Mount Vernon, IL – On Wednesday, October 21, 2020, the office of the Jefferson County State’s Attorney Sean Featherstun charged Misty D. Whipple, a 43-year-old female of Mount Vernon, IL, with one count of Aiding a Fugitive for her role in the September 6, 2020 murder of Kyle M. Johnson.  Whipple was taken into custody by officers from the Mount Vernon, IL Police Department at approximately 1:00 p.m. on October 22, 2020.

As it relates to the Aiding a Fugitive charge, a Class 4 Felony, Whipple, a person 18 years or older, on or about September 10, 2020, is alleged to have aided or assisted Rick Meador in fleeing from a warrant for his arrest issued in the State of Illinois, in that the defendant, rented a van which was used to transport Meador from the state of Illinois to the state of Florida and that the defendant did so with the intent to prevent the apprehension of Meador.

The murder occurred on September 6, 2020 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.  Illinois State Police (ISP) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) Zone 8 officials were requested by the Olney Police Department to assist with the homicide investigation. 

Through information gathered during the investigation led by ISP DCI Zone 8, five arrests have resulted in connection with this homicide - Rick A. Meador, an 18-year-old male of Olney, IL for First-Degree Murder and Conspiracy to Commit First-Degree Murder – currently held at the Richland County Jail, Tara N. Haws, a 33-year-old female of Olney, IL for First-Degree Murder by Accountability and Conspiracy to Commit First-Degree Murder – currently held at the Richland County Jail, a 16-year-old female of Olney, IL for First-Degree Murder by Accountability and Conspiracy to Commit First-Degree Murder – currently held at the Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center, Dale E. Boatman Jr., a 32-year-old male of Olney, IL for First-Degree Murder by Accountability and Conspiracy to Commit First-Degree Murder – currently held at the Richland County Jail, and Misty D. Whipple, a 43-year-old female of Mount Vernon, IL for Aiding a Fugitive – currently held at the Jefferson County Jail.

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 Jefferson County State’s Attorney’s Office.