On January 25, 2025, at 3:25 a.m. Gibson County Central Dispatch received a 911 report of a vehicle parked in the middle of US 41 near CR 925 S. Multiple officers were dispatched to the area due to the vehicle being stopped without lights in an area locally called Dead Man’s Curve. Upon arriving Officers found the driver 34 year old Cameron Martin of Princeton passed out behind the wheel. At that point Deputy Michael Bates approached the Silver 2014 Kia Sportage and began to speak with Mr. Martin. Immediately upon speaking with the driver Deputy Bates detected the odor of alcohol. At that point Deputy Bates began a roadside DUI investigation that resulted in Mr. Martin being placed into custody and transported to the Gibson County Jail. Upon arriving at the Jail Mr. Martin was charged with Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated.
Assisting Deputy Bates in his investigation were Deputy Levi Sims and Fort Branch Officer Louis Jerrell.
All criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Mt. Carmel Man Sentenced To 5 Years On 2022 Charge
A 24 year old Mt. Carmel man has been sentenced to five years in prison on a Class 1 felony count of criminal sexual assault. Michael Haase was arrested in July 2022 by Mt. Carmel Police after a warrant was issued for his arrest. The warrant was the result of a two and half month investigation that began when Wabash County Sheriff Derek Morgan’s office received a report alleging Haase committed criminal sexual assault.
Haase’s case was scheduled to go to a jury trial on February 3rd, but during a pre-trial hearing on Thursday, Haase changed his plea to guilty and was sentenced to the five year term in the Department of Corrections to be followed by three years to life of mandatory supervised release or parole. Haase will have to serve at least 85% of the prison sentence and register as a sex offender upon his release.
Haase, who had been free on a $10,000 cash bond, surrendered to the Wabash County Sheriff’s Department Thursday afternoon to await transport to the DOC.
Another Delay In Case Of Former Deputy
There’s been another continuation in the court case of former Wabash County Sheriff’s Deputy Chase Cheadle. Yesterday, Cheadle was in court for a preliminary hearing but special prosecutor Brian Towne and defense attorney Jonathan Turpin said they had been working on a possible settlement to the case and requested continuance. Cheadle is now due back in court on February 27th for a preliminary hearing. It’s the third straight month, dating back to November 14th that Cheadle’s preliminary hearing has been delayed. Cheadle, who was the sheriff’s department’s canine handler, faces four charges of official misconduct, 1 count of Theft, 1 count of Cruelty to animals, and 2 counts of Animal owner duties. Five of the eight charges are felonies. Cheadle found Kiki unresponsive last July and was arrested following an investigation. He resigned from the sheriff’s department on August 8th.
Naked Man Tased By Authorities Following Thursday Morning Incident
From Wabash County Sheriff Derek Morgan: On 01.23.25 Wabash County 911 received a call of a disturbance at 229 N. Main St. Bellmont. While the deputy was enroute the male aggressor fled the scene in a blue passenger car north on E 400 Rd. The deputy was able to locate the vehicle which was now east bound on Highway 15 driving erratically and at a high rate of speed. Once the deputy topped the hill, he observed a blue passenger car that had crashed just east of the intersection of Highway 15 and E 700 Rd. (Maud Rd.) on the south side of the highway.
As the deputy approached the crashed vehicle the male was actively kicking out the back window of the passenger car. Once he was out of the vehicle, the deputy made contact with the male, who was distraught, confrontational, and out of control, while smoking a cigarette. The deputy tried to speak with the man and he began taking his clothes off, and asked the deputy what branch he was with and threw his cigarette at the deputy. Officer from the Mt. Carmel Police Department arrived for assistance. The male would not comply with directions form law enforcement and began marching naked in the snow. A taser was deployed for the safety of everyone and he was taken into protective custody with no further incidents.
The male continued to talk about Jesus, Donald Trump and nuclear war while threatening to take the police officers' guns and shoot them. The male was transported to Wabash General Hospital for a mental health evaluation.
Morgan Wins Allendale Spelling Bee
Allendale School held its annual Spelling Bee on Thursday, January 23rd. Participating in the Spelling Bee were the following students: Abi Hipsher, Haylee Bergman, Sophia Breen, Grasyn Morgan, Abe Medler, Bennett Morris, Braxton Culp, and Jaxon Moore. Bennett Morris, a 5th grader, finished second in the 10th round. Grasyn Morgan, a 7th grader, is the Spelling Bee Champion. Bennett received a $25 cash prize from Allendale School Student Council and Grasyn received a $50 LifeSaver CD from The Allendale First National Bank and a free year subscription to Britannica Online for Kids.
Spelling Bee Sponsor, Mrs. Dena Tarpley and 1st Place Finisher, Grasyn Morgan.
Spelling Bee Sponsor, Mrs. Dena Tarpley and 2nd Place Finisher, Bennett Morris.
Spelling Bee Elite 8: Sophia Breen, Grasyn Morgan, Abi Hipsher, Haylee Bergman, Jaxon Moore, Braxton Culp, Bennett Morris, and Abe Medler.
Winter Weather Keeping City Crews Busy
At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Mt. Carmel Mayor Joe Judge again praised city workers for their hard work in the wake of two major winter storms and extremely cold temperatures…
Judge said the key to the city’s stellar response was planning and preparation within the city and other local entities….
Judge said while they hope it won’t be needed, the city has ordered another 100 tons of road salt.
Florissant Man Sentenced to 26 Months in Check Washing Scheme
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A Florissant, Missouri, man was sentenced to federal prison after he participated in a scheme to deposit counterfeit checks at an Illinois bank.
Quentin T. Gandy, Jr., 22, pleaded guilty in October to one count of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
“When criminals steal checks from the mail, commit fraud by washing the check and print fake copies, real people are victimized,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. “I appreciate the efforts by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service to disband this organized effort to defraud banks.”
According to court documents, Gandy obtained checks from uncharged conspirators who stole authentic checks from the mail. Using the authentic checks, the conspirators created counterfeit checks using the account name, number and routing information.
Gandy knew the checks were counterfeit with forged signatures and admitted to trying to deposit $48,200 into his bank account in O’Fallon, Illinois.
“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is dedicated to defending the nation’s mail system from criminal activity, preserving the integrity of the U.S. Mail, and protecting United States Postal Service employees. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service values our law enforcement partners for supporting our mission to protect the integrity of the U.S. Mail,” said Ruth M. Mendonça, Inspector in Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which includes the St. Louis Field Office.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service led the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen Howard prosecuted the case.
GUNS STOLEN FROM FIREARMS DEALERS DROPS FOLLOWING ILLINOIS STATE POLICE INSPECTIONS
SPRINGFIELD – Since the Illinois State Police (ISP) began conducting inspections of Federal Firearms License (FFL) dealers, the number of guns stolen from dealers has decreased. In 2024, the number of firearms stolen from FFL dealers in Illinois dropped almost 80% compared to 2023, and 92% compared to 2022.
“Five years ago, I signed a bipartisan law to combat illegal gun trafficking—and the data ISP released today demonstrates that state oversight works,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Too many Illinoisans know the pain of gun violence and the added security measures enforced by ISP are ensuring that guns don’t fall into the wrong hands.”
“Stemming the flow of stolen guns used in crime is one way we are fighting gun violence,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. “Inspections, which ensure firearm dealers have security measures in place, reduces the number of guns stolen often later used to commit violence, and this effort appears to be producing good results.”
To help address the problem of illegal firearms, the General Assembly passed the Firearm Dealer License Certification Act (430 ILCS 68), which went into effect January 18, 2019. Under the Act, each certified FFL dealer was required to have a video security system by January 2, 2021. To help ensure dealers complied, ISP began conducting site visits in 2021, and inspections in 2022. Since the implementation of the Act, but specifically since ISP inspections began looking at security measures, the number of firearms stolen from dealers has dropped.
Today’s announcement arrives a week after ISP released the 2024 interstate shooting data showcasing a 31% decrease in shootings, compared to 2023. ISP’s continued dedication of resources and enforcement actions are effectively reducing the illegal possession of firearms and potentially related gun violence, keeping roads and communities safer statewide.
1 ATF data - https://www.atf.gov/resource-center/data-statistics. Burglary, Larceny, Robbery
2 Preliminary data not finalized.
Owensville man charged for OWI
On January 22, 2025, at 10:31 p.m. Gibson County Deputy Eric Powell conducted a traffic stop on a 2014 Dodge Avenger in the Walmart parking lot after observing an equipment violation on West Broadway in Princeton. Upon approaching the vehicle Deputy Powell detected the odor of burnt Marijuana coming from inside the vehicle and began a roadside OWI investigation. During the investigation standard field sobriety tests were administered. At the time of those tests which were conducted outside the vehicle officers detected the odor of alcohol coming from the driver 44 year old Joshua Maggard of Owensville. At the conclusion of the investigation Mr. Maggard was transported to the Gibson County Jail where he was charged with Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated.
Deputy Powell was assisted in his investigation by Deputies Michael Bates and Bart Wagner. Also assisting in this investigation was Princeton Officer Nick Rainey.
All criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Five big obstacles to opening child care facilities in rural Illinois
Though the state faces a critical child care shortage, the government has not made it easy to open new facilities. These are the biggest roadblocks for providers.
By MOLLY PARKER
Capitol News Illinois
mparker@capitolnewsillinois.com
This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with Capitol News Illinois.
Sixty percent of rural Americans live in child care deserts — regions with too few licensed slots for children. In rural Illinois, that number rises to nearly 70%.
Over the past decade, Illinois has experienced a 33% decline in licensed child care providers, losing nearly 4,300 facilities and about 38,000 licensed slots for children. This loss, driven by years of budget cuts, has outpaced the shrinking child population and hit rural areas the hardest. In 2019, during his first year in office, Gov. JB Pritzker acknowledged that rural providers were closing at an “alarming rate” and vowed to make Illinois the “best state in the nation for families raising young children.”
While the state has increased payments to providers in recent years, it hasn’t been enough to reverse the damage caused by years of budget cuts. The COVID-19 pandemic further destabilized the already fragile system. Despite additional state and federal funding, Illinois has lost about 1,300 providers since Pritzker took office.
But opening new facilities is hard, and the government itself makes things harder. Here are five reasons it’s difficult to open and operate new child care centers in Illinois:
1. Politics delayed federal relief
Experts say that launching a child care center can cost upwards of $1 million, even in rural areas, where people tend to assume that it’s cheaper to start a small business. It’s true that properties may be less expensive than in urban areas, but they are often harder to find in regions with little new construction and many old buildings requiring costly repairs.
The largest source of child care funding in America comes from the federal Child Care and Development Block Grant funds administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. But most of it goes to offset child care payments for low-income parents; only a few exceptions allow spending federal funds on the buildings themselves.
Federal efforts to ease these startup costs for rural regions include a proposed expansion of loans and grants through the Department of Agriculture, but this measure remains tied up in Congress as part of the long-delayed new farm bill.
2. State efforts to help didn’t go very far
Rebuild Illinois is a $45 billion, multiyear capital improvement plan that was passed in 2019, the state’s first such plan in nearly a decade. Through it, the state allocated $100 million for early childhood facilities. But in the first round of funding, only eight programs out of 238 applicants received a combined $55 million in January 2023, with most grants awarded in Chicago and suburban areas. No providers in the southern half of the state received funding. A second $45 million round is planned, but no timeline has been announced.
3. Licensing delays and staffing shortages
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, which oversees child care licensing, is grappling with a staffing crisis. The agency has a 20% vacancy rate for licensing staff and 45% for supervisors, who must review and approve all applications for child care providers.
Navigating Illinois’ complex licensing rules can be hard, and providers say they can’t always get the information they need in a timely manner. Some say their applications have been caught in limbo for months or weeks without explanation. According to DCFS’ own report to the General Assembly, the agency misses its 90-day deadline to approve applications about a third of the time — and in regions with severe staffing shortages, that rate can rise above 50%. Although licensing will soon transfer to the newly created Department of Early Childhood, most changes won’t begin until mid-2026, and what impact they will have on providers is not yet clear.
While DCFS acknowledges the staffing shortages, the agency also attributes delays to provider paperwork errors and holdups from other agencies, like the state fire marshal or local officials.
4. Outdated and contradictory regulations
Illinois’ child care regulations, though intended to protect children, include outdated and contradictory rules that frustrate providers. For instance, one regulation requires blankets in every crib, even though the state prohibits blanket use for sleeping infants to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS. Another rule requires that providers carry coins on walks to use a payphone in emergencies — a relic from a pre-cellphone era.
Providers say that inconsistencies in the rules further complicate an already difficult process for opening and operating child care centers. A DCFS spokesperson told Capitol News Illinois that the agency is working to update some regulations.
5. Low reimbursement rates for providers
The federal Child Care and Development Block Grant is the largest source of child care funding in the U.S. It is administered by states and helps eligible low-income families offset the high cost of child care. The money is paid directly to providers, and the federal government mandates that states reimburse providers at least 50% of market rates and recommends a higher benchmark of 75%. However, Illinois falls short of both targets. As of April 2023, the state reimbursed less than 45% of market rates for child care centers, one of the largest gaps nationwide. This underfunding violated federal equal access provisions, though state officials said that recent subsidy increases have brought Illinois into compliance in most categories.
Rural providers face additional hurdles beyond inadequate reimbursement rates. High startup costs and lower population density make it harder to fill classrooms quickly, prolonging financial strain. Even providers offering unsubsidized care struggle to set fees that reflect the true cost of operations, as many families who barely earn too much to receive a subsidy cannot afford to pay higher rates.
This persistent funding gap leaves providers, particularly those in rural areas, in a difficult financial position.
