NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.Police reports
• KICKAPOO – Both drivers were injured in a two-vehicle head-on crash west of Kickapoo.
Michelle L. Goble of Peoria Heights was driving a westbound 2024 Nissan Kicks about 3:45 p.m. April 28 on U.S. Route 150 near Philander Chase Lane when her vehicle collided with an eastbound 2018 Audi Q3, according to a Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report.
The other driver was Valy Slagel of Peoria. He said Goble’s vehicle swerved into his lane. Goble said she was distracted because she was trying to prevent an important paper from flying out one of the vehicle’s open windows.
Slagel complained about rib pain. He was placed in a cervical collar and transported to Carle Health Methodist Hospital in Peoria. So was Goble, who complained about chest and back pain and a lacerated finger.
Both vehicles sustained disabling damage and were towed. Goble was cited for improper lane use.
• HANNA CITY – About $2,000 in tools were reported stolen from a Hanna City-area property, according to authorities.
The apparent burglary was discovered about 10:45 a.m. May 2 in the 12600 block of W. Riekena Rd., per a heavily redacted Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report. The Duracraft tools were in a toolbox.
No suspect information was available.
• GALESBURG – A two-vehicle wreck at the northeast edge of Galesburg resulted in two Yates City residents needing hospital attention, among others.
Pamela A. Ehens, 78, was driving a southbound 2014 Nissan Rogue at 2 p.m. May 1 on Knox Highway 9 and was attempting to cross U.S. Route 34 when the vehicle collided with an eastbound 2013 Ford Edge, according to a Knox County Sheriff’s Office report.
The other driver was Selena A. Gustafson, 30, of Burlington, Iowa. The Edge struck the Rogue in its right-side front-wheel area. Witnesses said the Rogue pulled in front of the Edge.
Ehens and her passenger, a 92-year-old Yates City woman, were transported to OSF Saint Mary Medical Center. So were Gustafson and her two passengers, a 54-year-old woman and a 12-year-old boy, both of Burlington. Gustafson sustained a displaced right-ankle fracture. Injuries to the others weren’t specified.
Both vehicles were towed. Ehens was cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.
• PEORIA – An Edwards-area man was accused of identity theft after he used a woman’s debit card to make unauthorized purchases at a Peoria supermarket.
James C. Ernst Jr., 56, confessed to using the card at Kroger, 3311 N. Sterling Ave., according to a redacted Peoria Police Department report. There were three transactions March 26 at that grocery store. The report indicated others through April 18 might also have been made.
Following a police investigation, Ernst was arrested at 6:30 p.m. April 30 and transported to the Peoria County Jail. He was accused of theft as well as identity theft. The Illinois Department on Aging Adult Protective Services program had been contacted regarding Ernst.
• TRIVOLI – No injuries were reported in a single-vehicle accident west of Trivoli.
Cody J. Allen of Canton was driving a westbound 2023 Ford Transit van shortly before 4:15 p.m. April 28 in the 21000 block of Illinois Route 116 when the vehicle struck a large water jug that blew across the roadway, according to a Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report.
Allen pulled onto Stone School Road to check for damage. The van sustained minor dents to its front driver’s-side bumper and fender but was drivable. Allen was uninjured.
• TOULON – A Princeville man was cited for multiple crimes in Stark County.
Damian J. Carroll, 35, was accused April 28 of operating an uninsured motor vehicle and unlawful possession of ammunition by a felon, according to the Stark County Sheriff’s Office. It wasn’t clear where Carroll was apprehended.
Carroll’s truck was impounded.
• PEORIA – A single-vehicle wreck near the Peoria city limits led to a hospital visit for a Farmington woman and her passenger.
Josslyn A. Altom, 18, was driving a northbound 2014 Volkswagen hatchback shortly before 9:30 p.m. April 25 on Koerner Road when she overshot an attempted right turn at Cheney Lane, according to a Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report.
The vehicle slid on gravel, went over an embankment, flipped and landed on its roof in a creek, in about 6 inches of water. Altom and her 36-year-old male passenger crawled out of the vehicle and flagged down a Peoria Park District police officer for help.
Altom said she was uninjured. Her passenger sustained cuts to his forehead and right hand and complained of left-knee pain. Ambulances transported them to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center. Altom was cited for driving without a license. The vehicle, which was registered to the passenger, was towed.
• BRIMFIELD – A McLean County man was arrested for driving under the influence after he was reported sleeping in a vehicle parked south of Brimfield.
Evan N. Croke, 29, of Towanda was arrested shortly before 7 a.m. April 25 at Maher and Frye roads, according to a heavily redacted Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report. It wasn’t clear how long the 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt he was driving had been parked there.
Croke was charged with possession of a controlled substance and two counts of DUI. He was transported to the Peoria County Jail. The vehicle was impounded. Brimfield firefighters also responded.
• HANNA CITY – A Hanna City man was transported to a Peoria medical center following a single-vehicle accident.
About 1:15 p.m. April 24, Nicholas R. Bridges was exiting the Hanna City Car Wash, 319 N. Pekin Lane, in a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee when his boot became stuck in the accelerator, a Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report stated. The vehicle struck a dumpster, then traversed an intersection and landed in a ditch.
Bridges complained of upper-body pain. It also appeared he wasn’t wearing a seat belt and struck his forehead on the vehicle windshield. An ambulance carried Bridges to Carle Health Proctor Hospital. His vehicle was towed.
• HANNA CITY – Someone who contacted a Hanna City man through a social-media application apparently scammed him out of $125,000.
About 1 p.m. April 22, the 53-year-old victim reported being swindled through TikTok, according to a heavily redacted Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report. No suspect information was available.
• PEORIA HEIGHTS – An Edwards man was arrested for stealing alcohol from a Peoria Heights convenience store.
Karl A. Edwards IV, 32, admitted he took a 750-milliliter bottle of Jose Cuervo tequila shortly before 11 p.m. April 14 from Beck’s, 922 E. War Memorial Drive, according to a Peoria Heights police report. A Beck’s clerk reported the theft and identified Edwards, who later was banned from the store.
Edwards was aboard a maroon Huffy Verona bicycle when police apprehended him at Forrest Hill and California avenues in Peoria. He appeared intoxicated, according to the report. Edwards, who said he threw away the bottle, was accused of retail theft and transported to the Peoria County Jail.
• HANNA CITY – Shortly after 8:45 p.m. April 28, Donald L. Harris of London Mills was driving a westbound 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan minivan in the 13500 block of Illinois Route 116 when the vehicle struck a deer. Harris said he wasn’t injured, according to a Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report. The vehicle sustained engine-area damage and a dented driver’s-side door and fender. It was towed.
• DUNLAP – Shortly after 5 a.m. April 24, Bradley A. Pierson of Princeville was driving a 2021 Ford F-150 pickup truck east in the 7900 block of W. Parks School Rd. west of Dunlap when the vehicle struck a deer. Pierson didn’t appear to be injured, according to a Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report. The vehicle sustained damage to its grille and front bumper but was drivable.
• ELMWOOD – Chief Aaron Bean reported the following Elmwood Police Department activity for April: five stops, one citation, 10 warnings, 24 reports, two notices to appear and three ordinance violations.
• WILLIAMSFIELD – Chief James Robertson reported the following Williamsfield Police Department activity for April: one battery, one fire alarm, one alarm, one threat, one harassment, one suspicious incident, one burglary and one person down.
• GALESBURG – These were among calls to which the Knox County Sheriff’s Office responded between April 27-May 3: theft, Yates City; driving complaint, Williamsfield; person down, Yates City; battery, Williamsfield; dog bite, Dahinda; stray dog, Williamsfield; domestic dispute, Douglas; theft, Williamsfield.
