NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Police reports
• PEORIA – A fugitive who sparked a massive manhunt in northern and western Peoria County last month returned Monday, this time under arrest.
Victor E. Farris, 45, of Cincinnati was booked into the Peoria County Jail shortly before 10 p.m. He is accused of aggravated vehicle hijacking, kidnapping and unlawful possession of a stolen motor vehicle.
Peoria County Sheriff’s Office representatives traveled Monday to Albia, Iowa, to take Farris into custody. Farris was arrested Sept. 16 in Albia after he fled the Peoria area, where he was accused of stealing a vehicle in which a child was riding.
Sheriff Chris Watkins wasn’t sure when Farris might appear in Peoria County Circuit Court. He also is wanted by law-enforcement authorities in Woodford County and in Hendricks County, Ind.
• OAK RUN – Almost $600 raised to benefit a youth-softball team was reported stolen. The alleged theft from an Oak Run-area woman took place between Sept. 6 and about 10:45 a.m. Sept. 9, according to a Knox County Sheriff’s Office report. Missing from separate envelopes was $555 in cash and a $10 check.
According to the victim, a folder that contained the envelopes was found on a gravel road near Gilson, where she had been Sept. 6. The victim retrieved the folder, but the money was not inside the envelopes. The victim mentioned a possible suspect, but no arrest had been made.
• WILLIAMSFIELD – A two-vehicle crash in Williamsfield resulted in an Elmwood woman receiving multiple citations.
Shortly after 2 a.m. Sept. 15, Jenna M. Smith, 32, was driving a 2019 Jeep Wrangler north on Oak Street when at Gale Street it struck the front of an eastbound 2002 Buick Park Avenue. Dylan B. Tucker, 20, of Williamsfield was the other driver. The Wrangler had not stopped as marked at the intersection.
The Wrangler then turned east on Gale Street, according to Knox County Sheriff’s Office reports. Tucker followed the vehicle.
Both vehicles stopped at Knox Highway 18 and Knox Road 2100 East.
Tucker exited his vehicle and attempted to speak with Smith. She did not respond, then drove away at high speed, according to a report. A deputy located Smith a few hours later at her residence.
Smith was cited for improper turning and for failure to remain at the scene of an accident. Neither driver required medical attention, and neither vehicle required a tow.
• GALESBURG – A Williamsfield-area man was accused of possessing cannabis illegally, among other offenses.
Johnathon C. Whiffen, 20, was driving a 2018 Ford Fiesta when a Knox County Sheriff’s Office deputy stopped it shortly before 11:30 p.m. Sept. 11 in the 300 block of Lombard St. in Galesburg. The deputy saw Whiffen make an illegal U-turn and fail to use a turn signal.
The deputy noticed a raw-cannabis odor emanating from the vehicle, a sheriff’s-office report stated. A search revealed a baggie of pot in the vehicle center console, as well as a glass smoking pipe and a glass jar that contained an orange, sticky substance suspected to be THC.
Whiffen was cited for illegal possession of less than 30 grams of cannabis, failure to signal when required, making an illegal U-turn and operating an uninsured motor vehicle. The vehicle was impounded.
• KICKAPOO – An Iowa man acknowledged he failed to pay for gasoline at a Kickapoo-area station. He promised to make restitution.
The incident was reported about 9:30 a.m. Sept. 10 at Fast Stop, 7116 N. Kickapoo-Edwards Rd. An attendant there said a customer split his fuel purchase into two transactions but failed to pay for the second one, according to a Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report.
Security video revealed the man paid for the first purchase, then returned to his 2019 Ford F-350 pickup truck to pump more gas, then left after a visit to the restroom. When contacted later, the driver said a cellphone conversation distracted him. The fuel was valued at $62.80.
• DAHINDA – A Williamsfield woman reported her Dahinda-area boyfriend punched her and knocked her to the ground, authorities said.
The alleged incident happened about 8 p.m. Sept. 10 at a residence in the 2000 block of Knox Road 1400 North. The 40-year-old victim said the 41-year-old suspect had asked her to remove her property from his residence. A verbal altercation ensued, then an apparent physical one.
A deputy noted the victim had a swollen left hand and bruises around both eyes, as well as scratches on her face and red marks on her neck. The deputy photographed the apparent victim and recommended the Knox County State’s Attorney’s Office consider charges against the man.
• YATES CITY – A Yates City woman who was an unwanted guest at a local residence apparently was wanted by authorities.
Knox County Sheriff’s Office deputies were summoned about 12:15 a.m. Sept. 6 to the 400 block of S. Dixon St. The 57-year-old resident said an intoxicated woman identified later as 34-year-old Megan E. Melton visited him earlier. He knew her only as the girlfriend of another man, according to a report.
A search of the resident’s property didn’t turn up Melton, who deputies discovered was wanted in Knox County for an unspecified crime. She was later located at Main and Union streets and was taken into custody.
• WILLIAMSFIELD – A Williamsfield-area man was accused of hitting his mother in the back of her head and throwing her to the ground.
Dallas R. Hulse, 27, was arrested about 12:15 a.m. Sept. 5 at a residence in the 2000 block of Knox Road 2150 East. According to a Knox County Sheriff’s Office report, Hulse and the 56-year-old victim were arguing because he accidentally set afire a table.
Hulse admitted to grabbing the victim by the neck and striking her. He was charged with domestic battery and transported to the Knox County Jail in Galesburg.
• YATES CITY – Various items, including tools and miniature collectible vehicles, were reported stolen from garages in Yates City and Douglas. The same person, a 57-year-old man, owns both garages, according to a Knox County Sheriff’s Office report. Missing from a garage in the 400 block of S. Dixon St. in Yates City were the toy-sized vehicles.
Missing from a garage in the 400 block of Third St. in Douglas were a Sears riding lawnmower, a Cub Cadet mower and two Craftsman tool boxes, among other things. The overhead garage door also was damaged. The incidents were reported about 3:15 p.m. Sept. 4.
No dollar value regarding the missing items was reported. The victim identified a suspect, but no arrest had been made.
• PRINCEVILLE – A driver swerved to avoid an animal, but his vehicle ended up destroying a mailbox in front of a residence south of Princeville.
Andrew J. Hubbard of Norwood was driving south in his work vehicle, a 2019 Ford Transit van, shortly after 12:30 p.m. Aug. 17 in the 13200 block of N. Princeville-Jubilee Rd. when the unidentified animal ran onto the pavement, according to a Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report.
Hubbard wasn’t injured. The vehicle sustained damage to its passenger-side front bumper but was drivable.
• FARMINGTON – Jeffrey L. Sale Jr., 53, of Farmington was arrested shortly before 6 p.m. Sept. 4 on an outstanding Fulton County warrant for failure to appear in court regarding a disorderly-conduct charge, according to a Farmington Police Department report. Sale was transported to the Fulton County Jail in Lewistown.
• EDWARDS – George W. Morefield, 55, of Edwards was arrested shortly after 11 a.m. Sept. 27 and accused of failure to appear in court, according to the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office.
Marriage license
• Kelsey Amanda Mull and Trace Michael Evans, both of Hanna City.
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