Olney, IL – On September 30, 2020, the U.S Marshals Florida / Caribbean Fugitive Task Force and Walton County, FL Sheriff’s Department officials arrested Rick A. Meador, an 18-year-old male of Olney, IL on a Richland County, IL warrant for First-Degree Murder. The arrest took place at the Bass Haven Campground in DeFuniak, FL. Also taken into custody was a 16-year-old female of Olney, IL who was listed as missing and endangered in connection with the Olney murder investigation. Late in the afternoon of September 30, an arrest warrant for First-Degree Murder by Accountability based on the murder charge of Kyle M. Johnson was issued through the office of Richland County State’s Attorney Charles Bradley Vaughn for the juvenile. The 16-year-old female is currently being held in the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice Center in Crestview, FL awaiting extradition.
On September 6, 2020, Illinois State Police (ISP) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) Zone 8 officials were requested by the Olney Police Department to assist with a homicide investigation at the intersection of North Walnut and East Laurel Street in Olney, Illinois. An adult male, later identified as Kyle M. Johnson, a 19-year-old from Olney, IL, was found with multiple gunshot wounds and transported to an area hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
Through information gathered during the investigation led by ISP DCI Zone 8, three arrests have resulted in connection with this homicide - Rick A. Meador, an 18-year-old male of Olney, IL for First-Degree Murder , Tara N. Haws, a 33-year-old female of Olney, IL for First-Degree Murder by Accountability, and a 16-year-old female of Olney, IL for First-Degree Murder by Accountability.
ISP DCI Zone 8 was assisted by the Olney Police Department, Richland County Sheriff’s Department, Mount Vernon Police Department, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department, ISP District 12 Patrol, ISP District 13 Patrol, and the United States Marshals in this investigation. No additional information will be released by the ISP. Any further inquiries should be addressed to the Richland County State’s Attorney’s Office.