by Steve Dunford

WEST CITY, IL –  At this time it is still unclear the whereabouts of Randall Napier and Alonzo Young, two were noticed missing from a Prisoner Transportation Services bus in Crittenden County KY, Kentucky late Friday afternoon.

The bus stopped at West City McDonalds around 1:30 p.m. Friday afternoon.  Crittenden County then contacted West City authorities around 5:00 p.m. to report three prisoners missing.

I spoke with West City Police Chief Scott Choisser this morning.  He said there has not been any stolen vehicles or break-ins over the weekend. There is also no sign of the escapees on surveillance cameras at this point, in which the department has been checking them over the weekend, and still will be checking them today.

“It was shift change time at McDonalds, and my first concern was the employees being accounted for,” said Chief Choisser.  Contact was made with the employees a short time later.

Around 11:15 p.m., one of the three prisoners Charles Kelly was arrested in Crittenden County when he was asking employees and patrons of a convenience store in Marion KY (The Crittendon County Seat) where an area motel was.  He was arrested a short time later.   Below is a link to the story in the Crittenden press.

http://crittendenpress.blogspot.com/

One of the escapees, Randall Napier, has ties to the Madisonville, KY area, which is around 45 miles from Crittenden County.  The third Alonzo Young  was convicted of robbery and assaulting an officer charges in South Dakota.

I attempted to make contact with PTS in Nashville TN this morning, and they are yet to return my call.

Chief Choisser hopes to make a statement sometime today.

 

 

Highlighting the importance of honoring the sacrifices made by local veterans, this upcoming Veterans Day, State Senator Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg) is providing several opportunities for constituents to say thank you for your service. Students in 6, 7, and 8th grades are encouraged to participate in Senator Fowler’s Veterans Day Essay contest, while all constituents are asked to submit a tribute and photo of their friends and family who have served our country to be displayed in the rotunda of the Illinois State Capitol Nov. 1 through Nov. 13.

“This Veterans Day let’s join together to say ‘thank you’ to the brave men and women who have fought to protect our freedoms,” said Fowler. “It’s important that we teach our children about the sacrifices that have been made so that they can sleep safely at night. I hope you will encourage the kids in your life to participate in this essay contest.”

For the contest, students will submit a 300-400-word essay based on the prompt “What is the history of Veterans Day, and why is it important that we celebrate this day each year?” A judge panel of military veterans will review the students’ submitted work and select one winning essay, as well as three to five runners-up essays.

The contest winner and finalists will have the opportunity to visit the Senator at the State Capitol in Springfield on a 2018 Spring Legislative Session Day and will receive Certificates of Recognition from the Illinois Senate. The first-place essay will also be featured in the 2017 Veterans Day Display at the Capitol in November.

All essays and contest entry forms must be submitted to Fowler’s district office email at senatorfowler59@gmail.com by October 26, or participants may drop by the office or mail their entries to 2 North Vine, 6th Floor, Harrisburg, IL 62946. Contest details are available at senatorfowler.com.  

Aside from the essay contest, Fowler is also encouraging constituents to submit a tribute and photo of loved ones who have served to be displayed in the rotunda of the Illinois State Capitol.

“While we will never truly be able to properly thank these people for what they have done for us, on Veterans Day, let’s show our veterans that their sacrifices have not been forgotten,” said Fowler.

Families are to submit a photo and written story (max: 250 words) along with the following information: name, military branch (Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, National Guard, Navy) and conflict served (Afghanistan, Iraq, September 11, Gulf War, Vietnam, Korea, WWII, WWI, Peacetime, other). Military photos are preferred but not necessary.

Please email submissions to veteransday@sgop.ilga.gov by Oct. 30. Submissions can also be mailed to Veterans Day Wall, 309 G Statehouse, Springfield, IL 62706. For questions, call 217-782-1650.

The Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs is also partnering with Sen. Fowler on this tribute to veterans.
“This Veterans Day, let us remember the service of our veterans, and let us renew our national promise to fulfill our sacred obligations to our Illinois Heroes and their families who have sacrificed so much so that we can live free every day of our lives,” said Erica Jeffries, Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

From Sen. Dale Fowler’s office

http://crittendenpress.blogspot.com/2017/10/at-least-1-of-3-escapees-left-custody.html

MARION, KY (Crittenden Press – Please click on the link above for the full story.  Here is an excerpt below)

The escapee has been taken into custody.

Marion Assistant Police Chief Bobby West said employees and patrons at Five Star Convenience Center had notified authorities that Kelly had been in the store asking about where he might find a motel.

They began looking for the escapee downtown and a passerby saw Kelly hiding behind a garbage can at the Farmers Market on Main Street. Police were hailed and they chased him across Main Street where he was eventually taken into custody behind Five Star. He was found trying to hide in a overgrown, weedy area behind The Crittenden Press at 11:15pm.

 

 

MARION, IL – State Representative Dave Severin (R-Benton) today announced that he has been appointed by House Republican Leader Jim Durkin to the Illinois Forestry Development Council and the Flue Gas Desulfurization Task Force.

The Illinois Forestry Council was created from the Illinois Forestry Development Act in 1983. The council’s goal is to identify and evaluate the social, economic, scientific and educational value of Illinois’s forest lands, and product industries.

“I am very excited to have been selected for the Illinois Forestry Council,” Severin said. “It is a great fit for me because forests and protected lands are deeply rooted in the identity of Southern Illinois. I look forward to helping our state better understand its forests and find ways to better protect them.”

Representative Severin was also appointed to the Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD) Task Force. The task force was created to increase the amount Illinois coal mined and burned in the state, while continuing to comply with federal regulations.

“The FGD Task Force is another group I am looking forward to being a part of,” Severin said. “Illinois has an abundance of coal and the task force will make sure that we are maximizing that resource. On top of that, the task force will work with new stacks to comply with federal standards and regulations.

SOURCE:  Office of State Representative Dave Severin 

LOGAN, IL –  Brenden Allen Shaputis, 20, of Ewing and Trenton H. Bennett, 18, of West Frankfort, were taken into custody on October 3 by Franklin County Sheriff’s deputies. Both are facing charges of animal torture and theft over $500. Both charges are Class 3 felonies. Two juveniles, that were 15 and 17, were also arrested and then later released to their parents.

According to the police report the piglets were stolen from the Logan Sow Center, located in rural Franklin County. After stealing the 30 piglets, reportedly only one-week-old, the animals were killed by being hit with a rake, kicked and beaten. One of piglets was also throw from a bridge overpass, the report stated.

Shaputis and Bennett remain in custody in Franklin County Jail, in lieu of $45,000 bond each. Shaputis and Bennett are expected to make their initial court appearance later this week.

The alleged that were charged are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law

Staff Report –