Pictured is the car involved in Wednesday’s incident in Valmeyer.

Valmeyer police are investigating a possible suspicious person report following an early Wednesday afternoon incident at a residence on Falcon Pointe.

At 12:45 p.m., police received a report that a 6-foot-tall, older white man with gray hair and glasses and wearing gray pants and a black jacket knocked on the front door of a home. When a girl in her teens answered the door, he opened his jacket to partially expose a badge and pistol on his hip.

“He didn’t identify himself or a department,” Valmeyer Police Chief Tom Andres said.

The man stepped inside the residence and displayed two photos of individuals, asking if they lived there, police said. After the girl said she did not recognize those pictured, he exited the residence without further incident. The man did say the correct name of the adult homeowner during his questioning of the girl, police said.

“We’re continuing to investigate this incident and it’s extremely likely this could be a simple case of an individual conducting an investigation or a background check and had the correct name of property owner but the wrong address,” Andres said. “That being said, it is common practice and a professional courtesy to advise the local police department or agency outside of yours that you will be conducting business or an investigation so as to avoid an incident such as this from happening.”

The man left in an unmarked police style 2012 or 2013 silver Chevrolet Impala with a black spotlight, which was seen on surveillance cameras entering and leaving the village within about 10 minutes.

“We strongly believe this to be an isolated incident and if anyone has any information regarding this case, we ask them to please call the Valmeyer Police Department at 618-935-2300 or Monroe County Sheriff’s Department at 618-939-8651,” Andres said.

Curry is pulled in to safety.

The Columbia Fire Department was praised for its quick response following the successful rescue of a dog that had fallen into a large icy pond late Sunday afternoon.

The incident occurred about 4:30 p.m in the 6700 block of Stoneridge Estates off Stemler Road northeast of Columbia.

Kathy Parres’ small white dog named Curry apparently wandered onto an ice-covered pond and fell into cold water. Parres’ grandson, AJ, saw the dog in the water and ran over to neighbor Tim Meyer’s house for help. Wearing just shorts and a short-sleeve shirt with no shoes, Meyer ran over to the pond with AJ.

“AJ wanted to get his little kayak out, but Curry was pretty far out there and we made a decision we were not going to do the rescue ourselves,” Meyer said.

He had Parres call 911, and Columbia firefighters were on scene within minutes. Drew Pansing and Jim Broshears donned coldwater suits and broke through ice all the way out to the dog. Other arriving firefighters pulled Pansing, Broshears and Curry back to safety. Columbia EMS also responded to the incident.

“They got out there in a hurry and had their wet suits on already,” Meyer said. “It went quick once they got there. It was very satisfying to see.”

Meyer estimated the dog was in the water nearly 30 minutes in all. Curry was transported to Mon-Clair Animal Hospital in Millstadt for observation. The dog, who is named after pro basketball star Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, is now home and safe.

“Curry’s back in Golden State,” Meyer said.

K9 Sven

Monroe County Sheriff’s Department K9 Sven is now safer thanks to help from donors and a nonprofit called Protecting K9 Heroes. 

On Friday, it was announced that the department received a first aid medical kit and Narcan kit for free from the company, which it supplied through charitable donations.

Those kits will be used to treat Sven should he happen to inadvertently be exposed to opiates or gets injured in the line of duty.

“Unfortunately, we are losing K9s to the drug epidemic during searches, and our goal is to have their handlers properly equipped in the case of emergencies,” Protecting K9 Heroes stated in a press release. 

Narcan is a drug that blocks the effects of opioids and reverses overdoses within two to five minutes.

Each kit costs $100 on the company’s website. 

Monroe County Sheriff Neal Rohlfing said having that equipment to protect the 3-year-old German Shepherd is sadly necessary…>>> 

Read more in the February 6, 2019, issue.

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Kyle Roider

Kyle Roider waived his right to a preliminary hearing during a brief court appearance Thursday morning at the Monroe County Courthouse in Waterloo.

Had Roider agreed to the hearing, Monroe County State’s Attorney Chris Hitzemann would have outlined the state’s case against Roider so Judge Dennis Doyle could determine whether or not there is sufficient evidence to move forward with a trial. By declining the hearing, Roider acknowledges Doyle would likely have recommended his case for trial.

Roider is charged with first degree murder and aggravated battery in connection with the Jan. 9 shooting death of 35-year-old Steven Becker in Waterloo. Becker’s remains were located Jan. 11 in the basement of Roider’s house in the 100 block of North Church Street. 

In a Jan. 14 appearance, Roider pleaded not guilty to the charges. He is represented by attorney TJ Matthes from the St. Louis law firm of Rosenblum, Schwartz & Fry. Roider remains in the custody of the Monroe County Jail.

“We look forward to presenting this case to a jury,” Matthes said following Thursday’s hearing.

Pictured is the scene of an overturned ambulance on Route 3 early Sunday morning. (submitted photo)

Freezing rain fell throughout the St. Louis area early Sunday morning, leaving local roadways covered with ice and driving conditions treacherous.

There were several reports of vehicles off the roadway in Monroe County, one involving an ambulance.

At about 6 a.m., the Columbia Fire Department and Monroe County Sheriff’s Department assisted Columbia EMS in responding to an overturned MedStar ambulance carrying an injured patient on Route 3 northbound near FF Road. The MedStar ambulance was transporting a patient who was involved in an earlier crash in Randolph County to a St. Louis hospital when it lost control on the ice and overturned.

MedStar paramedic Nick Koester sustained a concussion in the crash, requiring Columbia EMS to transport both the originally injured patient and Koester to a St. Louis hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

“We had a hard time getting to the scene with our fire truck,” Columbia Assistant Fire Chief Jim Broshears said.

Shortly after 7:15 a.m. in south St. Louis County, a Columbia EMS ambulance returning from Mercy Hospital South slid off the icy roadway at Tesson Ferry Road and Interstate 270 on the southbound ramp. The crew was not injured and no patient was onboard at the time of the incident, nor did the ambulance sustain any damage.

Freezing rain continued throughout the morning before tapering off around noon, after which temperatures rose to above freezing.

(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. 23
Kaalon Hill, 24, of Cahokia, was picked up on an arrest warrant for felony obstructing justice following a Dec. 11 incident.

Jan. 31
Corrine N. Lockett, 22, of Columbia, was issued a local ordinance violation for possession of cannabis and arrested for driving while license suspended and driving on suspended registration at 701 Old State Route 3.

Feb. 1
Reesheda T. Williams, 27, of Centreville, was arrested on an in-state warrant and for no valid license and no insurance on Bluff Road at Sand Bank Road.

Dupo Police
Jan. 26
A 35-year-old Dupo man was charged with felony aggravated battery of a child and domestic battery after it is alleged that he struck a boy with the back of his hand and rubbed sandpaper on a young girl’s face.

Millstadt Police
Jan. 17
Jeffrey D. Scharf, 44, of Millstadt, was arrested for DUI and improper lane usage on Route 158.

Jan. 28
Robert S. Harrison, 48, of Millstadt, was arrested on multiple St. Clair County probation warrants and a warrant out of St. Louis in the 300 block of North Jefferson Street.

Jan. 30
Michael C. Robinett, 27, of Millstadt, was arrested for aggravated domestic battery (strangulation) and domestic battery following an incident on Pine Street.

Monroe County Sheriff
Jan. 28
A possible report of fraud involving an insurance company taking unauthorized payments from a resident’s bank account is under investigation.

Jan. 31
Dennis L. Amburn, 35, of Red Bud, was arrested on a Monroe County failure to appear warrant.

William E. Pribble, 29, of Columbia, was arrested on a Monroe County failure to appear warrant.

The theft of items from a vacant farm property on KK Road is under investigation.

Feb. 2
Ahmed M. Abusharbain, 54, of St. Louis, was cited for improper use of electronic device on I-255.

Feb. 3
Melissa Shearer, 39, of New Athens, was arrested for possession of methamphetamine on Route 3 at Wedgewood Drive in Columbia.

Waterloo Police
Jan. 21
Tammy Boren, 49, of Ruma, was charged with forgery following a Dec. 15 incident at Circle K, 209 S. Market Street, during which she allegedly used a counterfeit $50 bill. She is also facing a charge of possession of a controlled substance (hydrocodone, acetaminophen).

Feb. 3
Kurtis Grahlherr, 37, of Waterloo, was cited for criminal defacement of property after he allegedly threw a milkshake on a car in the 200 block of East Third Street.

Brent Goetz, 39, of St. Charles, Mo., was arrested for DUI and speeding on Route 3 at South Library Street.

Matthew Brawley

A Columbia man was sentenced in Monroe County Circuit Court this week to prison for committing sex acts with an underage girl in 2017.

Matthew D. Brawley, 27, of Columbia, was sentenced to three concurrent four-year prison sentences for felony aggravated criminal sexual abuse. He entered a guilty plea late last year to the charges. It was recommended that Brawley serve his time at SWIC Correctional Center in East St. Louis.

Court information states that on Oct. 3, 2017, Brawley committed sex acts with a female victim who was at least 13 but under the age of 17 when the incidents occurred in the 900 block of North Main Street in Columbia.

Columbia police investigated the case.

A person convicted of aggravated criminal sex abuse must register as a sex offender in Illinois.

Lonnie D. Pearson

A Missouri man was sentenced this week in Monroe County Circuit Court to four years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for possession of child pornography stemming from a 2015 arrest on Interstate 255 in Columbia.

Lonnie Dean Pearson, 55, of Kirkwood, Mo., was given credit for 200 days already served in jail and also fined $1,949 in addition to his four-year prison term.

Pearson was arrested Nov. 7, 2015, on a St. Louis County probation violation and for possession of cocaine and drug paraphernalia.

During the I-255 traffic stop, police said Pearson consented to searches of his vehicle and all contents in his possession, including a cell phone. His phone was turned over to the Metropolitan Enforcement Group of Southwestern Illinois multi-jurisdictional drug task force.

At that time, MEGSI found pornographic images on Pearson’s phone and decided to involve the FBI’s Cyber Crimes Task Force. A detailed analysis of the phone by task force investigators determined that Pearson’s phone contained sexually explicit images of adults into which the faces of children were digitally inserted onto the bodies, police said.

Pearson was subsequently charged with possessing child porn.

(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
Feb. 6
Thanh T. Nguyen, 39, of St. Louis, was arrested for DUI at 1 Christ Church Way.

Joseph P. Wilson, 42, of Ellis Grove, was arrested on two counts of felony criminal damage to property (over $500). It is alleged that he damaged a 2003 Kia Optima and 2004 Chevrolet Blazer in the 500 block of South Main Street.

Millstadt Police
Feb. 11
Sometime between 5 p.m. and 6:10 p.m., a vehicle was burglarized on the parking lot of Millstadt Market Place near StongArm CrossFit in the 700 block of West Washington Street. The vehicle was locked and a window was broken out. Anyone who noticed anything suspicious is asked to call  618-476-7250.

Monroe County Sheriff
Feb. 6
A building in the 9400 block of Booster Station Road was broken into, but nothing was reported missing. Forced entry was gained through a door on the north side, which was subsequently left open. Pipes inside the building froze as a result.

Feb. 7
Jesse L. Matthews, 37, was arrested on a Madison County warrant in Valmeyer.

Feb. 8
Joshua R. Ohmart, 42, of Freeburg, was arrested for DUI and illegal transportation of alcohol in the 3900 block of State Route 156.

Feb. 10
Zachary A. Notter, 26, of Waterloo, was arrested for DUI following a non-injury rollover crash that occurred about 1 a.m. in the 2500 block of State Route 156.

Waterloo Police
Feb. 1
Susan Johnson, 54, of Waterloo, was arrested on a Monroe County warrant.

Feb. 5
D’Angelo Miller, 22, of Waterloo, was arrested on a Monroe County warrant and also for resisting a peace officer at 215 Osterhage Drive.

A juvenile was issued a city ordinance violation for unlawful possession of an e-cigarette at Waterloo Junior High School.

Feb. 6
A juvenile was issued a city ordinance violation for unlawful possession of an e-cigarette at Waterloo Junior High School.

Feb. 8
Police are searching for a 44-year-old Waterloo man who left his home in the 500 block of South Market Street while armed with a firearm after making threats to harm himself. He is since believed to have traveled by vehicle to Missouri to visit a relative.

Feb. 9
Maclain Nobbe, 18, of Waterloo, was arrested for DUI, failure to provide information after striking an unattended vehicle, no insurance and driving without headlights on South Library Street.

Feb. 10
Brendan Allen, 27, of Waterloo, was arrested for possession of a controlled substance (amphetamine) and possession of cannabis (more than 30 grams) at Circle K, 209 S. Market Street.

Pictured is Dixon City Manager Danny Langloss as he speaks to the Monroe County Criminal Justice Behavioral Health Task Force last Wednesday.

In February 2015, the rural Northern Illinois town of Dixon was rocked by three drug overdose deaths in 10 days. 

Like most communities, Dixon had seen sporadic overdose deaths, but never so close together. 

The town of approximately 16,000 immediately demanded something be done, with several stakeholders joining in to help.

After a few months of work, the Dixon Police Department unveiled its Safe Passage Initiative, a police deflection program that was only the second of its kind in the country. 

Monroe County is contemplating a similar program.

Police deflection is when people are diverted away from the criminal justice system and into treatment if they have mental health or substance use issues. 

“We cannot arrest our way out of this problem,” Dixon City Manager Danny Langloss told members of the Monroe County Criminal Justice Behavioral Task Force during a meeting last Wednesday at the courthouse in Waterloo.

“What we’ve done for years has failed,” he said. “If we were a private company we would have gone bankrupt and been out of business a long time ago.”

Langloss and DPD Detective Jeff Ragan talked about the initiative to the task force, which was created after Human Support Services and local officials attended a two-day training session in July to focus on strategic planning to reduce recidivism…>>> 

Read more in the February 20, 2019, issue.

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 $28 a year, by clicking here or calling 939-3814.

Local police agencies are attempting to locate two women who allegedly stole a purse from a car in the Monroe County YMCA parking lot late Thursday afternoon and used a credit card from the purse to make purchases at three local businesses totaling nearly $2,000.

The stolen card was used at Walgreens and Dollar General in Waterloo and also the Walgreens store in Columbia, police said. Among items purchased at the stores were baby formula and gift cards.

Police said that sometime between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m. Thursday, a window was broken out of a vehicle parked at the YMCA, with a purse stolen from inside.

A possible suspect vehicle has been described as an early-to-mid-2000s white or light-colored Mitsubishi car. It is believed the purse was eventually found on Route 156 just east of Waterloo.

Suspect descriptions gathered from the stores were a white female in a maroon coat aged in her 40s with brown hair covered by a cap and another white female with dirty blond hair wearing a brownish or tan sweatshirt.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, Columbia Police Department and Waterloo Police Department are working together on leads and evidence collected in the case, which remains under investigation.

Police said the crime that occurred locally is very similar to one that took place recently at a YMCA parking lot in Missouri.

“We’re confident that we have suspects in common and are working with authorities in Missouri on this,” WPD Sgt. Eric Zaber said.

Anyone with information that may be helpful in this case is asked to call 939-8651.

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

A woman from Effingham has been charged with the late January burglary of Top Shooters Sports Bar in Columbia.

Micheala D. Verdeyen, 53, of Effingham, was taken into custody Wednesday by the Effingham County Sheriff’s Department on the Monroe County felony charge.

The burglary was reported shortly before 7 a.m. Jan. 27 at Top Shooters, located at 531 Old State Route 3. A rear door was forced open with an undisclosed amount of items taken from the building, police said.

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

An Illinois State Police crime scene unit assisted Columbia police with the case.

“The investigation is ongoing and we anticipate additional arrests in the future,” Columbia Police Chief Jerry Paul said.

Pictured is one of the suspects in the theft of a vehicle from outside Red Roof Shell on Saturday morning.

Columbia police are investigating the theft of a vehicle Saturday morning from Red Roof Shell gas station on Southport Drive.

At about 8 a.m., a Columbia man parked his dark brown 2013 Ford Escape in front of the gas station and went inside with the vehicle still running and unlocked.

“From the surveillance tape at the business, it was determined two white males in a black 2005 Honda four-door car pulled up next to the Ford Escape,” Columbia Police Chief Jerry Paul said. “A white male passenger jumped out and drove off in the 2013 Ford Escape.”

The 2005 Honda was reported stolen in St. Louis County on Feb. 20, police said.

Both vehicles were last seen traveling toward St. Louis County at a high rate of speed.

Columbia police are seeking assistance from the public in identifying the person captured on surveillance video at the time of the vehicle theft. Anyone with information is asked to call 281-5151.

“Again, we encourage residents to not leave keys in vehicles, lock your vehicle and do not leave expensive items in plain view or secure in the trunk or take inside,” Paul said.

(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
Feb. 15
John J. Woods, 46, of Columbia, was arrested at Bob Brockland Buick-GMC, 580 Old State Route 3, on a warrant out of Collinsville for felony retail theft.

Meghan R. Stumpf, 36, of Waterloo, was arrested on a Monroe County warrant for deceptive practice and also cited for expired registration on Admiral Parkway at Wedgewood Drive.

Feb. 19
Corey W. Johns, 47, of St. Louis, was arrested on an in-state warrant and for driving while license suspended at Midwest Petroleum, 1553 N. Main Street.

Dupo Police
Feb. 19
Charges are pending after police attempted to pull over an SUV driven by a 30-year-old St. Louis man about 9:30 a.m. in the 2300 block of Stolle Road and the vehicle fled north before crashing near the Poplar Street Bridge, after which the man took off on foot. He was eventually apprehended.

Monroe County Sheriff
Feb. 13
Renee L. Sterner, 46, of Cedar Hill, Mo., was arrested for possession of methamphetamine.

Feb. 14
A 17-year-old was arrested on Route 3 at Hanover Road for possession of cannabis and unlawful open title paperwork in connection with a vehicle transaction.

Gordon Anderson Jr., 41, of Valmeyer, was arrested for a Monroe County warrant on East Harrisonville Drive, Valmeyer.

Darryon M. Williams, 18, of Desoto, Mo., was arrested for possession of cannabis following an incident in the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department parking lot, 225 E. Third Street. Police said Williams was at the jail to post bond for an inmate when a deputy observed multiple subjects inside the idling vehicle that brought Williams there. While talking to the subject, the deputy detected a strong odor of cannabis inside the vehicle. A search of this vehicle resulted in the discovery of 96 grams of cannabis. Williams claimed ownership of the cannabis.

Feb. 15
Dennis M. Gildea, 57, of Waterloo, and Michael Presley, 36, of Dupo, were each arrested for possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver and possession of a controlled substance (heroin).

Feb. 18
A report of fraud involving a scam on Facebook that resulted in a rural Waterloo resident paying $2,600 is under investigation.

Waterloo Police
Feb. 1
Austin White, 21, of Ruma, was arrested for battery at the Waterloo Walmart.

Feb. 8
Jason Bronson, 44, of Waterloo, was arrested for domestic battery following an incident in the 500 block of South Market Street.

Feb. 10
Thomas S. Henson, 22, of Waterloo, was charged with unlawful delivery of cannabis in the 300 block of West Mill Street.

Feb. 14
Matthew Miklas, 25, of Floristell, Mo., was issued a city ordinance violation for soliciting without a permit on Briarcliff Drive.

Feb. 16
Raymond Hankins, 54, of Waterloo, was arrested for domestic battery and resisting a peace officer in the 100 block of North Moore Street.

Feb. 17
Amanda Jackson, 33, of Waterloo was arrested on a Monroe County warrant.

Dozens of community members attended Thursday’s Columbia School Board meeting, a dozen of whom addressed the board. 

Most of those 12 expressed support and gratitude toward the school district and its administrators in the wake of recent criticisms, but a few spoke about their concerns. 

Many of the comments related to possible issues involving the district’s special education department. 

That started with Jeanna Wheeler, a special education teacher at Parkview Elementary who has worked in the district for 25 years and lives in Troy.

“The teachers are the heart of the special education department in Columbia,” Wheeler said. “We are the soldiers on the front line. We work hard and we are proud of the progress our students make each day. We hope that the board and the community will continue to know that we are dedicated to the students of Columbia and we will do our very best to make sure their needs are met…>>>

Read more in the February 27, 2019, issue.

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 $28 a year, by clicking here or calling 939-3814.

Pictured is the scene of Sunday’s crash at Mobil On The Run in Waterloo. (Nick Meyer photo)

Waterloo police and Monroe County EMS responded to the Mobil On The Run gas station at 1000 N. Illinois Route 3 early Sunday afternoon after a white Chevrolet Silverado drove through the front of the store, causing extensive damage.

Fortunately, no injuries were reported in the incident, which occurred shortly before 2:10 p.m.

The driver of the pickup was a male, and there were three employees working inside the gas station at the time of the crash.

Mobil On The Run remains closed until further notice.

This is the second time a vehicle has driven through the front of this gas station in recent years.

Pictured is another image from Sunday’s crash.