Jacksonville Municipal Employee Reports Suspected Vehicle Break In to Police

By Jeremy Coumbes on February 21, 2023 at 3:41pm

A Jacksonville man was arrested yesterday after an off-duty municipal employee called West Central Illinois Joint Dispatch about a possible crime taking place.

Officers from the South Jacksonville and Jacksonville Police Departments responded to the call at approximately 1:15PM Monday in the 1900 block of Southbrook Road. According to police reports, a Jacksonville Fire Department employee told dispatchers he believed he was witnessing an attempted vehicle theft.

The off-duty fireman described the subject as a white male with dark hair that was wearing a black, long-sleeved shirt. The fireman said that individual was attempting to break into a white GMC pick-up truck before eventually moving on to a red sedan.

While the caller was on the line with dispatch, the suspect was reported to have taken off towards Bartlett Grain. Dispatch then received a separate call from a Bartlett employee saying a man who matched the previous description was on the property armed with a box cutter.

Subsequent to arrival and investigation by police, 36-year old Bryan T. Edwards of the 1000 block of South Clay Avenue was taken into custody for disorderly conduct, resisting a peace officer, and criminal trespass to vehicles. Edwards has since posted bond and been released from the Morgan County Jail.