(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. 20
Tanyetta M. Windom, 26, of East St. Louis, was charged with aggravated identity theft involving a senior citizen following incidents that occurred Feb. 11-13. Court information alleges that Windom used the MasterCard of a Columbia woman who is over 60 years of age to fraudulently obtain items in the amount of $1,200.90.

Feb. 23
John J. Woods, 46, of Columbia, was charged with unlawful delivery of fentanyl (1-15 grams) and controlled substance trafficking following a Feb. 15 incident at Bob Brockland Buick-GMC, 580 Old State Route 3. His bond was set at $100,000.

Feb. 24
Thomas J. Ryan, 27, of Granite City, was arrested for DUI and speeding on Admiral Parkway at Mark Drive.

Dupo Police
Feb. 23
Timothy A. Harsey Jr., 32, of Dupo, was arrested for misdemeanor theft and felony obstructing justice after a report that an employee of Dollar General, 110 Transport Drive, had stolen money from a customer’s wallet inside the store. Harsey told police that he had concealed the money in his person and was transported to a hospital, where it was recovered.

Monroe County Sheriff
Feb. 3
Michael W. Pulcher, 44, of Columbia, was arrested for possession of methamphetamine in Columbia.

Feb. 20
Deann J. Touchette, 43, of Columbia, was arrested on North Metter Avenue in Columbia on an Illinois Department of Corrections parole violation.

Jerry L. McCauley, 62, of Red Bud, was transported to Red Bud Regional Hospital for treatment of minor injuries after his 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt lost control due to a snowy/slushy covered roadway on Route 3 just north of Amberwood Lane at about 1:50 a.m.

Feb. 21
Dylan R. Barrett, 21, was arrested on Route 3 at Warren Drive in Waterloo on a St. Clair County warrant.

Brenden T. McCabe, 20, of Bloomsdale, Mo., and Austin W. Matheis, 19, and Michael D. Ballard, 22, both of DeSoto, Mo., were each charged with three counts of felony unlawful possession of vehicle title without complete assignment. Bond for McCabe was set at $200,000. Bond for Matheis was set at $60,000 and bond for Ballard was set at $30,000.

Feb. 23
Ashley E. Clark, 27, of Waterloo, was arrested for a St. Clair County warrant on Route 3 at Hanover Road.

Feb. 24
Jessica Ahne, 28, of Burksville, was arrested for a Monroe County warrant on KK Road.

Feb. 26
Mark T. Fortman, 41, of Fults, was charged with theft following a Feb. 15 incident at Mason’s Restaurant & Bar in Maeystown during which less than $300 worth of alcohol was stolen.

Waterloo Police
Feb. 18
Kurt A. Grahlherr, 37, of Waterloo, was arrested at 301 S. Main Street for violating an order of protection. 

Feb. 24
Steven Fry, 45, of Waterloo, was arrested for possession of weapon by a felon (metal knuckles), driving while license suspended, no insurance and disobeying a stop sign on Moore Street at Mill Street.

Emergency personnel responded shortly after 6:30 p.m. Sunday to a forklift accident involving two young males at the Falling Springs Quarry at 2905 Stolle Road between Cahokia and Dupo.

A 12-year-old boy called from inside the property, telling emergency dispatchers that his 14-year-old friend was trapped by an overturned forklift.

St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department deputies arrived and found the gate locked to the quarry, but were able to make contact with security to let EMS and fire rescue units in. Responding units assisting the sheriff’s department included the Dupo Police Department, Prairie du Pont, Dupo and Cahokia fire departments, and Medstar EMS and ARCH helicopter medics.

“Apparently the boys entered the fenced and gated property unnoticed and somehow were able to start the forklift machine,” St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department Capt. Bruce Fleshren said. “They began operating it, and it rolled over after being driven on the side of a hill, pinning the 14-year-old’s hand under it. The 12-year-old was able to jump and clear the machine, injuring his ankle.”

Responding units found an overturned Telescopic Handler on its side and the 14-year-old on the ground with his left hand pinned underneath the machine.

At 7:45 p.m., the boy was freed and ARCH Air Medical Services airlifted him to Children’s Hospital in St. Louis. A family member told FOX2 that the 14-year-old’s hand was severed and surgeons were evaluating if it can be reattached.

The 12-year-old complained of pain in his right ankle and was transported to Cardinal Glennon Hospital in St. Louis by Medstar.

Police said that according to security, the keys to machines at the quarry are usually locked away and the area is fenced off.

“While extremely lucky they were not killed in this incident, the boys do face the possibility of trespassing and criminal damage charges at the completion of the investigation,” Fleshren said.

The FAA and NTSB are investigating a small plane crash that occurred Tuesday afternoon in rural Waterloo.

The plane, a 1976 Piper PA-32 Cherokee Lance flying from Alabama to Cahokia, was carrying three people ­— pilot Michael Stodard, 62, of Fairhope, Ala., his wife Angel, 61, and their 4-year-old grandson. All survived.

At about 2:45 p.m., local residents Kyle Blanchard and Ross Goessling were heading south toward Waterloo. At the same time, off-duty Waterloo Police Department Sgt. Trin Daws was headed north toward his home at Gilmore Lake and Floraville roads, where his wife, Cathy, was outside raking leaves. Tom Falk was out in his Waterloo Lumber delivery truck and Mark Fortman was poking around for deer antlers.

“I saw the plane and it looked like it was flying low and gliding,” Daws said. “I lost sight of it and when I came around the corner on Gilmore Lake Road I saw it had crashed and was upside down.”

Goessling and Blanchard were heading to their respective homes in Maesytown after finishing up their work day in Smithton.

“I saw the plane and I said, ‘That plane’s way too low,’” Blanchard said. “It looked like it was trying to land on the road. When we made a left turn on Waterloo Road we could see it upside down right by the road.”

The Dawses, Blanchard and Goessling were all on the scene within a minute of the crash. Goessling and Cathy Daws called 911. Blanchard and Daws ran toward the plane. That’s when they heard a baby’s cries.

“When we heard the child crying, we busted two windows out of the side of the plane,” Daws said.

Falk, who had been driving past in a Waterloo Lumber Co. truck with a forklift on it, quickly unloaded to lift and drove it to the plane. Blanchard crawled in and used his shoulder to push up on the little boy to he could unbuckle him from his carseat.

“I let him fall onto me and handed him to (Trin),” he said.

Falk used the forklift to lift the wing just enough for the men to get the baby out. Trin Daws passed the 4-year-old to his wife.

The pilot was airlifted by Survival Flight medical helicopter to Barnes Hospital in St. Louis and the passenger was transported there by ambulance. A second ambulance took the toddler to St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

The wreckage was left overnight on the Daws property, awaiting arrival of investigators and a reclamation team.

Read more on this story in this week’s newspaper.

A brown 2013 Ford Escape that was stolen from the parking lot of the Red Roof Shell gas station in Columbia on Feb. 23 was recovered by a Missouri police agency in the area of Interstate 55 at Loughborough Avenue in south St. Louis city late Tuesday afternoon.

There was minimal damage reported to the vehicle, police said, and the case remains under investigation.

At about 8 a.m. Feb. 23, a Columbia man parked his 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.

Cahokia and Dupo police participated in the Tuesday morning pursuit of a vehicle reported stolen out of Missouri and then a burglary in progress on the Illinois side that eventually resulted in an arrest in St. Louis County.

Dupo Police Chief Kevin Smith said the pursuit went from Mousette Lane in Cahokia to I-255 south to Exit 9 in Dupo, then north on Main Street in Dupo to Route 3 north through Cahokia. The vehicle got stuck by a train in Sauget and ended back on Route 3 south to I-255 south, crossing over the Jefferson Barracks Bridge into Missouri, he said.

“We terminated, but followed with no lights and sirens until the vehicle finally came to a stop on I-55 at Reavis Barracks,” Smith said. “After a short foot pursuit, the subject was taken into custody. Cahokia PD will be issuing the charges.”

A FOX2 news helicopter captured video of the pursuit about 7 a.m. The SUV was reported stolen from a location in Maryland Heights, and at one point the vehicle was traveling 115 miles per hour, the news station reported.

The Waterloo Fire Department responded at 12:45 p.m. Thursday to a fire at Gateway FS’s Waterloo fertilizer plant at 829 Gall Road.

The fire occurred in a building that was part office and partially a seed storage area, Waterloo Fire Chief Aaron Shive said. The fire originated in the ceiling area and was possibly electrical in nature. The cause of the fire was not yet known, however.

“There were no chemicals in the building,” Shive said.

The Columbia Fire Department provided a tanker with additional water. Monroe County EMS, Waterloo Police Department and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department also responded to the scene.

A Gateway FS employee was inside the structure when the fire occurred, Shive said. He used a fire extinguisher in an attempt to knock down the flames but quickly evacuated when that was unsuccessful.

Firefighters were able to knock down the flames within a short amount of time. No injuries were reported.

A Missouri man was charged Wednesday with reckless homicide in connection with a September 2018 vehicle crash on Route 3 in Columbia that claimed the life of a local woman.

The Columbia Police Department announced it has obtained an arrest warrant against Michael Vanderschans, 33, of Winfield, Mo., for one count of reckless homicide (motor vehicle) and aggravated unlawful use of an electronic communications device from the Monroe County State’s Attorney’s Office. Vanderschans’ bond had been set at $50,000 on these felony charges.

Vanderschans turned himself into Columbia police on Wednesday and posted bond. He will appear in court at 9 a.m. Thursday, March 28.

The charges stem from a two-vehicle crash that occurred the evening of Sept. 2, 2018. Vanderschans was the driver of a white Ford F-150 which was traveling south on Route 3 in Columbia when it collided with a 2002 Buick sedan driven by Stacie Thoma, 37, of Columbia, which was traveling east on Veterans Parkway crossing Route 3 toward Columbia High School. Thoma lost her life in the crash.

On the reckless homicide charge, court information alleges that Vanderschans drove his vehicle at a speed “which was greater than was reasonable and proper with regard to the existing traffic conditions and the safety of persons properly on the roadway and at a time when he was reading a GPS map from a handheld cellular phone, (when) he entered into (the intersection) in disobedience to the steady red traffic control lights at the intersection.”

For more on the crash, click here.

“The Columbia Police Department worked closely with and would like to thank the Columbia Volunteer Fire Department, Columbia EMS, Monroe County State’s Attorney’s Office and Illinois State Police, who assisted at the scene as well as throughout the investigation,” Columbia Deputy Chief of Police Jason Donjon said in a press release.

Police Blotter

(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

March 14 

Carter B. Kesler, 18, of Columbia, was cited for unlawful consumption of alcohol and unlawful possession of alcohol at 1315 Palmer Creek Drive.

March 15

A two-vehicle crash occurred about 4:30 p.m. on North Main Street at Ghent Road. A 1999 Mazda Protege driven by Donald Chappell, 54, of Waterloo, was turning left onto North Main from Ghent Road when it was struck by a 2005 Hyundai Elantra driven by Noella Hosick, 20, of Columbia, which was traveling north on Main. Chappell, who was transported to Mercy South in St. Louis County, was cited for failure to yield-turning left. 

March 18

Donald Simon, 49, of St. Louis, was arrested on a warrant for forgery in connection with an Oct. 13 incident at Regions Bank, 100 Columbia Centre. Court information alleges that Simon delivered a fraudulent check to the bank in the amount of $1,826.31.

Dupo Police

March 19

Cahokia and Dupo police participated in the pursuit of a vehicle reported stolen out of Missouri and then a burglary in progress in St. Clair County that eventually resulted in an arrest in St. Louis County shortly after 7 a.m. Dupo Police Chief Kevin Smith said the pursuit went from Mousette Lane in Cahokia to I-255 south to Exit 9 in Dupo, then north on Main Street in Dupo to Route 3 north through Cahokia. The vehicle got stuck by a train in Sauget and ended back on Route 3 south to I-255 south, crossing over the Jefferson Barracks Bridge into Missouri. “We terminated, but followed with no lights and sirens until the vehicle finally came to a stop on I-55 at Reavis Barracks,” Smith said. “After a short foot pursuit, the subject was taken into custody. Cahokia PD will be issuing the charges.”

Monroe County Sheriff

March 14

Lisa A. Ball, 26, of St. Louis, was arrested in Columbia for possession of methamphetamine.

A two-vehicle crash occurred about 7:45 a.m. on Route 156 just east of Trout Camp Road. The vehicles involved were a 2011 Chevrolet Equinox driven by a 16-year-old from Waterloo and a 2014 Dodge Caravan driven by Rachel L. May, 32, of Waterloo, which had two passengers. May was transported to Mercy South in St. Louis County.

March 16

Richard Gettings, 40, of House Springs, Mo., was cited for improper use of an electronic device on I-255. 

David G. Maynard, 39, of Sparta, was arrested on Route 159 near Hecker for no insurance, driving while license suspended, improper use of an electronic device and on warrants out of St. Clair and Jackson counties.

Scott D. Ford, 28, of East Carondelet, and Andi J. Summers, 23, of Belleville, were each arrested for obstructing justice on I-255.

Craig Summers, 47, of Granite City, was arrested for possession of a hypodermic syringe on I-255.

March 19

Adom Carey, 41, of St. Louis, was arrested on a probation violation.

Millstadt Police

March 16

Carmelo Torres, 33, of Belleville, was arrested on a Madison County warrant following a traffic crash shortly after 6:35 p.m. on the parking lot of Circle K, 1 W. Washington Street.

Waterloo Police

March 14

William R. Frese Jr., 32, of Waterloo, was charged with three counts of felony aggravated domestic battery, one felony count of aggravated unlawful restraint and four counts of misdemeanor domestic battery following a March 7 incident in the 400 block of Morrison Avenue. Court information alleges that Frese “intentionally strangled” and hit the victim in the head with a hard plastic cup, among other acts. His bond was set at $100,000.

March 16

Ross H. Schrader, 19, of Waterloo, and a 17-year-old male were each cited for unlawful consumption of alcohol on South Main Street at Fourth Street.

March 17

Chester Thornton, 42, of Red Bud, was arrested for DUI and improper lane usage on Route 3 at Illinois Avenue. 

Police are investigating the Monday theft of a white 2015 Chevrolet Silverado and attached 16-foot trailer while parked on a field road off Steppig Road in rural Columbia.

The owner of the truck said he drove his Polaris Ranger from the trailer to conduct work on the nearby levee and when he returned to the truck in the afternoon, it was gone.

The truck was unlocked with its keys inside when it was stolen, Monroe County Sheriff Neal Rohlfing said. A handgun from inside the Silverado was also stolen, the sheriff said, but the gun was recovered from inside a separate stolen truck found Tuesday in Hillsboro, Mo. Police have two suspects in custody.

The Silverado has not yet been located, however.

Judge Stephen McGlynn ruled Wednesday that Chris Coleman’s post conviction petition process will continue to the step of an evidentiary hearing in at least one matter. 

Coleman, who was convicted in 2011 for the May 5, 2009 murders of his wife, Sheri, and two young sons, Garret, 11, and Gavin, 9, in Columbia is serving concurrent life sentences in the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.

Wednesday marked Coleman’s first appearance at the Monroe County Courthouse since 2011. Members of Coleman’s family were in attendance at the hearing.

Last year, he filed a petition for post conviction relief which, if granted, would afford him a new trial in the same Monroe County court that convicted him. In December, Monroe County State’s Attorney Chris Hitzemann filed a motion to dismiss that petition.

On Wednesday, Judge McGlynn heard four main arguments as to whether or not Coleman’s petition should be dismissed.

The judge decided he needed an evidentiary hearing for at least one of them, which relates to how metadata connected to sexually photographs of Coleman and his mistress, Tara Lintz, was seen by the jury.

McGlynn said he needed the hearing to determine if that metadata, which was not admitted as evidence, got to the jury by accidental oversight or “nefarious conduct” by the state.

“This is a big case,” McGlynn said. “This is serious. We want the community to have confidence that the right verdict was reached. We want the community to have confidence that this was a fair trial. And we certainly want the defendant to understand that he had a fair trial.” 

Metadata is information about other data. In this case, it includes items such as dates when photographs were taken or modified that seem to contradict the timeline the defense outlined for Coleman’s affair with Lintz. A jury consisting of Perry County residents bused in every morning for the 2011 trial rendered the guilty verdict. Jurors interviewed after that trial said a time stamp inconsistency on photos used at trial turned the tide toward a unanimous guilty verdict.

The date of the next hearing has not yet been announced, but McGlynn said they are working to hold it in early to mid-April.

Read more on this story in next week’s Republic-Times.

Firefighters from four local departments responded to a structure fire shortly after 10:30 p.m. Wednesday at 701 Illinois Avenue in Dupo.

The Columbia, Cahokia and Prairie du Pont fire departments assisted Dupo Fire & EMS at the scene.

The occupants of the home – former Dupo school superintendent Terry Milt and his wife – were asleep at the time of the blaze but fortunately some detectors inside their residence alerted them to evacuate, Dupo Fire Chief Kurt Johnson said.

The fire was mostly contained to the garage, Johnson said, but the residence did sustain smoke and water damage, leaving the homeowners displaced.

No injuries were reported in the incident. Firefighters remained on scene for about three hours.

A cause of the fire is undetermined at this time.

In the wake of drivers hitting 16 Illinois State Police cars already this year, local law enforcement is placing more emphasis on enforcing a law designed to protect first responders.

The law, known as Scott’s Law or the Move Over Law, requires motorists to move over and slow down for emergency vehicles that are stopped on the side of the road and have their hazard lights flashing. 

The official citation for violating the law is failure to yield one full lane or reduce speech approaching an emergency vehicle. 

Of those 16 crashes, three have resulted in the deaths of ISP troopers Christopher Lambert, Brooke Jones-Story and Gerald Ellis. 

Both Columbia Police Chief Jerry Paul and Monroe County Sheriff Neal Rohlfing said they see violations of Scott’s Law, but the frequency of it varies. 

Read more in the April 3, 2019, issue.

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The jury trial involving a Columbia man charged with sexual abuse was postponed and additional charges were filed following an incident that occurred shortly before his trial was set to take place Wednesday.

Joshua L. Graves, 37, now faces charges of harassment of witnesses and aggravated assault with a motor vehicle.

About 30 to 45 minutes before Graves was set to stand trial at the Monroe County Courthouse on 2017 charges of aggravated criminal sex abuse involving an underage female, court information states that Graves sped recklessly directly behind a vehicle in which the victim was a passenger and her father was the driver at speeds up to 95 miles per hour, honking his horn while behind and passing the vehicle. The assault charges allege this incident placed the victim and her father in “reasonable apprehension” of being struck by a moving vehicle.

Graves, who was out on bond awaiting Wednesday’s trial, was taken into custody on the new felony charges with bond set at $150,000 (10 percent applies). He was able to post $15,000 and was released from jail.

On Sept. 3, 2017, court information states that Graves committed a sex act with a female victim that was under 13 years of age at the time. The alleged sex abuse occurred at Graves’ place of residence in the 500 block of Columbia Avenue in Columbia, police said.

Multiple departments battled a Saturday afternoon house fire in the 1500 block of Rueck Road in Columbia.

The Columbia Fire Department responded about 2 p.m., with assistance from the Waterloo, Millstadt, Dupo and Prairie du Pont fire departments.

A fire official said on scene that the fire appears to have originated in the attached garage before spreading to the upper level of the home. A female occupant of the home, Gale Goudey, was showering inside when the fire broke out, but was alerted by a relative also inside the home and they quickly evacuated. Goudey went to an area hospital for observation, a fire official said.

Firefighters remained on scene for a few hours.

Check back for more information as it becomes available.