Joint Statement from Wabash County Sheriff J. Derek Morgan and Wabash County State’s Attorney Kelli Storckman regarding the investigation into the death of Wabash County’s K9
“K-9 Kiki was found deceased on 07.14.24. On that same day, the Wabash County Sheriff requested the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) to do an independent investigation into the death of our canine KiKi to avoid any appearance of bias. At that time, Deputy Chase Cheadle was placed on paid administrative leave for the duration of the investigation.
The investigation conducted by the LCSO was presented to the Sheriff and the Wabash County State’s Attorney. Information obtained in the investigation led the Wabash County State’s Attorney’s Office to contact the State of Illinois State’s Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor’s Office on 07.28.24 for further review. Cheadle resigned his position as Deputy Sheriff on August 8th, 2024 while the review was ongoing.
The Appellate Prosecutor reviewed the report and has now filed formal charges in this case. Charges filed in this case are:
4 counts of Official Misconduct (class 3 felony), 1 count of Theft/Deception/>$500<10k (class 3 felony), 1 count of Cruelty to animals (class A misdemeanor), 2 counts of Animal owner duties (class B misdemeanor).
Thank you for your patience during this time. We remain dedicated to serving the interests of our community.”
Cheadle made his first appearance this morning in Wabash County Circuit Court and waived first advisement. A preliminary hearing in the case was set for November 14th.