Kentucky man arrested for DUI

On April 14, 2025, at 1:38 a.m. Gibson County Deputy Wes Baumgart conducted a traffic stop on a Silver 2013 Chevy Silverado in the Diplomat parking lot located at 1733 S. State Road 57 after observing an equipment violation on the vehicle. Upon approaching the vehicle, Deputy Baumgart identified the driver as 22-year-old Thomas Knight of Dixon, Kentucky.  While speaking with Mr. Knight, Deputy Baumgart observed multiple clues that the driver may be under the influence of alcohol.  At that point, he began a roadside DUI investigation.  Once the investigation was completed, Deputy Baumgart placed the driver into custody and transported him to the Gibson County Jail.  Upon arriving at the jail, Mr. Knight was charged with Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated-Prior.
 
Oakland City Officer Michael McGregor assisted Deputy Baumgart in his investigation.
 
All criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Mount Carmel man arrested for Public Intoxication

On April 12, 2025, at 7:48 p.m., Gibson County Central Dispatch received a report of a male walking in the roadway carrying a liquor bottle on State Road 64 near the State Road 65 intersection north of Owensville.  Deputy Wyatt Hunt was dispatched to the area, where he located the male who attempted to hide the liquor bottle inside his jacket upon seeing Deputy Hunt.  At that point, Deputy Hunt began a welfare check on the person.  During the investigation, the male, who was later identified as 52-year-old Jason Reavill of Mount Carmel, attempted to give Deputy Hunt a fake identification in an attempt to conceal his identity.  After a brief investigation, Deputy Hunt placed Mr. Reavill into custody and transported him to the Gibson County Jail, where he was charged with Public Intoxication and False Informing. 
 
Deputies Loren Barchett and Quinten Might assisted Deputy Hunt in his investigation.  Owensville Town Marshal Rodger Leister also assisted in the investigation. 
 
All criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Princeton woman arrested for Possession of Marijuana

On April 11, 2025, at 2:32 p.m., Gibson County Deputy Eric Powell conducted a traffic stop on a Silver 2012 Mazda in the 600 block of North Main Street after observing the driver, 22-year-old Jacole Williams of Princeton, commit a moving violation.  During a roadside investigation, Deputy Powell detected the odor of Marijuana. After a brief investigation, Ms. Williams was placed into custody and transported to the Gibson County Jail, where she was charged with Possession of Marijuana and Possession of Paraphernalia.  This is an open investigation.
 
Assisting Deputy Powell in his investigation was Deputy U.B. Smith. 
 
All criminal defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Delays Continue In Case Of Former Deputy

There’s been yet 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 agreed to a two-month delay in the case. Cheadle is now due back in court on June 12th at 9am. It’s the fifth 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 last August 8th.  

Native American mascot ban clears the Illinois House, heads to Senate

Bill requires some K-12 schools to pick new mascots, team names, logos

By BRIDGETTE FOX  
Capitol News Illinois  
bfox@capitolnewsillinois.com 

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois K-12 schools may soon be required to pick new mascots to replace those that reference Native American names and imagery.

That would include logos, team names and mascots which 90 schools throughout the state use, such as the Mt. Zion Braves or the Cahokia Comanches, according to legislators.

House Bill 1237 passed in the House on Thursday with a vote of 71-40.

The bill points out specific mascots and names like “Redskins, Braves, Chiefs, Chieftains, Tribe, Indians, or any synonymous term” as those being banned. It also applies to logos with Native American feathered headdresses or traditionally Native American weapons, especially if combined with feathers.

If signed into law, schools would have to have a new mascot chosen by July 1, 2026. Other big changes, that would cost schools money, have a slightly longer delay.

Instead of requiring schools to buy new athletic uniforms and other school materials with new iconography as soon as the bill passes, schools could keep using those old materials until Sept. 1, 2030, as long as the new names and logo designs have been picked out.

There is also an exception for any school whose mascot has a direct tie with a federally recognized tribe and the school gets permission from that tribe to continue using the mascot. That consent would have to be renewed every five years, according to the bill.

This isn’t the first year the bill’s main sponsor, Rep. Maurice West, D-Rockford, has tried to pass the Native mascot ban. 

When West tried in 2020, members of the Native American Chamber of Commerce of Illinois asked him to push for teaching Native American history in schools first.

That education bill didn’t make it into law until 2023.

Read more: Bill requiring schools to teach Native American history heads to Senate floor

“This is about the welfare and benefit of our students. It's about not harming our students,” said Andrew Johnson, executive director of NACCI, during a March 20 committee hearing. “It's also not about polls, popularity, contests, anecdotes, tradition, honor, DEI, wokeness or political correctness.”

Advocates said they wanted to focus on K-12 schools because they can choose not to be fans of professional sports teams like the Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL, but they can’t choose not to send their children to school.

This bill also does not apply to universities.

Educators and representatives said the bill would minimize children’s exposure in school to stereotypes about Native Americans.

“At one point, native mascots and logos were the most widespread education about native people in our state,” said Megan Bang, a professor at Northwestern University, during a committee hearing. “This year is our first time as a state to require teaching about native people.”

Read more: Pritzker signs bills expanding protections for Native Americans

“The contradictions of both having educators teach about real Native people, but continue to perpetuate stereotyped images, sets up for educators to have harder times with young people, and sets in motion contradictory learning objectives for young people as well,” Bang said.

When the bill was discussed on the House floor, Republicans were united against the bill in their votes after they came back from an hour-long meeting they took during the bill’s debate.

“If there's bad actors, absolutely let's get rid of them. And I will also just leave you with this question,” Travis Weaver, R-Edwards, said. “This group of people were oppressed, but is oppressed and forgotten better?”

Aaron Golding, member of the Seneca Nation Beaver Clan and member of the Chicago American Indian Community Collaborative, said in March that Native Americans’ input and concerns are often dismissed.

“Our voices and expertise on these issues are ignored,” Golding said. “See, when people are taught about our history prior to 1900 only, without an understanding of our contemporary experiences over the most recent 125 years – and ‘recent’ is pretty loosely said there – it's easy to dismiss us as ghosts of the past whose needs don't matter today.”

The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.


Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.  

Late Tax Information & Dates

From Wabash County Treasurer Angela Broster:

If you have not paid the first or second installment there is a 3% penalty added to the first payment amount and a 1.5% penalty fee added to the second payment amount. Payments may be made in person at the Treasurer’s office or you may use the drop box in front of the Courthouse. Please contact the Treasurer’s office at 262-5262 regarding the correct amount with penalties.

Certified Notices will be mailed out on Thursday, April 17, 2025, then a Certified Fee of $10.00 will be added to the amount of tax due along with the penalties.

The last day to keep your name out of the paper is Friday, April 25, 2025. Names will be published in the paper on Friday, May 2, 2025. The Treasurer’s Office will not accept personal checks after May 9, 2025.

Wednesday, May 14, 2025 is the last day to pay with a Credit Card on the website listed on the back of the tax bill. Credit Card payments can be made online at www.govtechtaxpro.com.

Friday, May 23, 2025 is the Tax Sale at 10am in the Court Room.

If you have any questions or concerns about your tax bill, please feel free to contact our office.

Princeton man arrested for OWI

On April 9, 2025, at 4:19 p.m., Gibson County Central Dispatch received a report of a vehicle stuck in a field near County Road 800 West and County Road 100 North.  The caller provided a detailed description of the stuck vehicle and the driver. Consequently, Communications Officer Amber Lowery dispatched county units to the area.  Upon arrival, deputies found a black 2024 Chevy Malibu stuck in the field and identified the driver as 36-year-old Kyle Douglas of Princeton.  While speaking with Mr. Douglas, deputies noticed signs indicating that the driver was under the influence of an unknown intoxicant.  At this point, Deputy Shawn Holmes initiated a roadside DUI investigation. After the investigation concluded, Mr. Douglas was arrested and transported to the Gibson County Jail, where he was charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated.
 
Assisting Deputy Holmes in this investigation were Deputies Wes Baumgart, Quinten Might, Jim Tucker, and Bart Wagner.
 
All criminal defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.