Latest news with #PeoriaCountySheriff'sOffice
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
30 agencies get into the Illinois River near East Peoria for training exercises
EAST PEORIA, Ill (WMBD) — If you were driving over the Murray Baker Bridge and happened to see a bunch of armed men in boats, don't worry. It's just a training drill. Some 30 agencies including the Peoria Police Department, the Illinois State Police and the Peoria County Sheriff's Office were involved in a daylong joint maritime training exercise Monday. Basing out of EastPort Marina, the groups, under the auspices of the Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System, practiced and discussed boarding drills on commercial vessels, fire on watercraft, sonar operations and dive operations. The idea was to bring the agencies together and familiarize them with the Illinois river system and the hazards that can arise from potential threats. Among the teams involved from the various agencies were divers as well as those trained in Explosive Ordinance Demolition. James Middlemas, who is the chief deputy of the Peoria County Sheriff's Office, is also the commander of the ILEAS team at the riverfront. 'With such a vast river system that we have here. There are a lot of chemical plants, there's a lot of nasty stuff that is being transported along on this river,' he said. 'So, we want to be able to, if someone were with bad intention, were to get a hold of some of those things, we want to practice and be able to know how we would respond to such a situation.' Middlemas said the groups will spend the first part of the day 'just getting acquainted and understanding what that norm is getting used to being on the water.' Later, he said, 'we'll start throwing some of those other things at them later on to be aware of.' Peoria Police Lt. Mike Johnston said it's a good thing to do occasionally. 'Our day-to-day operations don't usually involve the Illinois River,' Johnston said. 'So, any time we get our specialized assets together to participate in an exercise on the river is an important task for us.' Middlemas feels it is a great opportunity to work with other agencies on possible threats. '[It's a] great opportunity for all of us to kind of unify forces and see how we would combat something like this.' Middlemas said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Yahoo
Man arrested for allegedly trying to meet a teenager; running through yards screaming
HANNA CITY, Ill. (WMBD) — A man was arrested after running through yards yelling someone was trying to kill him, after allegedly trying to go camping with a 15-year-old boy. The Peoria County Sheriff's Office was called at 6 p.m., May 24, to the area of Lakeshore Drive in Hanna City on reports of the man yelling while running through yards, said Sheriff Chris Watkins. When deputies arrived, they found a backpack with an Oklahoma ID belonging to Rusty Barrilleaux, 39, who had allegedly been the man running through yards earlier. Deputies then learned that Barrileaux had allegedly been talking in a 'sexual manner' to what he thought was the teenage boy on an online dating app and was allegedly meeting up with him to go camping, Watkins said. According to the sheriff, when Barrilleaux allegedly went to meet up with the boy, an adult confronted him, and he ran away. The next day, Sunday, May 25, deputies were called again to a wooded area near Murphy Road and Carol Court to reports of smoke coming from the woods, he said. Police dogs were brought to the area and, a short time later, tracked and found Barrilleaux. Deputies also found a campsite they believe he set up. At the campsite, Watkins says, they found a laptop with conversations between what appeared to be Barrilleaux's account and what he may have believed was a juvenile. Barrilleaux allegedly admitted to detectives he was attempting to meet the boy. He was arrested and booked in the Peoria County Jail on charges of indecent solicitation of a minor, grooming, and distribution of harmful material to a minor. As of Monday morning, he is still being held in jail, according to court documents. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Yahoo
Man admits guilt in deadly DUI crash that killed a woman
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — A Hanna City man has pleaded guilty in connection with a deadly crash in January 2023 that left a woman dead. Jeremy E. Perry, 45, pleaded guilty in Peoria County Circuit Court to one count of aggravated DUI in connection with Jan. 15, 2023, crash that killed Miriam Schmid, 43, of Edwards and left her son severely injured. Chemical testing indicated he had cannabis and methamphetamine in his system at the time of the mid-morning collision near the intersection of U.S. Route 150 and Koerner Road. In return for his plea, lesser charges of aggravated DUI, driving on a revoked license and aggravated fleeing and eluding were dismissed by Peoria County prosecutors. The crash was the cumulation of a lengthy flight from deputies with the Peoria County Sheriff's Office who responded to a gas station at the Kickapoo exit off Interstate 74 several minutes prior. The call was for two people who were unresponsive in a Buick LeSabre. Deputies were able to remove a woman from the car but the other person, Perry, drove off. They chased him on Kickapoo-Edwards Road and then onto U.S. Route 150 where he collided head-on with Schmid's vehicle. In all, three vehicles were involved. Schmid was pronounced dead at the scene while her son suffered severe injuries including a traumatic brain injury and a lacerated spleen. A third vehicle was also involved but it wasn't known how they were injured. A review of his plea indicates there was no agreement to what sentence he might receive when he's before Circuit Judge Paul Bauer on June 25. He faces at least three years and possibly up to 14 years behind bars. Bauer could impose a term of probation, but Perry will have to show 'extraordinary circumstances' why he should not go to prison. That's different from most crimes, as the burden is on Jerry to show why he should get probation. If sentenced to prison, Perry would have to serve at least 85% minus whatever time he has spent in custody already. This story will be updated. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Miami Herald
24-03-2025
- Miami Herald
Dump truck driver runs from crash scene and is found dead a day later, IL cops say
A dump truck driver ran from a crash scene while abandoning his vehicle in a ditch and was found dead a day later, Illinois deputies said. Witnesses watched the man flee the Hanna City scene on March 21, but deputies couldn't find the driver, the Peoria County Sheriff's Office said in a news release. The following day, nearly four hours later at around 2:30 a.m., a local business called deputies and said it found a person not breathing behind its dumpsters, deputies said. The person was identified as the dump truck driver, 39-year-old Keith Siegel, according to the news release. Investigators reviewed camera footage and believe the man fell from a retaining wall and hit his head, according to deputies. Siegel was pronounced dead at the scene. The man from Elmwood is remembered as a 'loving husband and father,' according to his obituary. 'When not spending time with his family, he spent most of his time at Peoria Speedway or working on his B-Mod car,' Siegel's obituary said. 'He was a two-time points Champion, securing multiple feature wins in his career.' The incident remains under investigation, and an autopsy is scheduled, officials said. Hanna City is about a 180-mile drive southwest from Chicago.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Yahoo
Peoria County Sheriff investigates woman's body found in Illinois River
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — The Peoria County Sheriff's Office is investigating the death of a woman who was found in the Illinois River, the sheriff said Tuesday. Sheriff Chris Watkins said his deputies were called to an area near Mosaic Fertilizer in the 8700 block of Cargill Road at 2:30 p.m. Monday on a report of a body in the river. When they arrived, they found the woman who was retrieved from the river by a firefighter from the Pekin Fire Department, which brought their boat. The company is about a quarter mile off where that road intersects with Illinois Route 9. 'Peoria County detectives are currently working with the Peoria County coroner to identify the female and cause of death,' the sheriff said. The woman, he said, appears to be an adult, and it appears she was in the water for at least 24 hours. Please contact Detective Lee Hoffman at (309) 657-5532 with any information that could help officials identify the woman. People can also submit a tip through CrimeStoppers or our Sheriff's App. Another woman was found in the lagoon near that company last May. According to Peoria County Coroner Jaimie Harwood's Facebook, 37-year-old Seiarra (Waddell) DeLasso died from drowning. There were no signs of struggle, trauma, or physical harm. How she ended up in the river is still being investigated. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
