NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Police reports
• GALESBURG – A Williamsfield man was among four people arrested in connection with the theft of firearms from a Victoria-area residence.
Cory B. Tucker, 42, was charged with conspiracy to commit burglary and possession of methamphetamine regarding the incident that happened Sept. 29. He also was wanted in a separate theft case in Knox County.
The arrests announced Nov. 20 came after investigators searched an East Galesburg residence Nov. 3 and found 17 stolen firearms hidden in attic insulation, along with ammunition and other stolen property, according to the Knox County Sheriff’s Office. A Ten Point crossbow also was recovered.
A gun safe was forced open in the initial burglary, and numerous firearms were reported missing.
Others arrested were Dallas L. Charles, 51, of East Galesburg; and Maurice R. Gryp, 47, and Rodney D. Smith, 63, both of Galesburg. All three face identical charges – burglary, theft, aggravated possession of a stolen firearm and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon.
• YATES CITY – A Yates City man was accused of possessing an explosive device and threatening to use it. Robert L. Cassel, 58, was arrested Nov. 22 after law-enforcement authorities obtained a court-issued search warrant for a Yates City residence, according to a Knox County Sheriff’s Office news release. The search uncovered suspicious items that were collected as evidence.
Cassel was charged with making a terrorist threat and disorderly conduct and was transported to the Knox County Jail. Sheriff Jack Harlan did not respond to messages regarding what was found and what Cassel allegedly planned to do.
Also responding were Galesburg and Yates City police, the Peoria Police Department bomb squad, BYE Ambulance Service and Elba-Salem firefighters.
• ELMWOOD – An Elmwood man was accused of fighting with law-enforcement officers during a confrontation at a local residence.
James A. Goble, 51, was arrested shortly after 2:30 p.m. Oct. 25 in the 700 block of N. Holly St., according to a heavily redacted Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report. The incident, apparently related to a domestic dispute, happened shortly before 1 p.m. in the 200 block of N. Holly St.
According to Elmwood Police Department Chief Aaron Bean, five sheriff’s-office deputies joined him.
“He wanted to fight all of us at the same time. He lost terribly,” Bean said about Goble.
Bean also said Goble was under the influence of methamphetamine. He was charged with aggravated assault of a peace officer. The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services was notified because a 13-year-old boy was present. The boy was placed in protective custody.
• ELMWOOD – A Trivoli-area man was accused of trying to run over someone with a vehicle in Elmwood. Darren M. McClister, 60, was arrested before 10:30 a.m. on Oct. 28 in the 1900 block of N. Quarry Rd., according to a heavily redacted Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report.
The incident happened shortly before 8:45 a.m. in the 200 block of E. Hawthorne St. in Elmwood.
The victim is from Elmwood. McClister also was wanted in Fulton County for failure to appear in court. In Peoria County, he was accused of aggravated assault.
• PRAIRIE CITY – A Princeville man was killed in a single-vehicle wreck in northwest Fulton County.
Jonathan Lant, 29, was found dead inside the vehicle shortly before 3:45 a.m. Sunday at Buchen Road and County Highway 17 east of Prairie City. He was the only occupant of a pickup truck that sustained major front-end damage after it hit an embankment, according to Fulton County Coroner Austin Rhodes.
An autopsy performed Monday in Peoria revealed Lant died from injuries sustained in the accident. Toxicology is pending. The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, Avon firefighters and Galesburg Hospitals Ambulance Service also responded.
• PEORIA – A Princeville man police stopped in Peoria for multiple vehicular crimes also was wanted for illicit-drugs possession. Troy L. Bowen, 55, was driving a 1999 Chevrolet Tahoe when a Peoria officer pulled it over at 12:15 a.m. Oct. 24 in the 9700 block of N. Knoxville Ave.
A check revealed Bowen had an outstanding 2024 Peoria County warrant for possession of methamphetamine. He was arrested and transported to the Peoria County Jail. The vehicle was towed.
Bowen also was cited for operating a vehicle with no registration, driving on an expired license and operating an uninsured motor vehicle.
• FARMINGTON – A traffic stop led to a local man being cited for driving with a suspended license.
Nathaniel M. Trone, 31, was driving a 2012 Hyundai about 8 p.m. Oct. 25 in the 100 block of N. Main St. when a Farmington police officer checked the vehicle registration. It showed Trone’s license was suspended, according to a police report.
Trone said he didn’t know his license was suspended. He received a notice to appear in Fulton County Circuit Court in Lewistown.
• PRINCEVILLE – An apparent domestic dispute resulted in a Princeville man’s arrest.
Jesse L. Rosas, 38, was accused of domestic battery in connection with the incident, which happened at 7:45 p.m. Oct. 23 at a residence in the 300 block of E. Evans St. A Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report about the incident was heavily redacted.
The victim was a 37-year-old Princeville woman. Rosas was transported to the Peoria County Jail.
• PRINCEVILLE – A Kewanee man was arrested in connection with a battery that happened 11 days earlier in Princeville.
Dean J. Shaw, 37, was taken into custody about 9 p.m. Oct. 21 in the 600 block of S. Walnut St., according to heavily redacted Peoria County Sheriff’s Office reports. The incident took place shortly before 1 a.m. Oct. 10 at Casey’s, 105 E. Spring St. The victim was a 22-year-old Chillicothe man. Shaw received a notice to appear in Peoria County Circuit Court.
• BRIMFIELD – A local boy required hospital attention following a two-vehicle crash at an intersection east of Brimfield.
The boy was driving a westbound 2010 Jeep Wrangler shortly after 3:45 p.m. Oct. 19 on Brimfield-Jubilee Road when at Maher Road the vehicle struck the passenger side of a northbound 2019 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck, a Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report stated.
Chad Jordan of Elmwood was the other driver. He admitted rolling past the stop sign on Maher Road and was cited for failure to obey it. There was no stop sign on Brimfield-Jubilee Road, on which the boy said he was driving about 50-55 mph.
An ambulance transported the boy to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria. His injuries were not life-threatening.
• EDWARDS – A two-vehicle wreck outside Wildlife Prairie Park resulted in no apparent serious injuries. Jacob P. McCabe of Edwards was driving a northbound 1998 Jeep Cherokee shortly before 4:45 p.m. Oct. 19 in the 3800 block of N. Taylor Rd. when the vehicle rear-ended a 2015 Dodge Journey, according to a Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report.
The other driver was Joseph L. McGuire of Bloomington. He said he slowed to figure out where the entrance to the park was. McGuire complained about back pain but declined medical attention.
• TRIVOLI – A Trivoli man was arrested following an apparent domestic dispute at a local residence.
A Peoria County Sheriff’s Office deputy was summoned about 6:45 a.m. Oct. 18 to the 19400 block of Linwood Drive, according to a heavily redacted report. Travis S. Janco, 25, was accused of domestic battery. The victim was a 37-year-old Trivoli woman, the report stated.
• FARMINGTON – A traffic stop in Farmington resulted in a Peoria woman’s arrest.
Shortly after 10:15 p.m. Oct. 17 on Fort Street near Fremont Street, 50-year-old Tonya M. Love was driving a 2012 Jeep that didn’t have functioning license-plate lights, according to a Farmington police report.
A check revealed Love was wanted in Peoria County for an unspecified offense. She also was accused of operating a vehicle without a valid license and was transported to the Fulton County Jail in Lewistown.
• TRIVOLI – Damon T. Keller, 50, of Trivoli surrendered shortly before 10:15 a.m. Oct. 25 at the Peoria County Jail in connection with a 2024 drunken-driving case, according to the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office.
• ELMWOOD – Shortly before 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 21, Mallory A.F. Miller, 42, of Elmwood was driving a 2014 Honda Odyssey minivan in the 20400 block of Illinois Route 8 when the vehicle struck a deer. Miller was uninjured, according to an Elmwood police report.
• YATES CITY – Chief Randy Benson reported the following Yates City Police Department activity for October: two arrests, six reports, seven traffic stops, two citations and six warnings.
• GALESBURG – These were among calls to which the Knox County Sheriff’s Office responded between Oct. 26-Nov. 1: domestic dispute, Dahinda; civil dispute, Galva; theft, Dahinda; animal complaint, Williamsfield; burglar alarm, Williamsfield; suspicious incident, Yates City; grass fire, Yates City; structure fire, Douglas.
Marriage licenses
• Molly Michelle Richeson of Brimfield and Shane Lee Copher of Princeville.
• Kendra Marie Knobloch of Princeville and Brandon Kent Edelman of Mansfield.
