The Badge

'Beavis and Butt-Head duo' charged in connection with St. Clair County arsons

BY WILL BUSS
News-Democrat

A vigilant homeowner turned a rifle on two men suspected of setting fires in the Freeburg area over the past few weeks and held them until authorities arrived. 

Bryan Boide, 23, of 418 Union Avenue in Belleville, and Nicholas Haegele, 19, of 123 Red Pine Avenue in O'Fallon, each were charged Friday morning in connection with six of seven arsons set in and near Freeburg since April 23. The seventh arson that occurred at Turkey Hill Lane in Belleville on May 9 still is under investigation. 

St. Clair County Sheriff's Capt. Steve Johnson called the two a "Beavis and Butt-Head duo" because of the series of senseless crimes for which they have been charged. 

Police raid St. Clair County stores accused of selling synthetic drugs

News-Democrat

Thirteen businesses in St. Clair County were targeting Tuesday morning as part of an effort to get synthetic drugs off the shelves of Illinois retailers.

Search warrants were executed by the St. Clair County Drug Tactical Unit, the St. Clair County Sheriff's Department, U.S. Marshals, Belleville Police, Cahokia Police, Mascoutah Police, Fairview Heights Police and the Metropolitan Enforcement Group of Southwestern Illinois (MEGSI).

"There is nothing recreational about these insidious drugs," said St. Clair County State's Attorney Brendan Kelly. "They are dangerous and deadly, and responsible retailers have no business keeping them on their shelves. If they won't remove them, we will."

 The businesses served with warrants are:

Crown Food Mart at 348 Collinsville Ave. in East St. Louis; Dupo Fuel Mart at 511 Falling Springs in Dupo; Crown Food Mart at 306 River Park Drive in East St. Louis; Crown Food Mart at 8301 State St. in East St. Louis; Mobil Gas at 9221 Beller Road in Mascoutah; Cahokia Liquor at 527 Route 3 in Cahokia; Sunshine Daydream at 4618 N. Illinois in Fairview Heights; Belleville West Discount Cigarettes at 6007 W. Main St. in Belleville; Town & Country Liquor at 1153 Centreville Ave. in Belleville; Belleville Food Mart at 1424 Centreville Ave. in Belleville; Cheap Cigarettes at 314 Sherman Ave. in Belleville; Stop-N-Go at 8700 Collinville Road in Collinsville at Caseyville Mini-Mart at 8805 Maple Ave. in Caseyville.

Undercover officers at Sunshine Daydream brought out several boxes of merchandise containing packages of the synthetic marijuana as well as several computers and loaded them into police vehicles.

The business was closed during the search, but expects to reopen later Tuesday.

Synthetic drug use has become a significant problem across the state and the county and several deaths in Illinois likely related to the use of synthetic drugs have occurred in the last few months, according to Kelly.

The product is not regulated and the process of mixing and making the synthetic substance can be uncontrolled and unpredictable.

Illinois has outlawed specific formulas of synthetic drugs but manufacturers have gotten around the laws by replacing the banned chemicals with new formulas. An Illinois law that went into effect Jan. 1 bans all chemicals that are structural derivatives of the previously-banned chemicals.

In 2010, poison control centers received 2,915 calls related to synthetic marijuana nationwide. By 2011, the centers reported 6,890 calls nationwide about the drug.

© 2011 Belleville News-Democrat and news service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.bnd.com

 

Texting's cost in black, white

From the Belleville NEws Democrat

Go to the recycling pile and pull out Friday's Page A1. Clip out the lead story and put it on the refrigerator: "Texting tied to fatal crash."

St. Clair County sheriff's investigators said Mindy Hoyt, 29, of Swansea was texting either right before or during the head-on collision that critically injured her and killed her 4-year-old son, Diego Rangel. Imagine her waking up in the hospital, learning of her son's death and then living with her role each time she looks at one of Diego's four brothers for the rest of her life.

Texting while driving is illegal in Illinois for a good reason, yet we all see other drivers looking at their glowing cellphone screens instead of the road. Talking on the cell while driving is legal, but just a bad idea.

Drunken driving since 1982 fell from causing about half to causing one-third of the crash fatalities nationally in 2007, while distracted driving climbed to the cause of nearly two-thirds of the crash deaths. You don't need a new law to govern your behavior. You just need to look at that article and imagine if it were you. The text or the call should wait.

Read more here: 

Mother texting prior to crash that killed Diego Rangel

St. Clair County, Ill (KSDK) -- St. Clair County Sheriff Captain Steve Johnson said a woman was texting before, or at the time of a crash that killed her child in unincorporated Lebanon, Illinois.

A witness told investigators the driver was on her phone when her car crossed the center line and hit

Former St. Clair County sheriff, Belleville police chief dies at 86

 

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BY WALLY SPIERS  News-Democrat

Former Belleville Police Chief and St. Clair County Sheriff Paul J. Klincar died Saturday and will be buried Thursday in Lake View Memorial Gardens.

 Visitation is set for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday at Lake View Funeral Home in Fairview Heights; the funeral will begin at 1 p.m.

 Klincar, 86, was the last Republican sheriff in St. Clair County. He was appointed sheriff in early 1977 to replace Dave O'Neal who resigned because he was elected lieutenant governor. Klincar had been the chief deputy sheriff since 1970.

 Klincar began his law enforcement career with the Belleville Police Department in 1947 as a patrolman and worked his way up to become chief of police in 1968. He lived in Belleville all his life. He was a member of St. Teresa of The Child Jesus Parish.

 His son, David, said his dad left after a year of police service to take a better paying job at Monsanto.

 "He was laid off from Monsanto and was able to come back to the police department," David said. "He also had a choice to go back to Monsanto but chose the police because he said the work was more interesting."

 Klincar resigned as chief in 1970 and became the county's chief deputy.

 He ran to retain the sheriff's office in the 1978 election but lost by more than 350 votes in a close race to Democrat Ray Herr.

 Klincar was appointed to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board in 1979 and later became chairman. In 1983 he talked about his work with the prison review board which decided such things as parole, mandatory supervised release and good conduct credits for prison inmates. He said it was interesting work but involved a lot of travel.

 "You're trying to find the right, proper time for that individual to go back into society. Of course none of us in infallible," he said.

 His professional career included time spent as a member of the Illinois Law Enforcement Commission and a member and president of the Illinois Police Benevolent and Protection Association.

 He graduated from the FBI National Police Academy in Virginia and was a member of the governing board of the Illinois State Police Energy Radio Network.

 He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He received the Silver Beaver Award from the Okaw Valley Boy Scout Council for distinguished service to the organization.

 Old colleagues and friends recalled him as a really likable guy.

 "He was a true professional," said St. Clair County Sheriff Merle Justus.

 Justus said he was concerned because Klincar usually attended the annual retired officer luncheon but wasn't there a couple of months ago.

 "He was the best chief I had," said Tom Burns, former Belleville policeman. "He took care of his men. If you needed anything you could go to him and talk. He taught me a lot of things when I first started."

 Klincar is survived by his wife, Irma, and son, David.

 © 2011 Belleville News-Democrat and news service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.bnd.com

 

MetroLink Transit Service Manager Recognized By St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department for Stepping Up

by Courtney from Metro

When you meet MetroLink Transit Service Manager (TSM) Amos Armour, you can tell he is a quiet, caring, and hardworking man.  And, it is no surprise he would do something out of the ordinary by going above and beyond to help a deputy from the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department arrest a fare evader on a MetroLink train.

From Left to Right: Metro’s Interim Director of Security and Fare Enforcement Jason Davis, St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Christopher Davis, MetroLink Transit Service Manager Amos Armour, St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department Commander Dominic Lauko, and St. Louis County Police MetroLink Unit Commander Captain Guy Means

One morning in January, Armour and another co-worker were helping passengers at the Emerson Park MetroLink Station. The pair then boarded the next eastbound train.  While waiting for it to depart, they heard a commotion in the aisle.

As passengers stepped aside, Armour saw a man trying to get away from the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department deputy who was assigned to the train. The passenger did not have a valid ticket, and pushed the law officer out of the way and headed toward the door. Deputy Christopher Davis grabbed his arm and upper body, to bring him to the floor.  But the man was determined to get away, so he grabbed on to one of the hand rails, and tried to position his foot outside the train door to escape.

Seeing that the fare evader was trying to get away, Armour jumped into action, and grabbed the man and held him down until Davis could get handcuffs on him.  The fare evader was immediately taken off the train and into custody at the Emerson Park Police Sub-Station.  He was later taken to the St. Clair County Jail where he faced a several violations.

On February 1, Armour was presented with a special certificate for his efforts. Armour said, “Looking back in hind sight, I am just glad there were no injuries and that everyone was okay!”  He smiled and went on to say, “I am not the hero because the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department is great. Whenever we call them, they’re right there, ready to assist.”

St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department Commander Dominic Lauko, Metro’s Interim Director of Security and Fare Enforcement Jason Davis, MetroLink Operations staff members, Deputy Christopher Davis and other police officers from St. Clair County and St. Louis County assigned to MetroLink attended the special ceremony which was held at the Illinois MetroLink facility in East St. Louis.

Armour enjoys being a MetroLink Transit Service Manager.  For the last six years, he has worked as a TSM for Metro in Missouri and Illinois. He is just one of the many Metro employees who continues to go above and beyond the call of duty whenever needed because they care about the Agency and its transit system.

From Metro

Flag from Iraq

 

 

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St. Clair County Sheriff's Dept. Master Sergeant George D. Mokriakow poses with a United States flag he presented to St. Clair County Department. Morkriakow is also a First Lieutenant with the Air Force Reserve, with the 932nd Airlift Wing based out of Scott Air Force Base, and the flag was flown during an air medical evacuation mission on the 21st of November 2011. The flag will be displayed in the lobby of the St. Clair County Sheriff's Department in Belleville. Mokriakow is a descendant of William Biggs the first Sheriff of St. Clair County. photo by Zia Nizami photo by Zia Nizami–|Zia Nizami/BND

Read more here: http://www.bnd.com/2012/01/25/2031818/flag-from-iraq.html#storylink=cpy

 

Illinois Sheriff’s Association Scholarship

ILLINOIS SHERIFFS’ ASSOCIATION

ANNOUNCES SCHOLARSHIPS

The Illinois Sheriffs’ Association announces that it will be awarding over $53,000 in college scholarships throughout the State of Illinois to students wishing to pursue higher education during the 2012-2013 academic year. The scholarships are to be applied to tuition, books and fees only. The student must be enrolled full-time at a certified institution of higher learning within the State of Illinois.

Sheriff Mearl J. Justus, St. Clair County, will be awarding one scholarship in the amount of $500.

There will be no restriction on any applicant by reason of race, age, creed, color, sex or national origin. The only limitations are as follows:

· Applicants must be permanent Illinois residents;

· Scholarships must be utilized at institutions of higher learning with the State of Illinois;

· Students must be enrolled as a full-time student during the 2012-2013 school year, excluding summer session.

Applications are now available at the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department or on the internet at www.ilsheriff.org. Students must complete the application, answer the essay question and return all documentation to the sheriff’s office in their permanent county of residence by March 12, 2012 (must be postmarked by this date).

For more information, please contact Major Thomas Knapp, Executive Deputy, 618.277.3505, x5721, high school advising center or college financial aid office.

Ex-East St. Louis officer, 95, recalls old times

BY WALLY SPIERS - News-Democrat

Sheriff Mearl Justus' dinner for retired law enforcement officers on Thursday at the St. Clair County Jail produced a lot of camaraderie.

"It's a chance to get together, see people you haven't seen for a long time and talk about old times," Justus told the crowd.

The dinner attracts men and women from the Sheriff's Department, the Illinois State Police and police departments from surrounding towns.

Justus introduced this year's honored guest, Tommy O'Brien, 95, a longtime East St. Louis police officer and a friend of many in the crowd.

O'Brien said he retired from that department sometime in the early 1960s as a lieutenant colonel and the assistant police chief.

He now lives in Grand Manor in Swansea.

"I had five children, I had to work after I retired," he said.

With Justus' help, he said he got a job in security with Cerro Copper and later worked at the East St. Louis Federal Courthouse.

O'Brien joined the East St. Louis Police Department in 1939, he said.

"It was the height of the Depression. I needed a job. I tried for two years to get on at the fire department. When I came up, they switched me to the police department," he said.

He survived a long and distinguished career, which nearly ended one Christmas Eve at the old Broadview Hotel. It most likely was 1958 when he was 42, he said.

"We got a call about a guy in a room with a gun," O'Brien said. "We walked in the room and he had a gun in his hand. We were talking him out. My partner grabbed him and was struggling with him."

Still the man managed to shoot O'Brien five times, with one bullet missing an artery in his leg by just a whisker the doctors said.

Tommy said he figured that relieved him of his duty to hold fire so he shot and killed the man.

"He must have been mental," Tommy said.

Bob Frisse, another retired East St. Louis police officer, said Tommy had a phenomenal memory.

"If you brought a guy in and he saw him, he could remember where he had seen him in our book before," Frisse said. "He is a legend."

Have a column idea? Call Wally at 239-2506 or 800-642-3878; or email: wspiers@bnd.com

Read more: http://www.bnd.com/2011/12/16/1981700/ex-east-st-louis-officer-95-recalls.html#ixzz1gi2tWiOX

Beyond Scared Straight–St. Clair County

Officers make room so the inmates can give the teens a preview of the kind of stress and pressure they would feel were they to be incarcerated.

The "Scared Straight" juvenile intervention program at the St. Clair County Jail pits hardened convicts against Illinois' most defiant teens. David is a 14-year old with an explosive temper. Renee, 14, one of David's frequent eighth grade targets, steals clothes and dreams of becoming a teen mom. When an entire cellblock of screaming inmates unexpectedly swarms the teens, David and Renee must turn to each other for safety. However, the greatest shock of the day will come moments after the teens step outside the jail.

The Show will air on Thursday, December 15, 2011 at 9:00 pm central time on A&E

More information on the A@E Program click here.

For information on participating in future Scared Straight Activities at the St. St. Clair County Jail please click here.