On November 6, 2020, at 7:37 p.m. Deputy Bryce Jutzi conducted a traffic stop on a Silver 2004 Volkswagen for failing to maintain its lane of travel on State Road 64 near County Road 900 East. Upon approaching the vehicle Deputy Jutzi detected the odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from the driver 49-year-old Kenneth Poettker of Winslow. At that point Deputy Jutzi began a roadside DUI investigation. At the conclusion of his investigation Deputy Jutzi transported Mr. Poettker to the Gibson County Jail where he was charged with Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated. He has since posted a $650 bond.
Assisting Deputy Jutzi in his investigation was Deputy Jennifer Robb.
All Criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Princeton man arrested on DUI charge after two vehicle accident
On November 7, 2020, at 12:59 a.m. Gibson County Central Dispatch received a 911 report of a two vehicle accident involving minor injuries on Old US Highway 41 near Caniff Court. Upon arriving Deputy Bryce Jutzi detected the odor of alcohol coming from 28-year-old Alexander Sparks of Princeton who was the driver of one of the vehicles. Deputy Loren Barchett began an investigation into the accident and with the assistance of Deputy Jutzi he also conducted a DUI investigation. At the conclusion of the investigation Mr. Sparks was transported to the Gibson County Jail. Where he was charged with Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated-With Endangerment. He remains in custody on a $1300 bond.
All Criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Early Morning White County Wreck Injures 2
WHAT: Single Vehicle Personal Injury Traffic Crash
WHERE: Illinois Route 141 at 1600 East, White County
WHEN: Nov. 9, 2020 at approximately 5:23 a.m.
VEHICLE: Unit 1- 2016 Gray Kia Soul
DRIVER: Unit 1- Eva Pollard, 56 year old female from Carmi, IL – Transported by ambulance to an area hospital with minor injuries.
PASSENGER: Unit 1- Tyler Bolin, 19 year old male from Carmi, IL – Transported by ambulance to an area hospital with minor injuries.
PRELIMINARY: A preliminary investigation indicates the following occurred: Unit 1 was traveling east on Illinois Route 141 near 1600 east in White County. The driver of Unit 1 struck a deer in the roadway. Both the driver and passenger were transported by ambulance to an area hospital with minor injuries.
Sparta Man Killed In Fayette County Crash
ISP FATAL TRAFFIC CRASH ALERT
The Following Preliminary Information is Being Released by Illinois State Police District 12
WHAT:
Two Vehicle Fatal Traffic Crash
WHERE:
Illinois Route 185 approximately ½ mile North of 500 East, Fayette County
WHEN:
Nov. 09, 2020 at approximately 10:45 a.m.
VEHICLES:
Unit 1- 2015 White Ford Truck (Commercial Vehicle)
Unit 2- 2018 Silver GMC Pickup Truck
DRIVERS:
Unit 1- Evan Dotson, 26-year-old male from Sparta, IL – Transported by ambulance to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Unit 2- Jesse Rosenberger, 43-year-old male from Vandalia, IL - Uninjured
PASSENGER:
Unit 1- Chad Kinstler, 47-year-old male from Sparta, IL - Deceased
PRELIMINARY: A preliminary investigation indicates the following occurred: Unit 1 was traveling south on Illinois Route 185 approximately ½ mile north of 500 east in Fayette County. Unit 2 was traveling north at the same location. The driver of Unit 1 fell asleep and ran off the road to the right. Unit 1 driver then overcorrected and crossed the center line, striking a trailer being pulled by Unit 2. Unit 1 left the roadway to the left, entered a ditch, then struck a tree. The passenger of Unit 1 succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased on scene. The driver of Unit 1 was transported by ambulance to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The driver of Unit 2 was uninjured. The roadway was closed for approximately 5 hours during the crash investigation.
CHARGES:
The driver of Unit 1 was cited for Improper Lane Usage, Driving While Fatigued, No Valid Drivers License, Failure to Wear Seatbelt by Driver and Operating an Uninsured Motor Vehicle.
All subjects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
District #348 COVID-19 Quarantine & Isolation Rolling List
11/9/20
Mt. Carmel High School
Students in quarantine - 29
Students in isolation - 0
Faculty in quarantine - 1
Faculty in isolation - 0
Mt. Carmel Junior High School
Students in quarantine - 10
Students in isolation - 1
Faculty in quarantine - 2
Faculty in isolation - 0
Mt. Carmel Grade School
Students in quarantine - 8
Students in isolation - 1
Faculty in quarantine - 2
Faculty in isolation - 0
Mt. Carmel Elementary School
Students in quarantine - 7
Students in isolation - 1
Faculty in quarantine - 4
Faculty in isolation - 1
Bus Garage
Drivers in quarantine - 0
Drivers in isolation - 0
Tier 2 Mitigations Start Wednesday For Wabash County & Southern Illinois
Press Release From Governor’s Office:
CHICAGO – Governor Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) are announcing additional COVID-19 mitigation efforts that will be implemented in Region 5 (Southern Illinois), Region 7 (Will and Kankakee counties), and Region 8 (Kane and DuPage counties), beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, November 11, 2020. These regions are seeing a test positivity rate that remains above 8 percent and continues to rise after more than 14-days under Tier 1 mitigations, which exceeds the threshold set for establishing additional mitigation measures under the state’s Restore Illinois Resurgence Plan.
Region 5 has been under Tier 1 of the state’s resurgence mitigation plan since October 22 and Regions 7 and 8 since October 23, after seeing a 7-day rolling average test positivity rate of 8 percent or above for three consecutive days. However, the positivity rate has continued to significantly increase in these regions. Beginning November 11, Regions 5, 7, and 8 will face additional mitigations, such as a tighter gathering cap of 10 individuals rather than 25 and new table caps of six rather than 10 when eating out.
“The situation has worsened considerably in certain areas of the state, with massive increases in the rates of community transmission specifically in three regions. As a result, Regions 5, 7 and 8 – that’s Southern Illinois, and Chicago’s South and Western Suburbs – will join Region 1, Northwestern Illinois, in Tier 2 of our resurgence mitigations starting Wednesday,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Mitigations are only effective if they are followed. The end goal of mitigating the damage the virus is doing to people’s lives is this: keep as much of our economy and our schools as open as possible in a safe manner, and when risk rates in the community surge up, take meaningful action to bring things back down in order to protect ourselves and the people we love.”
“We continue to see COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths increase,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “Science tells us that when you are in close contact with someone, there is an increased risk for virus transmission. We must reduce the opportunities for the virus to spread. Only when the virus can no longer sustainably spread can we end this pandemic. It will take all of us working together, so please, be part of the solution and not the problem and help us reduce the risk of spread.”
For Regions 5, 7, and 8, additional mitigation measures taking effect November 11 include the following:
Bars and Restaurants
Reduce party size from 10 to six individuals
Meetings, Social Events and Gatherings
Maximum indoor/outdoor gathering size of 10 individuals
Applicable to professional, cultural and social group gatherings
This does not reduce the overall facility capacity dictated by general business guidance, such as office, retail, etc.
Not applicable to students participating in-person classroom learning
Not applicable to sports, see sports guidance
Organized Group Recreational Activities
Limit to lesser of 25 guests or 25 percent of overall room capacity both indoors and outdoors
Groups limited to 10 individuals or fewer
Does not apply to fitness centers
These mitigations do not apply to schools.
From the onset of the pandemic, the Illinois Department for Economic Opportunity (DCEO) has launched a variety of small business and community relief programs. The administration continues to work aggressively to support small businesses impacted by the ongoing pandemic, distributing nearly $100 million to Regions 5, 7, and 8 thus far, including business grants and community funding. These programs are guided by an equity framework and seek to address the hardest hit communities with emergency relief dollars. For more information on programs available for businesses and communities, please visit DCEO’s website.
Regions 5, 7 and 8 have seen alarming trends in recent months. As of today, Region 5 is seeing an average positivity rate of 11.5%, with more than twice as many COVID-19 patients entering a hospital each day compared to the summer peak in late August. Regions 7 and 8 each have positivity rates of 13%, with nearly one in seven tests in these regions coming back positive.
In response to the rising test positivity rate statewide, the administration continues to strengthen its nation-leading testing operation. Last week, Illinois surpassed 8 million tests and on November 6 the state reported a record high of 98,401 tests within a 24-hour period. Although the administration continues to build upon this progress, the state’s rate of growth in positivity is outpacing the growth in testing. Given that testing remains readily available throughout the state, it is critical for residents to get tested before developing symptoms. To find the nearest testing center, please visit DPH.Illinois.Gov/Testing.
In the coming days, IDPH will continue to track the positivity rate in Regions 5, 7, and 8 to determine if mitigations can be relaxed, if additional mitigations are required, or if current mitigation should remain in place. IDPH has been working closely with local health departments in the three regions to provide education to the public and offer information to businesses and organizations on safe ways to reopen.
All 11 regions continue to operate under resurgence mitigation framework. A full list of mitigation measures pertaining to some businesses and industries may be found on the DCEO website here.
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Probation Violation Results In 7 Year Prison Term For Albion Man
28 year old Michael Thomason of Albion has been sentenced to 7 years in prison after he violated his probation from a 2019 conviction tied to a rash of car burglaries in Mt. Carmel.
State’s Attorney Cassandra Goldman reports that Thomason was charged in April of last year with unlawful possession of a stolen firearm and burglary in connection to the vehicle break-ins.
Appearing via video today, Thomason admitted to violating the probation and Judge William C. Hudson sentenced him to the 7 year prison term on the Class 2 felonies.
Thomason was arrested by Mt. Carmel Police at a local hotel last year where stolen items were recovered. Arrested with Thomason at the time was Heather Suddarth of Fairfield who was sentenced to probation in connection to the case.
Thomason will be on two years of parole after his release from prison.
WSJD File Photo.
City Council Renews Health Insurance For City Employees
The Mt. Carmel City Council has approved renewing their health insurance coverage with Mutual Medical. The bid was almost $47,000 lower than the only other bidder. The new premium is about 3% higher than the previous year. Neither Mayor Joe Judge nor city commissioners receive health insurance from the city.
NS Railroad Plans Crossing Work
Norfolk Southern Railroad is expected to work on railroad crossings in the city before the end of the year. City Clerk Rudy Witsman told the city council last week that the crossings on Oak and Empire Streets is expected to be done in late this month or early in December.
City Council Reaffirms Financial Support Of AEA
The Mt. Carmel City Council has re-upped their commitment of support with the Area Economic Alliance. The council voted to contribute $3,000 to the AEA, which is the same amount the county chips in and is unchanged from previous years.