Wabash County Jobless Rate Remains One Of Best In So. Illinois

Unemployment in Wabash County ticked down last month according to the latest numbers from the state’s department of employment security. The March jobless rate went from 3.8% in February to 3.7% in March. In March of 2021, the Wabash County rate stood at 5.5%.

In the Olney-Mt. Carmel area, employment gains were reported last month in all sectors with the exception of manufacturing and construction.

The best jobless picture last month was found in Randolph County at 3.4% while the worst was again in Pulaski County at 8.3%.

Rosche Extradited To Mt. Carmel To Face Sexual Assault Charges

40 year old Thomas Rosche is back in Mt. Carmel to face predatory criminal sexual assault charges. Rosche is a former Mt. Carmel resident living now in Bradenton, Florida. He was arrested last week by the Sarasota County, Florida Sheriff’s Department on the Wabash County warrant which was the result of a Mt. Carmel Police Department investigation into the alleged sexual abuse of two victims under the age of 13. Wabash County Sheriff Derek Morgan drove to Florida this week to extradite Rosche back to Mt. Carmel. Rosche’s arrest was the second in this investigation with 32 year old Lona McKee of Robinson being arrested in December of 2021 for Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault less than 13 years of age and Permitting the Sexual Abuse of a Child. McKee was in court Monday where a jury trial was scheduled for August 1st.  

Howder Court Appearance In Edwards County Postponed Until June

Today’s court appearance for convicted sex offender Glen Howder was posted until June because of an incident at the Edwards County Courthouse. A suspicious package at the courthouse caused the Edwards County sheriff’s department to close the courthouse. Another similar suspicious package was also found at the Albion Public Library. After the Secretary of State bomb squad was called to the scene, the package was x-ray’d and it was determined to contain pamphlets. By the time the all clear was given, all court appearances scheduled for today were postponed.

Howder, who was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Monday in Wabash County on child porn and aggravated criminal sexual abuse charges, was due to appear in Edwards County yesterday for a pre trial conference on 5 counts of possession of child porn he faces there. Instead, the appearance for the 59 year old Lawrenceville man was postponed until June 7th.

Glen Howder is led back to the Wabash County Jail Monday after being sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Traffic Stop Leads To Arrest Of Mt. Carmel Man

On 4/25/22, Mt. Carmel Police arrested Robert W. Pritchard, age 26, of Albion, for Possession of a Hypodermic Syringe and No Valid Driver’s License following a traffic stop in the 100 block of E 9th Street. Officer Hopper and his K-9 Eleven conducted a free air narcotics sniff to the exterior of Pritchard’s vehicle resulting in Eleven alerting to the presence of narcotics in the vehicle. A search of the vehicle led the discovery of a hypodermic syringe on Pritchard’s person that had been used to ingest methamphetamine. Pritchard also admitted he had never been issued a driver’s license as well. Pritchard was given charges for the above offenses and released on a Notice to Appear in court.

Mt. Carmel Man Jailed Following Traffic Stop

On 4/22/22, Mt. Carmel Police arrested Randall L. Perry, age 53, of Mt. Carmel, for Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol, Driving While License Revoked, and Illegal Transportation of Alcohol following a traffic stop in the 900 block of N Walnut Street. The officer, who knew Perry had a revoked license, found signs suggesting impairment when making contact. Perry submitted to roadside sobriety testing which illustrated several clues to indicate impairment. Perry was placed under arrest and transported to the Wabash County Jail. Perry was processed for DUI and held pending the posting of a $300 cash bond.

Impaired Driver Arrested after Driving 105 mph on I-69

Gibson County – Monday afternoon, April 25, at approximately 1:20 p.m., Sergeant Bill Gadberry was patrolling I-69 near the 35 mile-marker when he stopped the driver of a 2017 Toyota Corolla for driving 105 mph. The driver was identified as Matthew Hill, 34, of Jasper.  Hill displayed signs of impairment and failed field sobriety tests. Further investigation revealed Hill had a blood alcohol content of .19%. Hill was arrested and is currently being held on bond in the Gibson County Jail.

Arrested and Charge:

  • Matthew Hill, 34, of Jasper, IN

  1. Operating a Vehicle while Intoxicated with a BAC of .15% or more, Class A Misdemeanor

Arresting Officer: Sergeant Bill Gadberry, Indiana State Police

Assisting Officer: Trooper Brayden Angermeier, Indiana State Police

Newton Man Dead Following Two Vehicle Crash

ILLINOIS STATE POLICE TRAFFIC CRASH ALERT  

 

The Following Preliminary Information is Being Released by

Illinois State Police District 12 

  

WHAT:                      Fatal Traffic Crash     

  

WHERE:                   US Route 33 just east of E. 1200th Avenue, Jasper County

 

WHEN:                      April 25, 2022 at approximately 3:14 p.m.

  

VEHICLES:              Unit 1- 2011 Black Dodge Journey

 

Unit 2- 2015 White Freightliner Truck Tractor Semi-Trailer  

 

DRIVERS:                 Unit 1- 68-year-old male from Newton, IL – Deceased

 

                                    Unit 2- Tyler G. Carlson, 31-year-old male from Moscow Mills, MO

 

PRELIMINARY:      A preliminary investigation indicates the following occurred: Unit 1 was traveling eastbound on US Route 33 just east of E. 1200th Avenue.  Unit 2 was traveling westbound at the same location.  For an unknown reason Unit 1 crossed the center line into the path of Unit 2.  Unit 2 was unable to avoid striking Unit 2.  After striking Unit 2, Unit 1 left the roadway to left and came to rest in the ditch.  Unit 2 left the roadway to the right and came to rest in the ditch.  Unit 1 driver was pronounced deceased on scene. Unit 2 driver reported no injuries.

Howder Gets 30 Years For Child Porn & Sexual Abuse Charges

59-year-old Glen Howder of Lawrenceville has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after being found guilty last month of sexually abusing a family member and instructing her to take lewd photos of herself.

During a two and a half hour sentencing hearing this afternoon in Wabash County Circuit Court, Judge William C. Hudson sentenced Howder to 20 years in the Department of Corrections on the Class X child porn charge, and 5 years each on two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse which is a Class 2 felony. All of the sentences will run consecutively with Howder serving 50% of the terms. In addition, Howder would be on three years to life parole after his release.

Only one witness was called to testify for the state and that was Mark Sheftick of the State Police crime lab who analyzed one of Howder’s cell phones. He said it contained 135 images of underage boys and girls engaged in a variety of sex acts.

Defense attorney David Benney called a string of Howder’s family members to testify on his behalf. The witnesses included his mother, two sisters, two brothers, three nephews, and a niece. All said Howder was a good man and always takes care of his family. However, Howder did not testify on his own behalf or offer a statement of allocution.

Despite the lengthy prison sentence, Howder’s legal problems are far from over. In Wabash County, he still faces a Class 3 felony charge of unauthorized videotaping of a person under the age of 18. A jury trial of September 6th was set in that case with a pre-trial conference planned for June 21st. Assistant attorney general Shannon O’Brien, who is assisting state’s attorney Kelli Storckman with prosecution, said they made an offer to Howder to settle the final charge, but it was rejected.

Meanwhile in Edwards County, Howder faces 5 counts of possession of child porn which is a Class 3 felony. A pre-trial conference on that case is planned for Tuesday morning at 9:00.

 

 

Glen Howder yells an expletive and makes an obscene gesture as he is led back to the Wabash County Jail following today’s sentencing.

Inflation To Impact Summer Roadwork In Wabash County

Inflation is affecting most areas of our lives and is now impacting the roads you drive on. At last week’s Wabash County Commissioners meeting, highway engineer Dustin Bunting said bids for the county’s motor fuel tax oil and chip bids were opened earlier this month and came in a lot higher than last year. According to Bunting, Mt. Carmel Stabilization Group was the only bidder that saw the cost of prime oil go up 42% over last year; PC oil went up 30%; polymers increased 22.5%; and stone was up 18% over 2021. Bunting said those increased costs will have a definite affect on this year’s work… 

Commissioners agreed with Bunting and accepted the bids.