The Weekly Post public record for 6-1-23

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Fire destroys garage
in Princeville

• PRINCEVILLE – Fire destroyed a residential garage in Princeville and caused more than $25,000 in overall damage, according to authorities.

A Peoria County Sheriff’s Office deputy noticed smoke emanating about 12:15 a.m. May 25 from the detached garage at 215 W. Main St. Not long thereafter, flames engulfed it. At least eight people inside the nearby residence evacuated.

The homeowner said he was tending to an automobile in his driveway when he turned on the headlights and noticed smoke from the garage, according to a sheriff’s-office report. Nobody had been inside the garage since about noon May 24.

Firefighters responded from the Akron-Princeville, Brimfield, Dunlap and Wyoming departments. The fire cause wasn’t determined, according to Randy Haley, chief of the Akron-Princeville district.
The garage was valued at $20,000, the report stated. The fire also caused about $2,500 in damage to an adjacent deck. Damage to items in the garage, including tools and a chainsaw, was estimated at $4,000.

Police reports

• PEORIA – A Hanna City man was uninjured in a two-vehicle accident west of Peoria.

Shortly after 7 p.m. May 7, Edward Perry was driving a southbound 2008 Nissan Sentra on Kickapoo Creek Road about 1 mile south of Harmon Highway when he lost control while rounding a corner.
The Sentra veered into the northbound lane, where it collided with a 2010 Volkswagen Passat, a Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report stated. Its driver was Jessica L. Albritton of East Peoria. She reported no injuries. Both vehicles sustained major front-end damage and were towed.

• GLASFORD – At 8:30 p.m. May 9, Shane Jepson of Hanna City was driving a 2017 Toyota Tundra south in the 5700 block of S. Trivoli Rd. northwest of Glasford when the vehicle struck a deer. No injuries were reported, according to the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office. The vehicle sustained driver’s-side front-bumper damage.

• MONICA – Shortly before 9:45 p.m. May 4, Luke J. Ehnle of Bradford was driving a 2017 Ford sport-utility vehicle north in the 17500 block of N. Beall Rd. southwest of Monica when the vehicle struck a deer. Neither Ehnle nor his two passengers, including a juvenile in a car seat, reported injuries, according to a Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report. The vehicle sustained disabling front-end damage and was towed.

• PRINCEVILLE – At 8:15 p.m. May 4, Perry L. Kieser of Wyoming was driving an eastbound 2022 GMC Sierra on Illinois Route 90 at Slane Road east of Princeville when the vehicle struck a deer. Kieser wasn’t injured and declined medical attention, a Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report stated. He drove away the vehicle, which received front-bumper damage. A deputy killed the deer, which sustained broken legs.

• ELMWOOD – An Elmwood man wanted in Knox County for kidnapping was arrested last week.
Elmwood police took Jesse J. Eldridge, 38, into custody based on a felony arrest warrant Knox County authorities issued April 13. Eldridge was lodged at the Peoria County Jail before he was transferred to the Knox County Jail in Galesburg.

As of early this week, Eldridge remained in that jail, on $25,000 bond. He must post 10 percent to be released.

• TRIVOLI – Raymond W. Fisher, 55, of Trivoli was arrested about 6 p.m. May 22 and accused of driving under the influence of alcohol, according to the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office.

• GALESBURG – These were among calls to which the Knox County Sheriff’s Office responded between May 14-20: two disturbances, Yates City; suspicious vehicle, Williamsfield; damage complaint, Dahinda; noise complaint, Yates City; domestic dispute, Yates City; fraud, Williamsfield; stray dog, Yates City; harassment, Yates City; custody dispute, Dahinda.