State Briefs: 10/24/07
AG drops Pepmeyer case
GALESBURG - Knox County State's Attorney John Pepmeyer on Monday hailed the end of what he called an "exhaustive" investigation of him by the Illinois Attorney General's Office.
The attorney general's office concluded there isn't enough evidence to pursue criminal charges against Pepmeyer.
"To be cleared of all charges reaffirms my belief in the criminal justice system," Pepmeyer said in a courtroom filled with his family and other supporters.
Pepmeyer was accused of sexual harassment by three female employees of his office. A federal lawsuit filed by the women is still pending.
Another federal suit filed by three assistant state's attorneys Pepmeyer fired is also pending. Four other employees of Pepmeyer's office have quit since the allegations against him surfaced.
In a letter dated Oct. 12, Deputy Attorney General Ellen Mandeltort asked a judge to terminate the agency's appointment as special prosecutor in the case, which was done Friday.
Pepmeyer called the investigation into him "exhaustive and intensive" and said more than 125 interviews were done.
Dog groomer faces charge
BLOOMINGTON - A Normal dog groomer was charged Monday with throwing antifreeze-laced meat over a fence and poisoning two show dogs.
Denise "Deenie" Read, 44, was charged with intimidation, criminal damage to property and cruelty to animals after turning herself in to police. She was released on $5,000 bond.
Read, also known as Deenie Sullivan and Denise Franks, owns Deenie's Bed and Biscuit, 1811 Morrissey Drive in Bloomington.
Police say on Sept. 18, witnesses saw Read throwing meat over a fence at Canine Design, 1605 S. Bunn St., Bloomington. The meat was found to contain ethylene glycol, commonly found in antifreeze.
Tim Bowling, owner of Canine Design and the two dogs, said he believes the dogs were poisoned in an attempt to run him out of business. Two of Bowling's show dogs became ill the day after eating the meat. Anara, a cocker spaniel, lost sight in one eye and had trouble walking, and Sagata, a pregnant mountain cur, had a miscarriage, Bowling said.
S. Peorian faces up to 10 years for striking child
PEORIA - A South Peoria man faces up to 10 years in prison for disciplining a child last year with a belt.
Montaz L. West, 20, 2801 W. Starr St., pleaded guilty in Peoria County Circuit Court to aggravated battery as part of a plea deal that saw the more serious charge of aggravated battery to a child dismissed.
He now faces up to 10 years in prison when sentenced Dec. 20. He remains free on bond pending that hearing.
The deal almost didn't go through as Chief Peoria County Circuit Judge Stuart Borden seemed to have reservations about the plea, but after discussions with West's attorney, Kevin Lowe, and Assistant State's Attorney Larry Evans, he accepted the deal.
According to Evans, the girl's mother dropped the child off at West's home on May 24. The next day, she noticed severe bruising on the 3-year-old's buttocks and lower legs. When questioned by police, he first admitted to "whooping" her after she threw her food.
Later, he admitted to striking the girl with the belt. Police allege he also struck the girl with his fist, but at the hearing Monday, West denied that.
Amtrak ridership up
CHICAGO - An increase in the number of Amtrak trains that travel across Illinois helped contribute to record "ridership" for the national passenger railroad.
Amtrak's entire system carried 25.8 million travelers in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, the railroad announced today (Tuesday). That is a 6 percent increase above the 24.3 million riders that Amtrak carried during the previous annual period. Amtrak said it was the fifth consecutive yearly increase.
Helping to drive the uptick was the popularity of Amtrak's commuter service on the Northeast corridor, but Illinois also was a factor, officials said. Late last year, the Illinois Department of Transportation more than doubled the number of passenger trains it pays Amtrak to run on three downstate rail corridors to and from Chicago.
On the Chicago-to-St. Louis corridor that includes stops in Normal, Springfield and Lincoln, ridership rose to 477,888 - a 42 percent increase. That figure includes the new state-supported trains and Amtrak cross-country trains that continue to stop along the route.
On the Chicago-Galesburg-Quincy corridor, ridership increased 33 percent to 194,535. On the Chicago-to-Carbondale route, the number of passengers increased 46 percent to 263,809, Amtrak said.
Amtrak, which receives federal assistance, said its total ticket revenue rose 11 percent to $1.5 billion during the last fiscal year.
Village president, ex-cop arrested
SPRINGFIELD - Kenton Manning, the village president of Pawnee and a former secretary of a state police officer, was arrested Monday for allegedly punching his brother-in-law at St. John's Hospital in Springfield.
The incident happened about 1 p.m.
Police said Manning, 56, has a history of "bad blood" with his 51-year-old brother-in-law, who lives in Athens.
Manning could not be reached for comment.
According to police, Manning went to the hospital to visit his sister, and for some reason was very angry with his brother-in-law. Police said Manning walked into his sister's room, approached the brother-in-law and punched him in the nose a couple of times.
The brother-in-law suffered bleeding and redness to his face and nose. Hospital staff gave him an ice pack, but he required no further treatment, police said.
Man arrested in high school threat
GALESBURG - A Galesburg man was arrested for the threatening phone call police initially believed was made by the Knoxville High School student whose own threats caused a school lockdown Oct. 16.
Derek T. Jones, 25, 90 Highland Ave., has been charged with telephone harassment for threatening a Knoxville High School student Oct. 16.
The phone call was made just hours after a 14-year-old male student told classmates he was going to kill them and burn down one of their homes.
Ron Poyner, Knoxville chief of police, said Monday the two events are unrelated.
Poyner said the phone call was made from a restricted line but the department was able to contact the phone company and trace the number. Poyner said Jones initially denied making the threatening phone call but later admitted he made the phone call. Poyner said Jones claimed he dialed a wrong number. Jones failed to turn himself in and was arrested at his home at 4:55 p.m. Friday.
Mom will stand trial in playground beating
OREGON - The last defendant in a battery case that drew cries of public outrage will stand trial in December for allegedly helping her teenage son lure a girl to be beaten.
Authorities say Kimberly Sheffield, 37, helped her son, then 16, plan an attack on a girl, who was also 16, at Stillman Valley's Highland Grade School. The boy told the girl - his ex-girlfriend - to meet him there so his current girlfriend could beat her up, breaking bones in her face and knocking out several teeth.
The beating happened Aug. 16.
Sheffield's son pleaded guilty to aggravated battery and was sentenced to an indefinite stay in the St. Charles juvenile correctional facility. An Ogle County judge found Sheffield unfit to raise the boy, who could be put in foster care upon his release.
Sheriff's deputy charged with homicide
ROCKFORD - The Illinois Attorney General's office indicted Winnebago County Sheriff Deputy Joseph Boomer on criminal charges of reckless homicide and aggravated reckless driving in connection with an accident last year that left two brothers dead.
Aaron Bachman, 21, and Daniel Bachman, 15, died in January 2006 when their car collided with Boomer's patrol car which was traveling over 100 mph near West State Street and Weldon Road.
Their sister, Kori, was seriously hurt in the accident.
The case was handed over to the Attorney General's office in April 2006 to avoid an appearance of conflict of interest in the Winnebago County State's Attorney's office. The state's attorney's office is representing Boomer and the Sheriff's department in a wrongful-death lawsuit filed on behalf of the victims.
Irish destination likely for Rockford airport
ROCKFORD - Chicago/Rockford International Airport could get weekly flights to Ireland starting as early as December.
Maryland-based Kenny Tours is in talks to set up regularly scheduled charter service between Rockford and the western Ireland city of Shannon. Kenny Tours would contract with another airline to operate flights, but Kenny Tours would coordinate motor coach tours and lodging in Ireland.
Kenny Tours hopes to have a deal in place with an airline within 10 days and U.S. Department of Transportation approval shortly thereafter.
A company official said one-week vacation package deals start as low as $1,000 a person. The company also plans to offer flights independent of vacation packages.
Kenny Tours is also hoping to start nonstop service to Ireland from Niagara Falls, NY; Lansing, Mich.; Columbus, Ohio; and other markets.
Kenny Tours has been in business since 1989, mostly scheduling trips between the United States and Ireland on other airlines.
New biodiesel plant planned
FREEPORT - Leaders of the Blackhawk Biofuels LLC initiative in Stephenson County hope to break ground on their proposed 30-million gallon biodiesel plant before winter.
Jon Rosenstiel, vice chairman of Blackhawk Biofuels, said the organization is in the "final leg" of negotiations with its lender regarding financing of the project. Once ground is broken, the construction period will likely last 11 to 12 months.
"We should be in production within 12 months (of the groundbreaking)," Rosenstiel said.
Blackhawk Biofuels wants to build a biodiesel plant east of Freeport in the county's Mill Race Industrial Park.
The $62 million facility would use soybean oil, vegetable oil, and animal fat to produce biodiesel fuel.
Coretta King Street sought
MACOMB - The Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority chapter at Western Illinois University asked the city Monday to consider naming a street in memory of civil rights leader Coretta Scott King.
Krystal Williams, chapter president, sent a petition to the city and appeared in person to say the sorority has dedicated many of its service projects to the memory of the wife of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. "We feel she's been a very strong influence in the African-American community," she said.
Williams said the sorority is asking the City Council to choose the location.
Williams told Wisslead she would like to see a January dedication to coincide with the anniversary of the sorority founding at WIU.
Contributing: Rockford Register Star, Macomb Journal, Galesburg Register-Mail, Freeport Journal-Standard, Springfield State Journal-Register, Peoria Journal Star and GateHouse Chicago Bureau.