NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Former restaurant owner pleads guilty to fraud
PEORIA – The owner of a defunct Farmington restaurant pleaded guilty last week to defrauding the federal government of pandemic-relief funds, court documents stated.
Michael L. Patch, 65, of St. Augustine faces up to 30 years in prison after he admitted guilt to one count of bank fraud and two counts of wire fraud. His trial was to begin Oct. 17 in U.S. District Court in Peoria. Instead, Patch entered his plea Sept. 29. He was indicted about a year ago.
Patch owned and operated Vernon Street Grill in Farmington. In April 2020, he applied for funding from the Paycheck Protection Program and the COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. According to the feds, in his applications Patch used false and inflated gross receipts and payroll numbers.
Until his sentencing, scheduled for Feb. 9, Patch is free on bond.
Police reports
• FARMINGTON – Multiple burglaries were reported last weekend at a Farmington location that’s part of the Spoon River Valley Scenic Drive Fall Festival.
Burglaries were reported about 7:30 a.m. Oct. 2, according to the Farmington Police Department. Reported missing from tents in a parking lot at 125 W. Barlow Rd. were six cases of beef jerky valued at $2,400 and backpacks, hats, purses and wallets valued at $4,500.
Victims listed addresses in Naperville; Elkhart, Ind.; Hutchinson, Kan.; and Kalamazoo, Mich. Police believe the cases might be connected.
• TRIVOLI – A Trivoli man sustained serious head injuries after he apparently fell off an all-terrain vehicle, according to authorities.
Michael P. Ehrat was found about 4 p.m. Sept. 27, his 72nd birthday, in a west-side ditch in the 3400 block of N. Trivoli Rd. A helicopter transported him to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria. There was no word about his condition.
According to the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office, a passing motorist discovered Ehrat when he raised his hand from the ditch. When paramedics arrived, Ehrat was conscious and reacting to them but not speaking.
It appeared Ehrat was driving a Polaris Sportsman ATV west before it went into a culvert, where he fell off and struck his head on concrete.
• ELMWOOD – A Peoria man was arrested at an Elmwood residence and charged with unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon. Seth W. Langfeldt, 42, was taken into custody about 4 p.m. Sept. 17 in the 200 block of S. Turtle Creek Dr., according to the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office. A deputy was responding to a domestic disturbance.
Langfeldt was accused of not having a valid FOID card. He also was the subject of an active order of protection.
• HANNA CITY – A Peoria man was accused of drunken driving following a single-vehicle accident west of Hanna City. Trevor W. Hills, 25, had a blood-alcohol content of .22, almost three times the legal limit, when it was measured at a Peoria hospital after the accident, according to the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office. The accident happened about 1:45 a.m. Oct. 1 in the 14000 block of W. Farmington Rd.
• KICKAPOO – An Edwards man was transported to a Peoria hospital after he crashed his motor scooter east of Kickapoo, according to authorities.
Shortly after 10 a.m. Sept. 25, Mitchel W. Kellum, 34, was piloting a northbound 2006 Yamaha Morphous in the 8000 block of N. Gilles Rd. when he lost control, fell on his face onto the road and rolled into a ditch.
Kellum was transported to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, according to a Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report that didn’t include the extent of his facial injuries.
• FARMINGTON – Neighboring farmers reported damage to their corn fields southeast of Farmington after someone apparently drove into them. Total damage of about $85 was estimated in the two incidents, which took place along the 21800 and 22800 blocks of W. Smithville Rd.
They were reported to the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office about 3 p.m. Sept. 24. At both farms, a deputy observed damaged stalks one to three rows deep.
• TRIVOLI – A Canton woman apparently fell asleep at the wheel and rear-ended a semi-trailer truck in Trivoli, authorities stated. About 2 p.m. Sept. 19, Elsie M. Trone was driving west on Farmington Road at Trivoli Road when her 2011 Buick Acadia struck a 2002 Peterbilt truck driven by Alex A. Bill of Washington. He had slowed to turn right onto Trivoli Road, according to a Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report.
Trone said she was feeling tired and planned to pull over just past the intersection for a break. An ambulance transported Trone to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria. There was no word on her condition. Her vehicle sustained more than $1,500 in damage and was towed.
• GLASFORD – About 6:30 p.m. Sept. 20, Noah M. Walraven of Yates City was driving a southbound 2022 Ford Maverick in the 8000 block of S. Trivoli Rd. when the vehicle hit a deer. Walraven said he wasn’t injured, according to the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office. The vehicle was damaged and towed.
• FARMINGTON – Stephen M. Haberlin, 71, of Farmington was arrested about 4:45 p.m. Sept. 28 on an outstanding Fulton County warrant for aggravated criminal sexual abuse, according to the Farmington Police Department. Haberlin was transported to the Fulton County Jail.
• HANNA CITY – Willis R. Van Dyke, 48, of Hanna City was arrested about 1:15 a.m. Oct. 1 and accused of failure to appear in court, according to the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office.
• HANNA CITY – Dirk W. Jennings, 47 of Hanna City was arrested about 8 p.m. Sept. 27 and accused of domestic battery/physical contact, according to the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office.
• HANNA CITY – Lyndsey M. Hanson, 35, of Hanna City was arrested about 8 p.m. Sept. 27 and accused of domestic battery/physical contact, according to the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office.
Marriage license
• Jessica Ryan Isbell and Ronald Wayne Burrell, both of Farmington.
4-25-24
4-26-24
More Photos
