by Steve Dunford
From the dealings of this case this brought back a lot of memories.
I have always had an interest in law enforcement. I used to not believe when people would tell me you would shrink when you get older. The last time I was at the doctor I was 5′ 10″, the same height I was in the 8th grade.
My senior year I was 5′ 11 1/2. I still round it off and list myself at 6′ on my state ID card. I was listed at 6′ 1″ on the basketball roster in high school.
I told my height for this reason. I wanted to be a state cop. The academy would have frowned on that 1/2 inch I failed to grow.
I changed to an education major because I wanted to be a high school basketball coach. At 47, I am still undefeated.
I love picking the mind of policeman. I have three that I can call good friends that are cops. Scott Isaacs, a recently retired Illinois State trooper. Steve Flowers, who is an Illinois Secretary of State Policemen. And Jimmy Emberton, (no his name is not Sanchez) who is a Zeigler Patrolman.
I got to church with retried state trooper Kenny Jones. He is a deacon at Calvary. I love when he tells me about his law enforcement days.
He tells me stories about someone who inspired me to consider law enforcement as a career, the late Don “Frog” Eubanks. He would let me ride shotgun at times in his patrol car.
I had this long introduction to say this, following this story was right down my alley.
I had a pretty intense seizure Friday afternoon. I was mad. I was having to miss the Friday Night Lights. Because of logistics, I cover West Frankfort every week. I am in the Big Red Army now, but I write my stories so teams in the River-to-River can read about the other team as well.
One of the official mugshot’s shared, from WSIL Carolyn Cerda’s Facebook page.
Around 7:00p.m., I began to see Rumors on Facebook that three convicts escaped in West City. There were a few rumors that McDonald’s was robbed. I was noticing listening to the scanner that around 6:00 p.m. that something was going on and I did not know what.
I began to hear familiar names from my burger flipping days when I was in high school and college. They have went very far working for the Morelands. Then I heard West City Police was checking the security cameras on the scanner.
Around 7:30, I called WSIL-TV. When you want to get the word out in Southern Illinois, Channel 3 is the best place. I asked what was going on. They said they didn’t know, but a reporter is on the way.
It was around 8:30 or 9:00 p.m. that I was either tagged or one of my friends from Hardin County shared the convicts came up missing in Crittenden County KY and they were claiming they escaped in Franklin County.
This left me shaking my head. I don’t plan on going in the prison transport business, but I would had a headcount before I left McDonalds, and one on the Cave-in-Rock Ferry. I was wondering why the bus did not have security cameras.
One thought I had was why there were female prisoners on the bus. A prison bus is not the place for mixed company. I could imagine there was a lot of ” hootin’ and hollerin’.”
When they lost the prisoners, said it happened in Southern Illinois, and did not notify authorities up here three hours later left me shaking my head.
There were individuals that were questioning the authorities silence. I have been a sportswriter for two years. I am still green, I have been a newsman for less than a year. I have learned when the cops is not talking, it is a reason. I do not want to say anything that will hurt their effort.
Their top priority was finding out the safety of the employees that work around the stores in the immediate area. I have been a sportswriter for two years. I am still green, I have been a newsman for less than a year. I have learned when the cops are not talking, it is a reason. I do not want to say anything that will hurt their effort.
I am going to use a few Dukes of Hazzard references. I was wondering whether Enos and Cletus were driving the bus.
Then there was a follow up Charles Kelly was on the loose in Marion KY, the Crittenden County seat.
He was captured Friday night. The Crittenden Press, which is the local paper did an outstanding job covering this. He was asking customers and employees in a convenience store where a motel was. I guess he was going to steal the cash to stay the night. I found this out Saturday morning.
I tried to follow up with the Crittenden County jail and the transport company I did not get anywhere with them. There were a lot of people that where saying why do you keep taking about Kentucky? I was told by several there were three people on the loose here not two.
I rarely comment on things that I post on the Franklin County News Facebook page. I will comment on things on my personal Facebook page though. I have been given the permission by the administrators from Talk Benton to share emergency information on the page. It was confusing for me as well.
Sunday I did a lot of investigation on Randall Napier. Someone took a screenshot of some information linking him to Red Fox KY, his hometown. I tried to thank her for the post. I was able to run with the information.
Red Fox is a spot in the road in the Appellations near the West Virginia line. One thing I had to chuckle was that one of the closest towns to Red Fox was Hazzard.
Napier reminded me of the Duke Boys. He seemed “like a good ol boy. Never meaning no harm, beats all you ever saw, been in trouble with the law, since the day he was born.” Reading through some charges, he seemed like he liked to run from “Rosco.”
There was nothing that was a major crime he committed. He seemed like he could not stay out of jail. He was a frequent customer of the county jails in Eastern Kentucky.
I came across he committed some crimes in Madisonville KY, which is 40 miles from Marion KY. I wondered if he had a girlfriend there. I wondered whether if it is where he was picked up.
I can’t understand the transport company not releasing the authorities where he was captured. I tried make an attempt to get the magic question today. They weren’t very nice to say the least.
I believe if it was in Franklin or the surrounding counties, the transport information would have coughed up the information immediately.
When Channel 3 dug up some information on Alonzo Young, he was the one that concerned me. He has not been captured as far as I know. We can’t let our guard down, but each day that goes by I seriously doubt he is in Franklin County.
Don’t think I am going to resort to a life of crime, especially have the experience of escaping. This is a scenario. I would steal me a car, hotwire it, and get out of Dodge as fast as I could.
With no major crimes committed over the weekend here, I would say we can feel we are safe. The incident in Whittington was definitely unrelated.
Other than calling the transport company today, I had a nice conversation with a Crittenden County Deputy. I am wondering if the jail is a separate entity than the sheriff in Kentucky. He described it as the same words that Scott Choisser did, “crazy and driving me nuts.” He did not know Napier was captured.
I am dedicated to everyone to find out if Young is captured. I have used Jim Rasor’s quote when severe weather happens, Don’t be afraid, be aware.
I just hope that if they never escaped in Franklin County, ever penny the West City and Benton Police departments, the Franklin County Sheriff’s office and the Illinois State Police will be reimbursed by Prisoner Transport Company of the expenses occurred on this investigation.
There is a line of Thunderstorms that are crossing the Mississippi as we speak. They are slow moving in front of an advancing cold front toward the area. Small hail and wind gust up to 40 mph have been reported with these storms. They are below severe limits.
Linda Jo Case, age 70 of Galesburg, formerly of Benton, passed away at 8:00 a.m. Saturday, March 25, 2017, in Heartland Health Care Center of Galesburg.
Mrs. Geraldine Simmons, age 90, of Benton IL, passed away at 8:30 a.m. Sunday, August 27, 2017 at Helia Healthcare of Energy.
