NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Peoria men drown
in Eden Road lake
• ELMWOOD – A pair of 67-year-old Peoria men drowned in a lake northwest of Hanna City, according to authorities.
Carter Lee and Michael J. Whitaker apparently were fishing July 8 from a boat in the lake located on private property owned by Paula Sheridan in the 5300 block of N. Eden Rd., according to the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office. The area is midway between Hanna City and Oak Hill.
About 2:30 p.m. July 8, the property owner noticed a boat capsized in the lake and notified authorities. The boat belonged to Lee, who had permission to fish there and whom the property owner saw there earlier in the day.
Personnel from the Logan-Trivoli Fire Protection District recovered Lee’s body from the lake about 3:45 p.m. He was pronounced dead at 5 p.m., according to Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood.
During the investigation, it was discovered another man might have been fishing with Lee. On Sunday morning, the Peoria Police Department dive team found Whitaker’s body at the bottom of the lake. Whitaker was pronounced dead at 11:12 a.m. Sunday, per Harwood.
Foul play is not suspected, according to the sheriff’s office, which was continuing to investigate. Neither man had injuries or wounds, and their deaths were determined to be accidental, Harwood stated.
Police Reports
• MAQUON – Amputations were performed on two people injured in an Independence Day fireworks accident southwest of Maquon.
No medical update was available regarding the victims from the London Mills area, aged 22 and 18, who were injured in the accident that happened about 2 p.m. July 4 in the 1100 block of Bridgeport Road.
The victims lit a mortar, according to the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, and the subsequent explosion resulted in hand and finger amputations. The sheriff’s office was not more specific, although it stated the victims’ injuries were not considered life threatening.
Helicopters transported both victims to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria. The Farmington Police Department and the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office were among public-safety agencies that responded. An investigation is ongoing.
• ELMWOOD – A boy on a bicycle sustained a broken leg in a collision with a vehicle in Elmwood.
The accident happened about 12:30 p.m. July 8 in the 500 block of N. Lilac St.
According to the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office, Emily A. Streitmatter of Elmwood was driving a 2016 Honda Civic about 30-35 mph south on Lilac Street when the bike emerged from behind two vehicles parked in a west-side driveway.
Streitmatter said she slammed on the brakes and veered into the northbound lane but still collided with the bike. The boy fell onto the pavement. He said the bike’s brakes did not work and he rode into the road to avoid hitting one of the parked vehicles, according to the sheriff’s-office report.
An ambulance transported the boy to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria. Aside from the broken leg, the boy suffered minor injuries, including head abrasions, and never lost consciousness, according to the sheriff’s office. His age was not available.
Streitmatter was uninjured. Her vehicle sustained minor front driver’s-side paint damage and a broken bracket, the report stated.
• FARMINGTON – Following a traffic stop, a Farmington woman was arrested on drugs charges.
Christina R. Norris, 31, was a passenger in a 2014 Dodge Journey sport-utility vehicle Farmington police stopped about 3:30 a.m. June 23 in the 600 block of E. Fort St. for lack of insurance, according to a report. An officer smelled cannabis coming from inside the vehicle, then searched it.
A small plastic bag and two plastic straws inside purses found in the SUV tested positive for methamphetamine, the report stated.
Norris was accused of possession of less than 5 grams of meth and transported to the Fulton County Jail in Lewistown. The SUV driver, 47-year-old Chasity S. Sulteen of London Mills, was cited for operating an uninsured vehicle and operating a vehicle when its registration was suspended for no insurance.
• OAK RUN – A bicycle-vehicle collision in Oak Run resulted in a Gilson man being transported to a Galesburg hospital.
The accident happened shortly before 6:30 p.m. July 1 at Lakeview Road North and Meadow Lane, according to a Knox County Sheriff’s Office report.
A 16-year-old boy from Peoria was driving a 2006 Honda Accord north on Meadow Lane but disregarded a stop sign at Lakeview Road North. A westbound bicyclist on that thoroughfare, 60-year-old Steven J. Ramp, braked for the Accord but flipped over the handlebars and onto the pavement.
The bicycle crashed into the rear passenger-side door of the Accord and dented it, the report stated. Ramp was taken to OSF Saint Mary Medical Center. His condition wasn’t reported. No injuries were reported for the driver and his two passengers, 16- and 15-year-old boys from Princeville.
• FARMINGTON – A Farmington man stole scrap metal and wire and attempted to sell it, according to authorities.
Jamie A. Beach, 48, was arrested and accused of theft of less than $500 following the incident, which was reported June 27. Missing from a Main Street address were two containers that held about 20 pounds of brass and 21 pounds of insulated wire, respectively.
A Farmington police officer checked with a scrap yard in Canton, which reported receiving the material. A scrap-yard photograph confirmed Beach brought in the containers, according to a police report. Total value was $59.95. Beach was transported to the Fulton County Jail in Lewistown.
• FARMINGTON – Someone stole about $500 worth of tools from a Farmington storage unit, according to authorities.
A Yates City man reported the theft in the 600 block of N. Main St. about 9:30 a.m. June 13, according to Farmington police. Missing from his storage unit were a compound miter saw, a finish nailer-stapler and a roofing gun, all in cases.
The lock to the unit was cut off, the report stated. The burglary took place sometime between June 10 and June 11.
On June 22, a renter at the same facility reported his storage-unit lock was damaged. The Farmington man told police he had not been at the unit since early May, according to another police report. Nothing was reported missing.
• DUNLAP – A Princeville man avoided injury in a two-vehicle accident north of Dunlap.
About 6:15 p.m. June 21, Brian K. Peek was driving a 2017 Ford F-150 pickup truck stopped on Parks School Road at Illinois Route 91. As Peek drove through the intersection, his vehicle collided with a 2019 Volkswagen Jetta that was southbound on Route 91. The other driver was Hannah L. Rudolphi of Dunlap.
It wasn’t clear in which direction Peek was driving, according to a Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report. His vehicle sustained unspecified damage. The Jetta sustained driver’s-side rear-panel and bumper damage. Neither vehicle was towed. Rudolphi and her two passengers reported no injuries.
• FARMINGTON – A Farmington man was arrested in connection with a domestic dispute.
Eric F. Brand, 42, was implicated in the incident, which happened about 2 p.m. June 22 at a residence in the 100 block of W. Pearl St. Accounts differ, but the 43-year-old female victim decided to pursue Brand’s prosecution after she spoke with a nearby resident, according to a Farmington police report.
Brand was accused of domestic battery and transported to the Fulton County Jail in Lewistown.
• YATES CITY – A Bushnell man and his passenger became stranded after he drove into standing water west of Yates City.
Devin E. Suggit, 20, was driving an eastbound 2004 Chrysler Sebring about 12:30 p.m. July 2 in the 2200 block of Illinois Route 8 when he encountered about 10 inches of water on the pavement, according to a Knox County Sheriff’s Office report. The water then rose to about 28 inches.
Neither Suggit nor his 18-year-old female passenger from Ellisville was injured. The vehicle was towed.
• FARMINGTON – A Canton man was detained in Farmington on an outstanding warrant after he visited police to pay for the release of his son’s impounded vehicle.
Benjamin J. Owens, 48, told Farmington police he knew he was wanted in Fulton County for failure to appear in court, according to a report. After Owens paid the impound charge June 22, he also paid $180 in bond and fees and was given a notice to appear in court July 26.
• FARMINGTON – Items worth a total of about $1,800 were reported stolen from a Farmington residential garage.
Farmington police were notified about 5:30 p.m. June 24 regarding the incident in the 100 block of N. Gold St. According to a police report, a Cuba man was cleaning his daughter’s property when he noticed the garage had been ransacked.
Missing were a self-propelled lawnmower worth $1,299.99 and a fiberglass extension ladder worth $499.99. No suspect information was available.
• FARMINGTON – The Farmington Police Department reported the following activity for June: 3,925 building checks, 291 business checks, 8 crashes handled, 16 property crimes, 52 ordinance violations, 1 crime against people, 102 traffic stops, 10 arrests, 32 reports completed, 319 calls, 16 assists to other police departments and 7 miscellaneous items.
• BRIMFIELD – About 5:30 a.m. June 20, Laura A. Kowalski of Brimfield was driving a 2020 Honda CR-V sport-utility vehicle east in the 14800 block of W. Brimfield-Jubilee Rd. when the vehicle struck a deer. Kowalski reported no injuries, according to the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office. The SUV was towed after it sustained damage to the front driver’s side.
• BRIMFIELD – Shortly before 2 p.m. June 16, Olivia Catton of Brimfield was driving a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu west in the 14900 block of W. Brimfield-Jubilee Rd. when the vehicle struck a deer that emerged from the south. Catton was not injured, a Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report stated. The vehicle sustained significant front-end damage but was driven from the scene.
• HANNA CITY – Rocky L. Williams, 44, of Hanna City was arrested about 4:30 a.m. July 6 and accused of driving on a revoked license, unlawful possession of between 15 and 100 grams of methamphetamine, unlawful possession of a stolen motor vehicle and failure to appear in court, according to the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office. Williams also was being held for other law-enforcement agencies.
• ELMWOOD – Curtis J. Land, 48, of Elmwood was arrested shortly before 10 a.m. July 5 and accused of driving on a revoked license, according to the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office.
• ELMWOOD – Chief Aaron Bean reported the following Elmwood Police Department activity for June: four traffic stops, five warnings, 15 reports and one ordinance violation.
• WILLIAMSFIELD – Chief James Robertson reported the following Williamsfield Police Department activity for June: three 9-1-1 calls, one wire down, one road hazard, two domestic disturbances, one accident, one animal complaint, four citations (three speeding, one other) and four warnings (one disobeyed stop sign, three others).
• GALESBURG – These were among calls to which the Knox County Sheriff’s Office responded between June 25-July 1: custody dispute, Dahinda; order-of-protection violation, Yates City; driving complaint, Dahinda; stray dog, Williamsfield; two domestic disputes, Williamsfield; structure fire, Oak Run; stray dog, Oak Run; telephone harassment, Yates City; animal complaint, Dahinda.
