NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Police reports
• WILLIAMSFIELD – A Williamsfield man was accused of firing a handgun at a local residence and possessing cocaine.
Brayden M. Knoblauch, 26, was arrested about 9:30 a.m. June 2 in connection with an incident that happened the previous day in the 100 block of N. Locust St.
A woman there said Knoblauch demanded to see his girlfriend. When the woman refused, Knoblauch pulled out a gun and shot it twice into the ground, according to a Knox County Sheriff’s Office report.
There was at least one other adult present at the Williamsfield home, and 5- and 9-year-old children were inside the residence.
Knoblauch returned the following day, knocked a flower pot off the porch, retrieved a gun from his vehicle, removed the magazine and threw the weapon on the ground, a witness said. Security video corroborated her account.
Later, a deputy found a satchel that had been in a vehicle Knoblauch was driving. Among the satchel’s contents was a handgun and a bag that contained 21 grams of cocaine, according to a report.
Knoblauch was transported to the Knox County Jail in Galesburg. He was booked on charges of armed violence, reckless discharge of a firearm, possession of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
• WATAGA – A traffic stop resulted in an Elmwood woman being arrested for illicit-drugs offenses.
Patricia L. Hardesty, 40, was a passenger in a 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan minivan a Knox County Sheriff’s Office deputy pulled over about 9:15 p.m. May 29 in the 2100 block of U.S. Route 34. The deputy clocked the minivan at 68 mph in a 55-mph zone.
The driver, 34-year-old Erik E. Pacelt of Canton, attempted to conceal a torch-type lighter and a drug pipe, among other items, according to a sheriff’s-office report. A search of the vehicle revealed methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.
Hardesty was accused of possession of meth and of drug paraphernalia. She also was wanted in Fulton County for driving with a suspended license.
Pacelt was accused of those same three crimes, as well as speeding and operating an uninsured vehicle.
• PRINCEVILLE – Four people escaped a mobile-home fire in Princeville.
The blaze began about 3:45 p.m. June 15 in the 200 block of N. Stanton St., according to a Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report. One of the residents found flames emitting from an electrical breaker box and a closet inside the residence.
Residents’ attempts to extinguish the fire were futile. Firefighters from the Akron-Princeville, Brimfield, Chillicothe and Dunlap departments responded. So did the Akron-Princeville Ambulance Service.
The flames burned the hair of one occupant, but he denied he was injured, the report stated. He and the other occupants refused medical treatment.
• FARMINGTON – A Farmington man stopped for erratic driving had a blood-alcohol content more than twice the legal limit, according to authorities.
Kenneth A. Maske, 41, was behind the wheel of a 1998 Dodge Ram pickup truck when a Farmington police officer pulled it over about 9:45 p.m. June 14 on Court Street near West Street. Witnesses reported the vehicle was swerving, almost hit a pole and was driving 10 mph below the speed limit.
Maske and his passenger, his 61-year-old father, said they had been drinking alcohol, according to a police report. The vehicle smelled of alcohol and the younger Maske was sweating profusely, according to the police report. Maske’s BAC was measured at .19. The legal limit is .08.
Along with two counts of driving under the influence of alcohol, Maske was accused of operating an uninsured vehicle and operating a vehicle with suspended registration. He is to appear July 19 in Fulton County Circuit Court in Lewistown.
The pickup truck was impounded.
• FARMINGTON – A Farmington man’s driver’s license had been expired 14 years when police stopped him recently.
A Farmington officer checked the license plates of a 1999 Lincoln Navigator that Justin A. Dart, 41, was driving about 4:15 p.m. June 13 in the 100 block of S. Cedar St. The check revealed Dart’s driver’s license became invalid in 2010, according to a police report.
Dart was cited for driving with a license expired for more than one year. He is to appear July 12 in Fulton County Circuit Court in Lewistown.
• BRIMFIELD – No injuries were reported following a two-vehicle collision in the parking lot of a Brimfield business.
The accident happened shortly before 1:30 p.m. June 8 at Dollar General, 17511 U.S. Route 150. Karen S. Fales of Brimfield was driving a 2014 GMC Acadia sport-utility vehicle out of the lot when a 1998 Chevrolet Astro minivan backed into it, according to a Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report.
Elijah R. Nixon of Brimfield was the other driver. He was attempting to back out of a parking space. His vehicle received no visible damage. Fales’ vehicle sustained minimal driver’s-side front-bumper damage but was drivable. Nixon was cited for operating an uninsured motor vehicle.
• BRIMFIELD – Pierre F. McFadden, 40, of Brimfield was arrested shortly before 10:30 p.m. June 16 and accused of aggravated battery/great bodily harm, according to the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office. McFadden also was wanted on two warrants from Peoria County and one from Tazewell County.
At 9 a.m. June 18, McFadden was arrested and accused of driving on a revoked license, according to the sheriff’s office.
• DAHINDA – Jay A. Yerkey, 38, of Dahinda was arrested about 1:45 p.m. June 20 and accused of failure to appear in court, according to a reported from the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office.
• GALESBURG – These were among calls to which the Knox County Sheriff’s Office responded between June 9-15: threats, Dahinda; custody dispute, Dahinda; two burglaries, Dahinda; harassment, Yates City; domestic dispute, Yates City.
• YATES CITY – A Yates City man was accused of possessing a jet ski and utility trailer that were both reported stolen in Canton.
The 41-year-old victim said he noticed his 2000 Polaris SLH jet ski, atop the trailer, was posted for sale on Facebook Marketplace by 36-year-old Chance D. Blankers, according to a Knox County Sheriff’s Office report.
The sheriff’s office received the victim’s report about 3:30 p.m. on June 2.
A deputy visited Blankers’ residence in the 400 block of W. Main St. but could not find Blankers. The deputy did find the jet ski and trailer parked in the driveway, along with a sign that stated it was for sale for $750 or best offer.
The jet-ski registration number matched that of the one reported stolen.
The deputy requested an arrest warrant be issued for Blankers. The charge would be possession of a stolen motor vehicle.
Blankers also was wanted in Fulton County for failure to appear in court on a charge of driving with a suspended license, the report stated.
• FARMINGTON – A traffic stop in Farmington resulted in a Canton man being arrested on an outstanding warrant.
Dawn M. Giacabazi, 50, of Canton was driving a 2014 Ford a Farmington police officer pulled over shortly before 10:30 a.m. June 8 at Wall and Fulton streets. The officer recorded her as driving 40 mph in a 30-mph zone, according to a police report.
A check revealed Giacabazi’s passenger, 65-year-old Michael J. Giacabazi, was wanted in Fulton County for contempt of court. After he paid $180 in bond and fees, he was released and assigned a new court date.
Dawn Giacabazi was cited for speeding.
• DAHINDA – A Dahinda-area man was accused of crashing his vehicle and leaving it alongside a road.
A Knox County Sheriff’s Office deputy found the unattended 2003 Toyota 4Runner sport-utility vehicle about 9:45 a.m. June 2 in the 100 block of Happy Hollow Drive. It appeared the vehicle was headed east when it left the roadway to the left and struck trees, according to a report.
Blood was found inside and outside the vehicle. Also found inside was a box of Michelob beer and a box of White Claw Hard Seltzer.
The driver, 52-year-old Jack E. Suit, was located at a residence not far from the scene. He said the crash happened about 10:30 p.m. June 1 and a neighbor brought him home. He denied drinking before driving, according to the report.
Suit was transported to OSF Saint Mary Medical Center in Galesburg for treatment of apparent minor injuries. He was cited for leaving the scene of an accident and for failure to report an accident to police.
• DOUGLAS – A 16-year-old East Peoria boy was accused of driving 45 mph over the speed limit near Douglas.
A Knox County Sheriff’s Office deputy clocked the boy’s vehicle at 95 mph about 12:30 p.m. May 31 in the 1800 block of Illinois Route 8. When stopped behind the wheel of a 2011 Ford Fusion, the boy admitted he was speeding and wasn’t paying attention, according to a sheriff’s-office report.
The boy’s mother was summoned, and the deputy released the boy to her. The boy was cited for speeding more than 35 mph over the limit.
• GALESBURG – A Farmington woman was uninjured following a two-vehicle accident in a Galesburg parking lot.
Cassandra J. Kling, 36, was behind the wheel of a 2010 Ford Escape shortly before 10:30 a.m. May 30 in a lot in the 200 block of S. Cherry St. when she backed into a parked 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. It was unoccupied, a Knox County Sheriff’s Office report stated.
The back fender of the Equinox, owned by an East Galesburg woman, was damaged. So was the driver’s-side taillight of the Escape. Both vehicles were drivable. No injuries were reported regarding Kling’s passenger, a 16-year-old Farmington boy.
• YATES CITY – Police Chief Randy Benson reported the following activity for the Yates City Police Department during May: 11 reports, 11 traffic stops, six citations, 11 warnings and three open doors.
