Pictured is the overturned semi in Columbia on Monday morning. (Corey Saathoff photo)

Emergency personnel responded about 7:30 a.m. Monday to an overturned semi tractor-trailer hauling potatoes on Frontage Road across from Gilmore Lake Road off Route 3 in Columbia.

No injuries were reported in the crash. The truck driver told police he was traveling south on Route 3 when his GPS system instructed him to make a hard turn right onto Frontage Road. The truck was unable to make the turn without its trailer overturning down into a culvert.

Police remain on scene for a large vehicle towing company to arrive.

Seth Creasy

A Dupo man was charged this weekend following a Jan. 3 confrontation involving a firearm just outside of Dupo village limits.

Seth L. Creasy, 25, of Dupo, was now faces charges of unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, which is a Class 2 felony, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, which is a misdemeanor.

The confrontation took place with another man on McBride Avenue, the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department said.

“Creasy and another male were arguing when Creasy is alleged to have brandished a revolver at the other male,” the sheriff’s department stated in a news release. “No shots were fired and no one was injured during the incident.”

Creasy was previously convicted for being a felon in possession of a weapon in 2017.

Bond was set at $50,000, and Creasy remains in custody at the St. Clair County Jail in Belleville.

(Editor’s note: Information in this report is gathered directly from area police agencies, county courts and emergency radio dispatch. The public is reminded that defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty and charges may sometimes be dropped or reduced as part of the legal process.)

Columbia Police
Dec. 25
Emergency personnel responded to a two-vehicle crash with minor injury on Route 3 at South Main Street after 1 p.m. A 2007 Mercury four-door driven by Tyler Grafton, 18, of Columbia, was traveling south on Route 3 and attempted to turn onto South Main when it collided with a 1997 Lincoln driven by Robert Touchette, 57, of Millstadt. A passenger in Touchette’s vehicle was transported to Belleville Memorial Hospital for treatment of minor injuries. Grafton was cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.

Dec. 28
Shortly after 9:15 a.m., an officer responded to Hampton Inn, 165 Admiral Trost Drive,  after a 2010 Buick SUV had its rear window broken out and items missing from the back seat. The vehicle had been parked at the hotel since 7 p.m. the night before. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to call 281-5151.  

A report of identity theft with money taken from the victim’s account using an ATM is under investigation.

Monroe County Sheriff
Dec. 21
Douglas I. Jordan, 72, of Millstadt, was charged with felony criminal damage to property for incidents that occurred outside of the YMCA, 9514 Caring Way, on July 16 and Dec. 7 involving a 2011 Dodge Dakota.

Dec. 22
Emergency personnel responded about 7:45 p.m. to a rollover crash in a wooded area along Bushy Prairie Road near Twin Creek Lane north of Maeystown. Daniel “Goob” Gilbert, 46, of Fults, was airlifted by medical helicopter to a St. Louis hospital for treatment of serious but not life-threatening injuries sustained in the crash.

Rockie O. Kelly, 24, of Waterloo, was cited for failure to report a rollover crash that occurred on J Road. 

Dec. 23
Cody Schloemann, 28, of Evansville, was arrested on a Randolph County warrant at Select Fuel & Convenience, 3745 State Route 3.

James R. Ruland, 41, of Columbia, was arrested for felony possession of a firearm (Ruger 9mm handgun) without an FOID card.

Dec. 24
One woman was injured following two crashes that occurred shortly after 7 p.m. on Route 3 at FF Road. One man’s vehicle struck a deer and had pulled over to the side of the road. A female motorist pulled over to check on the man, and her car was rear-ended by a vehicle driven by Bernadine L. Huff, 78, of Missouri. Huff was transported by ambulance to Mercy South for treatment of minor injuries.

Dec. 27
Police and EMS responded about 1:50 p.m. to a residence on Fountain Creek Ridge Lane for a female overdosing on opioids. Narcan was administered to the patient and she was transported to a St. Louis hospital. The incident is under investigation. 

St. Clair County Sheriff
Dec. 24
One person was injured in a rollover crash shortly after midnight on Triple Lakes Road near Wagner Road north of Columbia. The Columbia Fire Department assisted the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department and Columbia EMS. A 2013 Ford Taurus driven by Herbert L. Brunkhorst, 57, of Cahokia, was traveling east in the 7800 block of Triple Lakes Road when he swerved to avoid striking a deer in the roadway, ran off the road and overturned in a field. Brunkhorst was transported to Mercy South for treatment ofnon-life-threatening injuries.

Waterloo Police
Dec. 24
Raymond T. Moore, 38, of St. Louis, was arrested for possession of cannabis with intent to deliver (30 to 500 grams). He posted bond and was released from the Monroe County Jail.

Fran Axley and her dog, Sophie.

Communities in two states are reeling after the death of beloved former guidance counselor Fran Axley.

A winter resident of Naples, Fla., and a summer resident of Waterloo, Axley was found murdered with a sharp object  Jan. 1, in her Florida home, according to police.

Almost immediately, police said they had identified a person of interest whom they did not believe was still in southwestern Florida.

Three days later, Thomas J. Evans, 35, of Chicago, was arrested in Georgia and charged with second degree murder.

“I don’t have any more information to release at this time about any other persons or anything else,” Lt. Matt Fletcher of the Naples Police Department told the Republic-Times. 

Axley was well-known in southwestern Illinois, where she served as a guidance counselor at New Athens High School from 1969 to 1994. Upon her retirement, she moved to Florida but found her days of serving youth weren’t over. 

Read the rest of the story in the January 9, 2019, newspaper.

If you don’t already receive the Republic-Times newspaper in your mailbox, click here or call 939-3814 to subscribe.

Or consider joining a growing number of readers who receive their news electronically. To view a free demo of the online R-T, click here.

Subscribe to the full-color online edition of the Republic-Times, which is delivered to your inbox every Wednesday by lunchtime and can be accessed anywhere, from any electronic device, for just $25 a year, by clicking here or calling 939-3814.

Pictured, from left, are Columbia Police Chief Jerry Paul, newly sworn officers Andrew Krump and Anthony Delaney and Mayor Kevin Hutchinson at Monday’s Columbia City Council meeting. (Andrea Saathoff photo)

Professional police officers nationwide spend much of their days on the job embattled and at odds with the populace they are sworn to protect.

But Columbia Police Chief Jerry Paul, with the support of the Columbia City Council, has continued to grow his department with the type of quality and experienced officers other departments can only hope to attract.

“The (city council) worked with the mayor and the city administrator to put into place the ability to be competitive in our hiring,” Paul said.

“We are very cognizant of the need to feel safe in the community,” Mayor Kevin Hutchinson said. “The only way to address this is to have the highest caliber of officers available to protect and serve the citizens of Columbia.”

Paul noted a prior pay disparity among Columbia and neighboring communities the council rectified, allowing him to make more competitive offers. The council also has given him the latitude to participate in programs through which he can actively recruit additional officers, like a new partnership with the Drug Enforcement Agency and the department’s longstanding relationship with the Metropolitan Enforcement Group of Southwestern Illinois.

At Monday’s city council meeting, Hutchinson administered the oath of office to Andrew Krump and Anthony Delaney, bringing the total CPD force up to 18 full-time officers…>>>

Read the full story in the January 9, 2019, newspaper.

If you don’t already receive the Republic-Times newspaper in your mailbox, click here or call 939-3814 to subscribe.

Or consider joining a growing number of readers who receive their news electronically. To view a free demo of the online R-T, click here.

Subscribe to the full-color online edition of the Republic-Times, which is delivered to your inbox every Wednesday by lunchtime and can be accessed anywhere, from any electronic device, for just $25 a year, by clicking here or calling 939-3814.

Monroe County Sheriff Neal Rohlfing (second from left) announced the hiring of Eric Waszak (left) and Kyle Krebel (right) as new deputies with the department and the promotions of Jim Lansing (center) to major and Chris Lutz to captain during Monday’s meeting of the Monroe County Board.

Monroe County Sheriff Neal Rohlfing touted the benefits of his department’s involvement in the Drug Enforcement Agency task force during Monday’s meeting of the Monroe County Board.

“We have been a part of the DEA task force since April 2016,” Rohlfing told commissioners.

Rohlfing listed seizures of money and assets, such as motor vehicles, that have delivered more than $243,000 to Monroe County, which will be used to pay for law enforcement costs.  

That money has paid for public safety equipment and costs that otherwise would have come from law-abiding county taxpayers.  That has included motor vehicles, and most recently, a $100,000 replacement of police radios to bring them up-to-date with agencies across the region. 

This fund is also paying for an added deputy’s salary and benefits.

In 2018 alone, Rohlfing said the sheriff’s department deputy assigned to the DEA was involved in seizing 96 pounds of marijuana, 60 pounds of cocaine and six pounds of methamphetamines, as well as more than $3.3 million in cash…>>> 

Read the full story in the January 9, 2019, newspaper.

If you don’t already receive the Republic-Times newspaper in your mailbox, click here or call 939-3814 to subscribe.

Or consider joining a growing number of readers who receive their news electronically. To view a free demo of the online R-T, click here.

Subscribe to the full-color online edition of the Republic-Times, which is delivered to your inbox every Wednesday by lunchtime and can be accessed anywhere, from any electronic device, for just $25 a year, by clicking here or calling 939-3814.

Kyle Roider

A 30-year-old Waterloo man has been charged with first degree murder and aggravated battery in connection with the shooting death of a 35-year-old Fults man in the 100 block of North Church Street in Waterloo.

Kyle Roider was arrested Friday night in Millstadt at the home of an acquaintance. Roider made his first court appearance Monday morning before Monroe County Circuit Clerk Judge Dennis Doyle, entering a plea of not guilty.

The Waterloo Police Department responded along with Monroe County EMS to Roider’s residence at 107 North Church Street shortly after 3 p.m. Friday, where a man was found unresponsive in the basement. The man, identified by the Monroe County Coroner’s Office as Steven P. Becker, 35, of Fults, was pronounced deceased a short time later.

“The nature of death appeared suspicious and a death investigation was initiated,” Waterloo Police Chief Mike Douglas stated in a press release.

“The death investigation conducted at the scene indicated that Mr. Becker died as a result of a homicide,” Monroe County Coroner Bob Hill stated in a press release.  “An autopsy conducted on Sunday morning confirmed that Mr. Becker died as a result of a homicide.”

Becker was shot once in the leg and once in the head, court information states.

Waterloo police are being assisted in the investigation by the Illinois State Police Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Monroe County Sheriff’s Department and Columbia Police Department. Millstadt police and the St. Clair County Special Response Team provided assistance with apprehending Roider, who gave himself up voluntarily.

“Columbia and the (Monroe County) Sheriff’s Department lent investigators and they continue to assist with the ongoing investigation,” said Monroe County State’s Attorney Chris Hitzemann.

A 911 call Friday afternoon by a mutual acquaintance led to the discovery of Becker’s body in Roider’s basement at about 3 p.m. Becker was last seen early Wednesday, and police believe he was killed sometime that day.

Pictured is the residence at 107 N. Church Street in Waterloo where the crime is alleged to have occurred. (Kermit Constantine photo)

“We’re hoping there may be some video evidence pulled from a couple different sources” to help determine a more precise time of death, Hitzemann said.

Hitzemann would not comment at this time on any possible motive associated with this case or as to whether the firearm used in Becker’s death was recovered.

The charge of first degree murder is non-probationable and carries a sentence of 20-60 years, all of which must be served. Because Roider is charged with a death resulting from the discharge of a firearm, there is an additional charge of 25 years to life in prison, which must be served consecutive to any other sentence.

The charge of aggravated battery is also non-probationable and carries a sentence of six to 30 years, 85 percent of which must be served.

“At this point I haven’t filed any other charges against any additional parties,” Hitzemann said. “But the investigation may lead to the filing of additional charges.”

Roider, who is being represented by attorney TJ Matthes from the St. Louis law firm of Rosenblum, Schwartz & Fry, is being held without bond in the Monroe County Jail in Waterloo. His next court appearance is scheduled for 10 a.m. Feb. 7.

“We look forward to defending Kyle against these accusations,” Matthes told the Republic-Times. “Unfortunately I can’t comment further at this time since it’s a pending case and ongoing investigation.”

To read Becker’s obituary, click here.

The Columbia Fire Department was joined by multiple neighboring departments in battling an apartment complex fire at 205 Agnew Street off Bottom Avenue early Monday night.

Flames were showing from the roof upon firefighter arrival shortly after 5:30 p.m. Norman Taylor, owner of Sunderman’s Garage at 717 Bottom Avenue, said he could see the fire from his nearby repair shop.

The Waterloo, Millstadt, Dupo, Prairie du Pont and Camp Jackson fire departments assisted with equipment and manpower, Columbia EMS, Columbia police and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department also responded to the scene.

Columbia Fire Chief Mike Roediger said the fire originated in the lower right apartment unit, Room No. 2. The male occupant of that unit, Tim Toenjes, was in another room when he heard a pop and went to the living room to see his couch on fire. The flames quickly spread to the curtains, prompting Toenjes to exit the unit.

Toenjes went to an area hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation, Roediger said, but his condition was not immediately known. A family member told fire officials later that he sustained second degree burns in his shoulder area but is otherwise OK.

Roediger said the cause of the fire appears to be a candle that was burning next to the couch. The glass containing the candle apparently cracked, leading to the fire.

“That’s why I do not like candles,” Roediger said.

There were several more occupants inside the six-unit apartment complex when the fire broke out, Roediger said, and they were all able to escape without injury.

“Police did a great job of evacuating everyone right away and making sure everyone was accounted for, so we could concentrate on knocking down the fire,” Roediger said.

While the lower right unit appears to be a total loss, the other five units of the complex sustained smoke and heat damage but still have belongings that are salvageable, Roediger said.

Fortunately, all affected residents of the complex have relatives to stay with for the time being.

Firefighters cleared the scene shortly after 9 p.m.

Columbia police are investigating the theft of an SUV early Sunday morning as well as two vehicle break-ins during the same time period.

A black 2007 Cadillac Escalade was stolen from the 600 block of Briar Lakes Place. The theft was reported shortly after 9:20 a.m. Sunday, but the crime is believed to have occurred between 3 and 5 a.m., police said. The vehicle, which has not yet been recovered, was unlocked with its keys inside.

Also early Sunday morning, a Chevrolet Equinox was entered in the 2500 block of Columbia Lakes Drive and a Dodge Ram was entered in the 2600 block of Columbia Lakes Drive, both with items reported missing. There were no signs of forced entry to either vehicle, police said.

Columbia police handled seven reports of stolen vehicles in 2018 in addition to this first such report of the new year.

Early on Dec. 31, three vehicles were reported stolen from the Royal Gate auto dealership. For more on that incident, click here.

“We can’t remind people enough to lock their vehicles overnight and keep valuables out of plain sight,” Columbia Police Chief Jerry Paul said.

Anyone who may have observed suspicious behavior early Sunday in the area of the thefts is asked to call the Columbia Police Department at 281-5151.

(Editor’s note: Information in this report is gathered directly from area police agencies, county courts and emergency radio dispatch. The public is reminded that defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty and charges may sometimes be dropped or reduced as part of the legal process.)

Columbia Police
Dec. 31
Three vehicles were reported stolen from the lot of Royal Gate Chrysler Dodge Jeep at 500 Admiral Weinel Boulevard. Police were notified of the thefts at 5:44 a.m. The stolen vehicles were an orange 2018 Dodge Charger, a red 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee and white 2019 Dodge Durango. 

Jan. 1
Kyle J. Early, 26, of Columbia, was arrested on a Monroe County warrant at 11000 Bluff Road.

Jan. 2
Patrick McClanahan, 23, of Millstadt, was arrested on an in-state warrant on Route 3 at Valmeyer Road.

Jan. 4
Brian S. Curry, 39, of St. Louis, was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia, driving while license suspended, no insurance and no registration on Route 3 at Route 158.

Millstadt Police
Dec. 27
Criminal damage to the park bathrooms at Tuffy Mueth Field is under investigation. 

Dec. 31
A traffic stop on Lexington Drive resulted in the arrest of Jennifer A. McClure, 35, of Millstadt, on a St. Clair County warrant. McClure was also charged with possession of methamphetamine.

Monroe County Sheriff
Dec. 4
Alexander J. Gould, 18, of Dupo, was charged with felony threats to school building/personnel following a November incident in which court information alleges he sent alarming social media messages involving Career Center of Southern Illinois.

Dec. 28
Alexa Wetzel, 41, of Waterloo, was cited for improper use of an electronic device on Jefferson Drive at Hamacher Street in Waterloo.

Dec. 31
Robert E. Vineyard, 57, of Dupo, was arrested on Route 3 at Palmer Road for driving while license revoked and on warrants out of St. Clair County and Bond County in addition to a warrant out of Jefferson County, Mo.

Jan. 4
Jamie Kempfer, 35, of Prairie du Rocher, was picked up on an arrest warrant for possession of methamphetamine stemming from an October incident.

Jan. 5
Rodney J. Lewis, 30, of Collinsville, was arrested for possession of cannabis, possession of ammunition without FOID and obstructing identification on I-255.

Andrew Wittenbrink, 30, of Red Bud, was arrested for possession of methamphetamine on South Main Street in Hecker.

Jan. 7
Tesla Sensabaugh, 25, of St. Louis, was arrested on a petition to revoke probation.

Waterloo Police
Dec. 15
Tyler Melvin, 19, of Marthasville, Mo., and a juvenile were each cited for unlawful consumption of alcohol in the 800 block of Route 3.

Dec. 26
Scott A.E. Kelley, 25, of Barnhart, Mo., was arrested for aggravated assault (use of weapon) following an incident in the 200 block of North Main Street during which he carried an uncased, loaded pistol.

Dec. 30
The theft of money from an unlocked vehicle parked outside of Subway, 881 N. Illinois Route 3, is under investigation. Police said that sometime between 6 and 8 p.m., $120 in cash and a vape valued at $80 were stolen from the unlocked vehicle.

Jan. 1
Carmona-Gomez Cirino, 39, of Waterloo, was arrested for DUI and no insurance in the parking lot of Denny’s, 959 N. Illinois Route 3.

Jan. 3
Angela Bush, 45, of Waterloo, was arrested for DUI and criminal damage to state supported property (roadway) on Route 3 at Vandebrook Drive. 

Jan. 4
Eric Peters, 22, of Waterloo, was arrested for retail theft at Walmart after allegedly stealing food items from the store.

Jan. 5
John Ford, 47, of Waterloo, was arrested for DUI and illegal squealing of tires on South Main Street.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department’s Aggressive Criminal Enforcement Unit arrested several individuals on methamphetamine charges following multiple traffic stops last week throughout the county.

“(The) ACE Unit is out in full force,” Monroe County Sheriff Neal Rohlfing said. “Most of you have noticed that the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department has turned up the heat on those individuals that are involved in narcotics use or the sale of them. We will continue our relentless pursuit of these individuals to keep our county safe.”

Last Tuesday, meth was detected during a traffic stop in Waterloo and two people were arrested. Ronald K. Meyer Jr., 33, of Festus, Mo., was charged with meth trafficking for bringing less than five grams of meth from Missouri into Illinois. Jennifer N. Grounds, 33, of Millstadt, was charged with possession of meth.

Both remain in custody at the Monroe County Jail.

Last Wednesday, the ACE Unit conducted another traffic stop in Waterloo that turned up meth.  Cynthia Jeter, 20, of Okawville, was charged with meth trafficking as a result.

Jeter remains in custody at the county jail.

Another traffic stop last Wednesday in Columbia turned up more meth. Danielle J.R. Demoret, 28, and Brian L. Nelson, 38, both of Hutchinson, Kan., were each charged with possession of meth.

Both remain in custody at the county jail.

The MCSD’s ACE Unit ACE focuses on drug-related crimes and other serious offenses such as burglaries or sex offenders. Deputies assigned to this unit are not being drawn from ongoing patrols, nor are they called on to conduct patrols while engaged in an ACE action.

“If you have any information on individuals involved in narcotics and want to report it, please call 618-939-8477,” Rohlfing said.

Steven P. Gibson

The pharmacist and former owner of Gibson’s Discount Drugs in Red Bud was sentenced to 33 months in prison for engaging in a scheme to defraud federal health care benefit programs and private insurance companies.

Steven P. Gibson, 30, entered a guilty plea to federal charges in August.

Court records establish that Gibson purchased the former Deterding Drugs, located at 1506 S. Main Street, in October 2016 and began defrauding health insurers just two months later.

From December 2016 to February 2018, Gibson submitted nearly 1,000 claims for “make believe” prescriptions under the names of his wife, family members and pharmacy customers. To maximize his fraudulent gains, Gibson deliberately chose the most expensive drugs, such as Creon, a drug used to treat chronic pancreatitis, Pentasa, a drug used to treat ulcerative colitis, and hydroxychloroquine, a drug used to treat and prevent malaria.

The fictitious prescriptions were not authorized by a licensed medical practitioner and were never actually filled.

Gibson’s total take from Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance companies exceeded $620,000 – money he has now been ordered to pay back in restitution.

Gibson’s crimes first came to light in late 2017, after a pharmacy customer recognized her son had been billed for expensive medications he had not received and called to complain. The pharmacist who took that call then discovered Gibson’s fraud, quit her job and notified authorities.

A federal search warrant was executed at the pharmacy on Feb. 8, 2018. Shortly thereafter, Gibson agreed to cooperate in the investigation and plead guilty.

As part of his plea deal, Gibson agreed to repay all of the money and to make restitution payments in advance of sentencing to the fullest extent possible. At sentencing, however, Gibson had repaid only $30,000 and had otherwise failed to account for the rest of the stolen money.

In imposing sentence, U.S. District Judge Staci M. Yandle found Gibson’s failure to pay back more of the money incompatible with his expressions of remorse and refused to award him credit for acceptance of responsibility.

“Talk is cheap,” Judge Yandle told the defendant, quoting an opinion from the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. “The remorseful or repentant criminal would want to do everything possible to rectify the harmful consequences of his crime, and so if he still has any of the loot he will return it.”

Judge Yandle was also troubled by statements made by Gibson’s wife in an online post to the pharmacy’s public Facebook account. The post, which was made on the same day Gibson pleaded guilty but was recently taken down, attempted to downplay his criminal conduct to the pharmacy’s customers:

“Everything that was wrote about us receiving 630,000 or whatever the number that was put out there, is laughable to me and completely false. I SEE our bank accounts, I KNOW. Everything that was wrote about him running claims and collecting money on multiple people that is a complete LIE. I know all the details of the investigation.”

Although Gibson’s attorney maintained that his client had not known about his wife’s Facebook post and did not condone it, Judge Yandle found that position not credible and specifically cited the Facebook post as further indication Gibson had not adequately accepted responsibility for his crimes.

In handing down the nearly three-year sentence, Judge Yandle also emphasized the seriousness of so-called “white collar crimes” such as this one. “Some people minimize these kinds of crime,” she said. “This court does not.

Gibson’s sentence also includes two years of supervised release.

Pictured is the scene of Wednesday’s fire near Red Bud. (North County News photo)

Six departments battled a large fire at the former recycling center just north of Red Bud city limits near the Monroe County line off Route 159 on Wednesday morning.

The call went out at 7:48 a.m. Route 159 was temporarily closed to traffic in the area of the blaze due to visibility concerns as a result of heavy smoke.

Assisting the Red Bud Fire Department at the scene were Hecker, Prairie du Rocher, Waterloo, Baldwin and Evansville firefighters. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department assisted with traffic control.

The North County News reported that Advanced Equipment operates a business on the property, with other buildings used as garages and storage.

(Editor’s note: Information in this report is gathered directly from area police agencies, county courts and emergency radio dispatch. The public is reminded that defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty and charges may sometimes be dropped or reduced as part of the legal process.)

Columbia Police
Jan. 8
Tamara M. Van, 26, of O’Fallon, was arrested on a fugitive from justice warrant and on a St. Clair County warrant.

Jan. 11
Columbia police handled four crash reports and several motorist assist calls during an afternoon snow storm. The main problem areas were the Route 158 ramps to and from Route 3. The most significant crash occurred on Main Street at Cherry Street at about 3:15 p.m. involving a school bus with 21 passengers on board driven by Judith Carter, 65, of Columbia and a Mazda CX-9 driven by Megan Gilbreth, 34, of Waterloo. The school bus was attempting to turn onto Cherry Street from southbound on Main when the Mazda struck its back fender. No injuries were reported in the crash.

Jan. 13
Columbia police are investigating the early morning theft of an SUV as well as two vehicle break-ins during the same time period. A black 2007 Cadillac Escalade was stolen from the 600 block of Briar Lakes Place. The theft was reported shortly after 9:20 a.m., but the crime is believed to have occurred between 3 and 5 a.m. The vehicle, which has not yet been recovered, was unlocked with its keys inside. Also early Sunday morning, a Chevrolet Equinox was entered in the 2500 block of Columbia Lakes Drive and a Dodge Ram was entered in the 2600 block of Columbia Lakes Drive, both with items reported missing. There were no signs of forced entry to either vehicle. “We can’t remind people enough to lock their vehicles overnight and keep valuables out of plain sight,” Columbia Police Chief Jerry Paul said. Anyone who may have observed suspicious behavior in the area of the thefts is asked to call 281-5151.

Monroe County Sheriff
Jan. 7
Ramone M. Connor, 25, of Cahokia, was arrested on a Monroe County warrant on Route 3. Also arrested in the traffic stop was Briana N. Graves, 24, on a St. Clair County warrant.

Jessica Ahne, 27, of Waterloo, was arrested on a St. Clair County warrant.

Jan. 11
Deputies responded to several motorist assist calls and a few minor crashes during the late afternoon snow storm, including non-injury crashes on Route 158 at Route 3 and Route 3 at Kaskaskia Road. 

Waterloo Police
Jan. 11
A 17-year-old was issued a city ordinance violation for possession of an e-cigarette at Waterloo High School, 505 E. Bulldog Boulevard.

Jan. 14
Jerry Edwards, 58, of Waterloo, was arrested for possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia on Hamacher Street at Rogers Street.

Top Shooters Sports Bar is located at 531 Old State Route 3 in Columbia.

Columbia police are investigating an early Sunday morning burglary to Top Shooters Sports Bar, located at 531 Old State Route 3.

The burglary was reported shortly before 7 a.m. Sunday, police said. A rear door was forced open with an undisclosed amount of items taken from the building.

The burglary is believed to have occurred between 1:30 and 7 a.m., police said.

An Illinois State Police crime scene unit is assisting with the investigation.

Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact the Columbia Police Department at 618-281-5151.

(Editor’s note: Information in this report is gathered directly from area police agencies, county courts and emergency radio dispatch. The public is reminded that defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty and charges may sometimes be dropped or reduced as part of the legal process.)

Columbia Police
Jan. 16
A Cadillac Escalade reported stolen Jan. 13 from Briar Lakes Place was recovered at a Walmart in Sullivan, Mo. The driver of the SUV, Jacob Johnson, 31, of Sullivan, Mo., was charged with possession of a stolen vehicle. Columbia police continue to investigate the case, including the possible link to vehicle break-ins reported near the area of the stolen vehicle on Jan. 13.

William P. Frizzelle, 34, of Columbia, was arrested on an in-state warrant and for no valid registration and no insurance on Admiral Parkway.

Jan. 17
Sheneal D. Bell, 32, of St. Louis, was arrested on an in-state warrant.

Jan. 18
Amanda L. Lavalle, 38, of Union, Mo., was arrested for possession of a controlled substance, driving while license revoked, no insurance, improper lane usage and improper use of registration on I-255 westbound.

Thomas Rachels, 46, of Columbia, was taken into custody in the 600 block of Bridgeview Drive about 11:45 a.m. for Belleville police on charges of felony aggravated fleeing/eluding and driving while license suspended after the white Kia he was driving fled a traffic stop and drove at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour on I-255.

Jan. 20
Remington Miller, 18, of Columbia, was arrested for aggravated domestic battery and domestic battery following an incident at 165 Admiral Trost Road.

Millstadt Police
Jan. 7
At 2:35 a.m., police stopped a vehicle for disobeying the stop sign at Washington Street and Jefferson Street. The vehicle traveled through the intersection at a high rate of speed and the officer was not able to stop the vehicle until Route 158 past Besse Lane. The driver, Kierston Dingwell, 21, of Waterloo, was arrested for DUI. While at the police station, Dingwell allegedly kicked the officer in the stomach and damaged a wall in the police station interview room. Dingwell was additionally charged with aggravated battery of a police officer and criminal damage to government supported property. 

Monroe County Sheriff
Dec. 12
Mark W. Novack, 61, of Waterloo, was charged with possession of a controlled substance (cocaine) stemming from an Aug. 16 incident.

Jan. 15
Bridget Humes, 37, of Waterloo, was arrested on a Monroe County warrant.

Ishea Young, 37, was arrested on a St. Clair County warrant.

Jan. 16
Camden Hurst, 22, of Waterloo, was arrested on a Monroe County warrant on East Hunters Ridge in Valmeyer.

Jeffrey C. Button, 36, of Columbia, was arrested on a MEGSI warrant on Old State Route 3 at Skyline Drive in Columbia.

Jan. 18
Madelyn McGinnis, 21, of Waterloo, was arrested on a Monroe County warrant for failure to appear on the original charge of possession of a controlled substance (fentanyl) stemming from a July 18 incident.

Xenepher Austin, 27, of Belleville, was arrested on a Monroe County warrant.

Destiny Helvey, 36, of Waterloo, was arrested on a Monroe County warrant.

Jan. 19
Derek Muellner, 18, of Fults, was charged with criminal trespass to property following an incident involving his vehicle on Levee Road.

Jan. 20
Cullen Meade, 19, of Red Bud, was cited for unlawful consumption of alcohol on Freedom Avenue in Hecker.

Lori Weltig, 45, of Waterloo, was picked up on an arrest warrant for felony aggravated battery of a handicapped person stemming from a Dec. 13 incident.

Jan. 21
Deputies assisted the Waterloo Fire Department shortly before 10 a.m. in responding to the report of a dog that had fallen through the ice on a pond in the 6500 block of Boehne Drive. Despite rescue attempts, the dog perished in the incident.

Waterloo Police
Jan. 16
A juvenile was issued a city ordinance violation for public fighting at Waterloo Junior High School.

Tyler Arnett, 29, of Valmeyer, was arrested for DUI, no insurance, and improper lighting (one headlight) on Hamacher Street at Rogers Street.

Jan. 21
Matthew Woodcock, 26, of Waterloo, was arrested for domestic battery on Victor Street.

Calls for service increased in two of the three main police agencies in Monroe County in 2018, according to annual statistics reported by the departments.

In the Waterloo Police Department, the calls for service in 2018 totaled 12,018, up from 11,713 in 2017.

That was still the fewest calls for service in the county.

During those calls, officers wrote 745 traffic tickets, 1,085 written warnings and 338 criminal citations.

In addition to calls for service, the department saw an uptick in arrests for possession of methamphetamine and possession of a controlled substance…>>>

Read the details about the crime and arrest statistics for Monroe County, Columbia and Waterloo in the January 30, 2019, issue.

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The National Council for Home Safety and Security ranked Columbia at ninth on its latest list of “Safest Cities in Illinois.”

Columbia is the only city in the top 50 from the metro-east.

“This is because of all the hard work of our officers, detectives and 911 operators,” Columbia Police Chief Jerry Paul said.

Columbia reported eight violent crimes and 73 property crimes in the past year, according to the list.

For the full list, go to www.alarms.org/safest-cities-in-illinois.

FBI crime statistics were reviewed to come up with the “safest cities” list, computing the total number of crimes reported by each city by adding violent crimes and property crimes.

Cities were then rated using population to create a crime rate as the number of crimes per 1,000 residents. Then, the total crime rate variable was transformed so the final number became a score between 0 and 1.

Next, a police adequacy variable (total crimes per number of police employees) was factored in. This number was also transformed to result in a score between 0 and 1.

These two scores were combined to create a safety score for each city.

Last year, Waterloo ranked fourth on the list, which was down slightly from the top overall ranking in 2017.

Columbia, which did not crack the top 50 in 2017, ranked 19th on last year’s list.

“We’re all blessed to live here in Monroe County,” Paul said. “It’s a successful partnership we have with the people who live here. We count on them to call us and they trust us to provide help.”

Pictured, firefighters from four departments work a fire at a shed owned by Bill Dickerson in old Valmeyer.

The owner of a large shed filled with vehicles in Valmeyer that was destroyed by a December 2017 fire has filed a lawsuit against the village, claiming negligence.

William Dickerson II seeks a judgment exceeding $50,000 in each of the two counts of the lawsuit, which was filed last month.

Dickerson’s suit alleges that Valmeyer firefighters discovered that the fire control systems, such as fire hydrants and fire trucks, were not in working order during attempts to control the blaze.

On Jan. 18, Valmeyer’s attorney filed a motion to dismiss the suit, stating the village is entitled to “absolute immunity” from these claims.

A case management hearing is set for Feb. 25.

Firefighters worked well into the morning to contain the large shed fire in the 200 block of School Street in old Valmeyer on Dec. 10, 2017.

Valmeyer Fire Chief Floyd Floarke told the Republic-Times shortly after the fire that the shed was “glowing orange” upon firefighter arrival.

A fire hydrant near the Dickerson home that dates back to before the 1993 flood had no water pressure, so firefighters trucked in water from Moredock Lake, according to a December 2017 article.

“We had some water issues at the very start, but in the end it wouldn’t have made a difference,” Floarke said then. “It was a defensive operation from the start. We were just trying to save the house.”

The presence of fuels and ammunition inside made for a dangerous situation for firefighters in tackling the blaze, Floarke added.

A wood-burning stove was the chief’s “top suspect” in regard to a cause, but he said it was too difficult to determine for sure.

The Maeystown, Columbia and Waterloo fire departments assisted Valmeyer at the scene.

Dickerson’s suit claims the village was negligent or reckless in that it failed to warn residents of the hazardous condition of owning structures adjacent to non-working fire control systems; failed to test, maintain, monitor and repair fire control devices and systems; failed to exercise reasonable care in the maintenance of its fire control systems and was otherwise negligent in the maintenance and upkeep of its fire control systems.

In its motion to dismiss the suit, the village states Dickerson’s claim is subject to the provisions of the Illinois Local Government Tort Immunity Act.

“The plaintiff challenges the condition of the fire hydrants and fire trucks,” Valmeyer’s motion to dismiss states. “These are specifically covered by the immunities.”

The dismiss motion goes on to state that “since there is generally no duty to provide fire protection services, there can be no liability for failure to provide enough water to allow the fire department to extinguish the fire.”

Vincent A. Comparato

A Missouri man is facing felony charges in connection with an alleged home repair scam involving a Waterloo senior citizen.

Vincent A. Comparato, 39, of Wentzville, Mo., was arrested Monday on charges of aggravated home repair fraud and theft by deception. Court information states that between Nov. 1, 2017 and March 31, 2018, Comparato entered into a written contract in the amount of $58,000 with a senior resident of the Sterritt’s Run subdivision in Waterloo for the renovation, repair and installation of a pool and outdoor area “and doing so, knowingly promised performance which the defendant did not intend to perform or knew would not be performed.”

The theft by deception charge alleges that Comparato – who has a criminal history in Missouri – obtained checks in the amount of $9,700, $14,800 and $5,000 as part of the unfulfilled home repair contract.

Bond was set in the amount of $50,000, after which Comparato posted $5,000 with a scheduled court date at the Monroe Courthouse of Feb. 21.

This case was investigated by the Waterloo Police Department.

Anyone who believes they may have fallen victim to a scam, either in person, online or by phone, is urged to contact their local police department immediately.