NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Police reports
• FARMINGTON – A disturbance at a Farmington residence led to the arrests of two Chillicothe women.
Amanda M. McMurtry, 35, and Brittany S. Walliker, 33, were accused of mob action in connection with the incident, on Dec. 17 at about 10:30 p.m. in the 100 block of N. Cedar St. McMurtry also was accused of battery, and Walliker was accused of domestic battery.
It appears the women arrived at the Cedar Street address to pick up Walliker’s son, according to a Farmington Police Department report. Accounts thereafter differ, but both women were involved in physical altercations with a male resident.
McMurtry and Walliker were transported to the Fulton County Jail in Lewistown. Walliker also was wanted in Peoria County for an unspecified crime.
• OAK HILL – An all-terrain-vehicle accident north of Oak Hill resulted in an injury to the driver and a citation for drunken driving. Dillon C. Nolan of Creve Coeur was transported to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria after the accident on Dec. 16 at about 9:45 p.m. in the 9100 block of N. Maher Rd.
A Peoria County Sheriff’s Office deputy found Nolan and a 2000 Yamaha Kodiak off the west side of the pavement. The ATV was on its right side. Nolan, who was wearing a helmet when the accident happened, had a head laceration and was not alert when the deputy arrived, according to a sheriff’s-office report. Nolan regained consciousness before an ambulance ferried him to the hospital.
The ATV handlebars were bent, plastic was missing and front-end components were broken. The vehicle was towed. Nolan was cited for driving under the influence of alcohol and for driving with a suspended or revoked license.
• ELMWOOD – No injuries were reported in a single-vehicle accident in downtown Elmwood. Jared O. Rusk, 44, of Canton was driving a 2007 Chevrolet Silverado about 1:30 p.m. Dec. 15 in the 100 block of W. Main St. when the vehicle veered south off the pavement and struck a wall and railing. Rusk said he was talking with a passenger and took his eyes off the road, according to an Elmwood Police Department report. Rusk was driving at low speed. Damage was estimated at over $1,500.
• DAHINDA – A Dahinda man who did not heed a stop sign near his residence was driving on a suspended license, according to authorities. Joshua K. Ramsey, 41, was driving a westbound 2019 Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck about 8:30 a.m. Dec. 14 on Lakeview Road South when it did not stop at Oak Run Drive, according to a Knox County Sheriff’s Office report.
A deputy who stopped Ramsey discovered his license was suspended in September. Ramsey said he was unaware of it. He owns a Pekin vehicle dealership associated with the plate on the truck, the report stated.
Ramsey received a written warning for disobeying the stop sign and was issued a notice to appear in court for the suspended license.
• KICKAPOO – A distracted driver’s vehicle knocked down a road sign in Kickapoo, according to authorities. Andrew D. Ridenour of Canton was driving a 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe west in the 9700 block of U.S. Route 150 about 9:30 p.m. Dec. 9 when his wife said something to him, a Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report stated. As Ridenour looked at her to reply, his vehicle went off the roadway while negotiating a curve.
The vehicle’s passenger-side mirror struck a sign that helped mark the curve. The impact detached the mirror and broke the adjacent passenger-side window. Ridenour and three passengers declined medical treatment, according to the report.
• FARMINGTON – A Farmington man was injured in a two-vehicle collision about 5 a.m. Dec. 8 on Farmington Road near Downs School Road.
According to a Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report, John D. Essex was driving an eastbound 2001 Chrysler Sebring when a westbound 2006 Mazda 3 collided with it. The driver was Brevil Andralph of Indianapolis.
Andralph said he was looking at his vehicle’s GPS unit while making a left turn. He attempted to re-enter the westbound lane, then his vehicle collided with Essex’s.
Essex did not recall details, the report stated. He complained of facial, head and back pain and was transported to Graham Hospital in Canton. Andralph refused medical treatment. Both vehicles sustained significant damage and were towed.
• GALESBURG – No injuries were reported in a two-vehicle collision southeast of Galesburg that involved a Dahinda resident. The accident happened shortly after 6:15 p.m. Dec. 7 at U.S. Route 150 and Knox Highway 10.
Jeffrey A. Frazier, 64, was driving a 2022 Toyota Prius northeast on Highway 10 when in the intersection his vehicle struck a 2003 Buick LeSabre headed northwest on Route 150. The driver was Troy D. Jones, 60, of Maquon. Both vehicles had been stopped at the intersection.
Frazier’s vehicle sustained substantial damage and was towed, per a Knox County Sheriff’s Office report. Frazier was cited for failure to yield at an intersection. Jones was cited for operating an uninsured motor vehicle.
• GILSON – A Dahinda woman was transported to a Galesburg hospital following a single-vehicle accident that entrapped her. Shortly after 1 p.m. Dec. 1, Karen L. Cooley, 67, was driving a 2013 Honda Civic in the 1000 block of Knox Highway 12 near Gilson when the vehicle left the roadway. The vehicle struck a culvert, a metal gate and a wooden fence post, then flipped onto its driver’s side and hit a tree, a Knox County Sheriff’s Office report stated.
Rescuers freed Cooley and took her to OSF Saint Mary Medical Center. She said she probably fell asleep. The vehicle sustained more than $1,500 in damage and was towed.
• BRIMFIELD – Shortly before 10:30 a.m. Dec. 3, Mary C. McFadden of Brimfield was driving a 2016 Ford Fusion north in the 13000 block of N. Maher Rd. when she swerved to avoid hitting a deer. The vehicle went off the roadway and struck an embankment, a Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report stated.The vehicle was towed.
• PRINCEVILLE – Ronald Lee Potter Jr., 36, of Princeville was arrested shortly before 9 p.m. Dec. 18 and accused of unlawful possession of a stolen motor vehicle, according to the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office.
• HANNA CITY – Willis R. Van Dyke, 48, of Hanna City was arrested at 10 a.m. Dec. 17 and accused of driving under the influence of alcohol, according to the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office.
• ELMWOOD – Noah D. Sorensen, 25, of Elmwood was arrested about 9:30 a.m. Dec. 16 and accused of criminal trespass to a vehicle, domestic battery and endangering the life of a child, according to the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office.
• YATES CITY – Justin M. VanDusen, 44, of Yates City and Jeffery L. Fry, 45, of Peoria were arrested for outstanding warrants on Nov. 28 and Fry was also charged with possession of methamphetamines, according to a Yates City Police Department report.
Yates City police found the two men at VanDusen’s former residence at 105 E. Ames St. in Yates City. VanDusen had a Knox County warrant. Fry was wanted on a Peoria County warrant.
Fry was also carrying 3.9 grams of a white, crystalline power believed to be meth and 2.16 grams of a plant material believed to be psilocybin mushrooms, according to the report.
Marriage license
• Holly Anne Stratton and Dustin Sergei Fitzgerald, both of Elmwood.