A 37-year-old Decatur man is in custody following a car chase and foot pursuit that lasted into Friday morning. The suspect has been identified as 37 year old Philip Joshu of Decatur, IL. 

On Thursday night at approximately 8:45 p.m. Benton officers were requested for assistance by the West Frankfort Police Department who was pursuing a fleeing driver northbound on route 37. 

The West Frankfort Officer relayed that the driver was armed with a handgun.  Upon entering Benton, the suspect turned westbound on Hudelson Street.  The driver then left the roadway west of the intersection of Hudelson and DuQuoin Street, coming to a rest on the railroad tracks.  The driver fled on foot in to the woods near the Benton Park.  Officers from West Frankfort, West City, Franklin County Sheriffs Office, Illinois State Police, Christopher and Benton responded, conducting searches and investigating leads throughout the night. 

This morning at approximately 7:45 a.m. an off duty officer from the West City Police Department spotted the suspect near Greenwood Street on the south east side of town.  Our schools were requested to go on lock down as a precaution.  Officers from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, West City and Benton ultimately located the suspect, capturing him near the 1000 block of South Mcleansboro Street. 

During the arrest, a handbag was recovered containing ammunition and a significant amount of narcotics.  Approximately two pounds of suspected methamphetamine, commonly known as’ ice’, a half pound of marijuana, 30 grams of mushrooms, and suspected LSD was seized.  The methamphetamine has an approximate street value of $80,000.00.     

At approximately 8:15 a.m. an Ameren employee reported finding a handgun just off Route 37 south of Benton.  This was a .45 caliber pistol later determined to be stolen out of Christian County, IL.

Joshu is currently being held at the Franklin County Jail on an arrest warrant out of Macon County for a weapons offense. The investigation continues and further charges are pending at this time. The suspect is presumed innocent of all charges against him.

First Special Olympics was held July 20, 1968, at Soldier Field in Chicago

CARBONDALE — Gov. Bruce Rauner today joined athletes and volunteers for the Special Olympics Illinois 50^th Anniversary Kickoff celebrations at the Touch of Nature Environmental Center in Carbondale.

 “The Special Olympics has its roots in Illinois and is a major source of pride in our state history,” said Gov. Rauner. “For the past fifty years, the Special Olympics has made the world a more compassionate and inclusive place. We thank those who laid the foundation for this life-changing organization.”

 In the 1950’s, Southern Illinoisan Dr. William H. Freeberg, an early leader in therapeutic recreation, started a camp for children and adults with intellectual disabilities at what later became the Touch of Nature Environmental Center. His pioneering work provided invaluable guidance as Eunice Kennedy Shriver built out programs across the country for the special needs community through The Kennedy Foundation. Dr. Freeberg was also a consultant for Shriver and co-founder Anne Burke as they collaborated to plan the first Special Olympics, which was held at Chicago’s Soldier Field in July of 1968.

“On that beautiful day in Soldier Field, while observing the gorgeous sunrise over Lake Michigan, 1000 athletes from twenty-six states and Canada competed in the first Special Olympics,” Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke said. “Fifty years later, the games that were ‘born in Chicago’ started earlier as seedlings at Touch of Nature Educational Center in Carbondale. Special Olympics changed the world forever by celebrating the abilities of people who have disabilities.” 

“The chance to share in the history of Special Olympics is very exciting and it is great to see so much support from Chicago and Springfield, as well as the whole state,” said Special Olympics Illinois Assistant Director Shane Bennett. “Today is also a way for us to showcase the park and facilities that Touch of Nature has to offer.”

The 2018 Special Olympics USA Games will be held in Seattle, Washington from July 1 to July 6. The Games will host 3500 athletes from across the country competing in 14 sports.

For more information about Special Olympics Illinois, click https://www.soill.org/.

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY

…Minor accumulations of snow possible later tonight into
Saturday morning…

Rain should transition to light snow tonight across southeast
Missouri, southern Illinois, southwest Indiana and west Kentucky.
The snow may linger Saturday morning across western Kentucky.
Snowfall amounts should generally be 1 inch or less. Minor travel
impacts cannot be ruled out.

The Winter Storm Watch was cancelled early this morning. The
forecast data has had tremendous difficulty handling snowfall
amounts with this system. All of the latest data points to lower
accumulations.