manager as well as 24-hour surveillance and facilities that could host meetings or appointments for residents of the development.

Ben Cox also contributed to this story

Jacksonville Police are seeking information after an ambulance was ransacked recently.

Officers were called to LifeStar Ambulance service located at 524 South Main Street at approximately 6:45 last night for a report of a theft.

Upon arrival and investigation officers learned sometime between yesterday and December 2^nd someone stole approximately $1,750.00 worth of items from one of the ambulances.

Police are asking anyone who has information on this incident to contact the Jacksonville Police Department at 217-479-4630 or submit an anonymous tip with Morgan, Scott, Cass Crime Stoppers at 217-243-7300.

An area high school is now offering fans who can’t make it to sporting events the ability to watch them from their own home.

Routt Catholic High School announced this morning the school will now be offering a live stream of all of its home games going forward.

The live stream will be available through HUDL (huddle) TV and the first game to be offered will be Tuesday’s game against Southwestern High School at 6:30 pm.

Routt Athletic Director Barry Creviston made the announcement today and says Routt has many generations of enthusiastic supporters who can’t make it to every game, so offering the service will make a lot of Rocket fans happy.

“We purchased a HUDL athletic department package and basically that is going to cover anything that is covered in the gym, girls and boys basketball, volleyball, and then we’ll also have cameras hooked up at softball and baseball along with having live-stream of our home football games.

We’re just trying to get things more seamless across the board. HUDL had a nice package for us and when they said we could make it free to our patrons we thought that would be a great experience for everybody.”

Creviston says the streams won’t be a silent showing, and there is no need to try to have multiple streams or a radio going either as they have a special plan for providing audio for the games.

“Our plan is to get WEAI and WLDS seamlessly put on the stream for basketball, football, volleyball, and baseball. It is something that we are working on. It’s probably not going to happen on our first broadcast Tuesday night, but by our next event we hope that problem is solved.”

To access the free live stream of Routt athletic events, visit fan.hudl.com and search for Routt Catholic High School. Creviston says users do not need to create an account to view the live stream.

The Village of South Jacksonville is notifying the public that testing of the storm siren located at West Belmont and Vandalia near the water tower will occur on Tuesday, December 12th at 9:00 am. The Village is currently looking at options for what to do with the siren that has become unreliable.

South Jacksonville Chief of Police Eric Hansel updated the Board of Trustees last week on the status of ongoing repair that has been needed on the storm siren near the water tower on West Vandalia Road.

He told the board Thursday night that ongoing problems with the siren have become more frequent over the last year. He said it was almost a surprise that it went off last week during the regular test that happens on the first Tuesday of each month.

Discussion was had among Hansel and the board on what course of action to take because a storm siren is something the village cannot do without. “We’re still working with the vendor to try and get it repaired and at least keep it working until we can get it replaced or it can be indeterminately repaired.

We’re also looking at bids and trying to make the best decision for the village money-wise on which is going to be better. Can we keep this going and is it worth keeping it going, or do we need to retool and replace it?”

The Village of South Jacksonville is currently covered by three emergency storm sirens, one at the maintenance garage on Hardin Avenue, the one next to the water tower, and the newest unit which is located at the Love’s Truck Stop.

Hansel says he has been told by the current service company that parts are becoming harder to find for the aging storm siren unit. “It’s an older siren, I don’t know what the exact age is on it. But we’ve been having issues with getting parts and it just not working reliably. So we’re at the stage of trying to find a vendor that can totally repair it and it be within a budget that we are okay with, or we just need to look at replacing it.

It’s been worked on I would say for the last two and a half years. We’ve had the ground wire replaced, and we’ve had relays replaced in it. It’s ran for forty-five minutes straight and not shut off like it should. So it’s kind of like an older car that is starting to nickel and dime us and become unreliable.”

Hansel told the board of trustees that so far he has received bids from two different companies for fully replacing the siren, one with a local company for just over $36,000, and one from a company out of Missouri at a cost of $21,700.

After continued discussion, the board agreed that Hansel should continue the pursuit of repair and replacement options to present to the board at their next regular meeting, citing the urgent need highlighted by the storms that caused safety concerns and major damage in the village in recent years.

A minivan is a total loss this morning after what turned out to be a pair of suspicious fires in Jacksonville Friday night.

A Jacksonville Fire Department crew responded to a residence located at 434 Sherman Street at approximately 5:15 pm for a call of a vehicle that was on fire.

Firefighters arrived to find a 2004 Chevrolet Venture van parked behind the house with the interior fully involved with fire. They were able to quickly extinguish the blaze, and according to the incident report, it was discovered that a nearby mattress, which was lying next to a plastic garden shed, was also on fire.

Officials say upon investigation, the underside of the mattress was on fire and also had to be extinguished. Upon further investigation, it was found that the van did not have a car battery in it and there was no damage to the engine compartment. The damage had been contained to the interior of the vehicle.

Fire Department officials also noted that the mattress was approximately ten feet from the vehicle with no indication they were part of the same fire.

The incident has been deemed suspicious by the Jacksonville Fire Department and is currently under investigation by the Jacksonville Police Department and Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal.

No one was injured in the blaze. Damages were estimated at $500.00. As of the time of the report, officials with the fire department said they had not been able to make contact with the owner of record for the van.

The case remains under investigation and anyone with information is asked to contact the Jacksonville Police Department at 217-479-4630 or leave an anonymous tip with Morgan, Scott, Cass Crime Stoppers at 217-243-7300.

More information has been released on a two-vehicle crash that injured two people in southeastern Scott County Friday afternoon.

At approximately 1:15 pm, State Police Troop 6 officers were called to the scene at the intersection of US Route 67 and Alsey-Manchester Road.

According to an updated report by the Illinois State Police this morning, a 2015 Nissan Rouge SUV driven by 80-year-old Richard Clanton of Murrayville was traveling south on US 67 and attempted to turn left across the two northbound lanes and onto North Main Street in Manchester.

State Police say Clanton failed to yield to oncoming traffic and drove into the path of a 2018 Dodge Journey SUV, that was traveling northbound on US 67, driven by 51-year-old Doris Lockhart, also of Murrayville.

Clanton’s vehicle struck Lockhart’s vehicle which then went off of the roadway and down an embankment, and rolled over. Lockhart and a male juvenile passenger were both transported to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Clanton’s vehicle came to rest on North Main facing back toward US 67. He reported on injuries at the scene. Clanton was cited for failure to yield while turning left at an intersection.

Assistance was given at the scene by Roodhouse Police, Winchester Police, the Scott County Sheriff’s Office, and Murrayville-Winchester EMS.

A plasma collection company with locations in Central Illinois is updating its policies after the Illinois Attorney General filed suit claiming the company discriminated against the disabled.

Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced today his office reached a settlement with plasma collection company CSL Plasma Inc. (CSL) and its parent company, CSL Behring LLC.

Raoul filed the lawsuit in June 2020 in response to complaints from Illinois residents who were prevented from donating plasma because of their disabilities. Raoul alleged that CSL’s policies violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Illinois Human Rights Act.

According to the suit, an investigation was opened into complaints filed by people who attempted to donate but were turned away by the staff.

In one instance a woman was told she could not donate plasma because she used a service animal. In another case, staff refused access to donation services for a deaf man who had requested an American Sign Language interpreter to be on hand. He was told by employees that providing ASL interpreters violated CSL policy.

Under the settlement agreement, CSL adopted the state of Illinois’ recommendations to update policies and procedures to allow individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or use service animals to provide plasma.

Raoul said in the announcement, “Individuals with disabilities should not face discrimination from a business simply for requesting the reasonable accommodation to which they are entitled”.

No one was injured when fire broke out in a Jacksonville manufacturing plant Wednesday afternoon.

The Jacksonville Fire Department responded to the Reynolds Consumer Products east plant located at 2226 East Morton Avenue for a report of an active structure fire at approximately 3:15 on Wednesday afternoon.

Smoke could be seen rising from the west side of the building when fire crews arrived. Jacksonville Fire Department Chief Matt Summers says however, the incident looked worse than it turned out to be.

“When they arrived on scene some of the staff had already partially extinguished the fire with dry chemical extinguishers causing a lot of dry chemical to be in the air which also looked like smoke on their arrival, and added to the appearance of the situation being worse than it was.

Captain Hopper and his crew did a great job of getting to work very quickly and deploying a ladder company to the roof to check for extension [of the fire] up there and make sure the roof wasn’t burning. They pulled an inch and three-quarter line immediately to the fire floor and extinguished the fire which was in building fifty-four through the big roll-up door on the west side entrance.”

Summers says crews were led to a blower system that was actively burning in an upper area of the production area. “They did a good job of getting in there and up to the mezzanine level where there was an air handler that ventilates and pulls particles out of the air for the workers.

My understanding is that the unit had sucked up some of the contents or materials used to make bags and ignited inside the ventilation system causing a fire and smoke in that system. They guys were able to open that system up and finish extinguishing the fire from there.”

During a subsequent investigation after the fire was extinguished, it was determined that a ventilation flex hose used to vent the smoke from the seal bar of a bag machine ignited causing flames to travel through the system which ignited the interior of the vent pipe and blower.

According to the report, the fire on the bag machine itself was extinguished by employees with a dry chemical extinguisher prior to the fire department’s arrival.

The South Jacksonville Fire Department responded to the scene as mutual aid. Assistance was also provided by the Jacksonville Police Department, LifeStar EMS, and Ameren Illinois.

No injuries were reported and smoke and dry chemical extinguisher vapors were ventilated before employees were allowed to reenter the building. Crews were on the scene for approximately 90 minutes.

If you received an email from the Mayor of Jacksonville this afternoon, you may want to double-check it before you purchase those gift cards.

According to an announcement by the Jacksonville Police Department this afternoon, officials say it has come to the department’s attention that a fraudulent email request is going around with someone pretending to be Mayor Andy Ezard.

WLDS News received one of these fictitious emails in which the scammer posing as Mayor Ezard says he is currently out of town and wants the recipient’s help to purchase two $100 Apple gift cards at any nearby store and that they would be reimbursed when he is back in town.

Jacksonville Police say in the announcement that the email is not true, and Mayor Ezard is not asking anyone to purchase him gift cards of any type.

WLDS News spoke to Mayor Ezard this afternoon and can also confirm he was in fact at work in the Jacksonville Municipal Building.