NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Police reports
• KICKAPOO – Fire damaged a Kickapoo coffee shop. The fire at Kickabrew Coffee Co., 9927 U.S. Route 150, was noted Jan. 25 on the business’ Facebook page. Firefighters were returning from another call when they noticed smoke outside the business, then saw smoke pouring out its rear door.
Walls inside the building needed to be rebuilt, according to the post. The business has been closed in the interim. No injuries were reported. Brimfield Community Fire Protection District representatives did not respond to a request for more information.
• HANNA CITY – An East Peoria man required a hospital visit following a single-vehicle wreck near Hanna City.
David L. Knaak was driving a southbound Jeep Grand Cherokee sport-utility vehicle shortly before 2:15 p.m. Jan. 23 in the 600 block of N. Taylor Rd. when a northbound vehicle crossed into the opposite lane, per a Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report.
Knaak swerved into a west-side culvert to avoid a collision, and the vehicle rolled onto its side. An ambulance transported Knaak, who was bleeding from his head and whose face was swollen, to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria. His passengers, a female and two males, declined treatment.
A passenger in Knaak’s vehicle and a witness in another vehicle confirmed Knaak’s account. The Grand Cherokee sustained major damage and was towed.
• PRINCEVILLE – A Princeville man was accused of domestic battery. Caleb T. Magee, 31, was arrested shortly before 9:45 a.m. Jan. 22 following the incident, which apparently happened in the 300 block of S. Wilson Ave., according to a heavily redacted Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report.
A deputy had been dispatched shortly before 8 a.m. to Bartonville Grade School regarding an upset parent. Medical units also were dispatched. Magee was transported to the Peoria County Jail. The victim’s identity was among the redactions. The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services was notified.
• HANNA CITY – An unsecured spool of wire fell off a pickup truck near Hanna City and struck another vehicle. No injuries were reported.
Matthew D. Zadrzynski of Chillicothe was driving a westbound Ford F-150 shortly after 10 a.m. Jan. 21 on Illinois Route 116 near Greengold Road when the accident happened, according to a Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report. Trevor J. Fuerst of Peoria was the other driver. His vehicle was towed.
• OAK HILL – No injuries were reported following a single-vehicle crash near Oak Hill.
About 11:15 a.m. Jan. 17, Cory M. Stear of Elmwood was driving a 2018 GMC Sierra pickup truck east on Illinois Route 8 but lost control of it as he was turning north on Maher Road, according to a Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report.
The pickup truck slid into an east-side ditch and rolled before it stopped. Stear said he believed a tire blowout might have been the cause. He sustained scraped knuckles. Stear also had his two sons as passengers.
Brimfield firefighters and BYE Ambulance Service checked all three occupants. The vehicle sustained disabling damage and was towed.
• DUNLAP – A 17-year-old Edwards driver rear-ended a school bus that contained at least four passengers and was stopped in front of railroad tracks, authorities stated.
The boy was behind the wheel of an eastbound 2001 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck shortly after 8:15 a.m. Jan. 16 in the 4200 block of W. Alta Lane south of Dunlap, according to a Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report. The boy said he tried to stop but his brakes locked.
Driving the school bus was Timothy W. Siekmann of Dunlap. A witness said he saw the bus stopped with its side door open.
No other injuries were reported. The pickup truck was towed. The boy was cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.
• HANNA CITY – A Hanna City man might have sustained a broken wrist in a two-vehicle collision.
Shortly before 6:45 p.m. Jan. 14, Brody S. Evans was driving a westbound 2018 Toyota Tundra pickup truck that was turning south onto Pekin Lane when it collided with an eastbound 2005 Toyota sedan driven by James L.L. Mitzelfelt of Peoria, according to a Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report.
Evans said he didn’t see the sedan. The report didn’t state if Evans sought medical attention. His passenger, a male, reported no injuries. An ambulance transported Mitzelfelt to Carle Health Proctor Hospital in Peoria. His medical condition wasn’t specified. Both vehicles were towed.
• DUNLAP – An Edwards woman didn’t appear to be injured following a two-vehicle wreck at an intersection south of Dunlap.
Christina Garcia was driving a 2024 Chevrolet Trailblazer sport-utility vehicle that was stopped shortly after 8:45 a.m. Jan. 14 on northbound Illinois Route 91 at Grange Hall Road. As Garcia proceeded, her vehicle struck a westbound 2025 Lexus RX350, a Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report stated.
John F. Rashid of Peoria was the other driver. Garcia and Rashid, who also didn’t appear to be injured, said they believed they had the right of way and didn’t see the other vehicle. Both vehicles sustained minor front-end damage.
• KICKAPOO – A two-vehicle wreck north of Kickapoo resulted in no apparent injuries.
Shortly after 10:15 a.m. Jan. 13, Jillian M. Reed of Brimfield was driving south in a 2013 Ford Transit van that was turning left in the 10600 block of N. Princeville-Jubilee Rd. when it was struck by a southbound 2020 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck, according to a Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report.
The other driver was Michael D. Smice of Princeville. He said he believed Reed was turning right and he was attempting to pass her in the northbound lane. A deputy noted the van’s rear turn signal was not functioning properly. Smice said no turn signal from Reed was apparent.
Both vehicles sustained minor damage but were drivable.
• ELMWOOD – Shortly after 6:35 p.m. Jan. 22, Brian R. Groeper of Brimfield was driving a 2013 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck west on Tiber Creek Road east of Elmwood when near Dogtown Lane the vehicle struck a deer. Groeper was uninjured, a Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report stated. The vehicle was drivable.
• TRIVOLI – Shortly after 4:45 a.m. Jan. 20, William W. Young of London Mills was driving a southbound 2017 Nissan Versa in the 5500 block of S. Trivoli Rd. when the vehicle struck a deer. Young appeared to be uninjured, according to a Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report. The vehicle sustained minor damage.
• LAURA – Matthew J. Webb, 36, of Laura was arrested shortly before 11 p.m. Jan. 27 and was being held for another law-enforcement agency, according to the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office.
• PRINCEVILLE – Jesse L. Rosas, 38, of Princeville was arrested at 8 p.m. Jan. 26 and accused of failure to appear in court, according to the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office.
• GALESBURG – These were among calls to which the Knox County Sheriff’s Office responded between Jan. 18-24: fire, Yates City; road hazard, Williamsfield; theft, Yates City; damage, Douglas.
