A fire shortly before midnight Wednesday destroyed a home at 219 N. Culbertson St. in Toulon.A neighbor reported the fire; the home was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived.Firefighters from Toulon, Wyoming, LaFayette and Galva fought the fire for more than four hours, and had to contend with high winds. Toulon Fire Chief Andy Colgan said the homeowner, Richard Petty, was not at home when the fire broke out. The cause of the fire has not yet been [...]
↧
Fire destroys Toulon house
↧
Kewanee man sentenced to prison for stabbing
A Kewanee man was sentenced Thursday to prison for attempted murder.Cayon Tossell, 21, appeared before Judge Jeffery O’Connor and was sentenced to 12 years on the Class X felony charge of attempted murder, and three years each on two Class 3 felony charges of aggravated battery, using a deadly weapon.The state dismissed a second Class X felony attempted murder charge and a Class 3 felony aggravated battery charge.Tossell must serve 85 percent of the 12 years. [...]
↧
↧
School about to settle suit over gym floor
Central School gym addition was delayed
↧
Fire caused by smoker causes little damage to downtown building
A fire caused by a smoker damaged an upstairs apartment in a downtown building Tuesday evening.The fire department was called to the building at the southeast corner of Third and Tremont streets, where a mattress was on fire in a second-floor room.Fire Capt. Landon Horrie said the owner of the building was in the first-floor restaurant and was alerted to the fire by a smoke alarm. Horrie said the owner went upstairs and alerted the person sleeping on the mattress to get [...]
↧
Kewanee man faces 10 years in prison on his seventh drunken-driving charge
Michael L. Murphy, 48, of Kewanee, pleaded guilty in Henry County Circuit Court to Class X felony aggravated DUI, with six previous convictions.Judge Jeffery O’Connor accepted the partially negotiated plea and set sentencing for Feb. 29.At a June 29 preliminary hearing Henry County Sheriff’s deputy Joshua Verscheure testified that at 1:30 p.m. on June 21 he responded to a complaint of a white RV driving in and out of ditches on Route 78 south of Annawan. [...]
↧
↧
Firefighters called to house fire Tuesday on West Garfield
The Kewanee Fire Department was called out to a structure fire at 222 W. Garfield St. Tuesday morning.The residence owned by Barbara Finin was showing heavy smoke upon arrival, Fire Chief Paul Schaecher said. The fire was contained to the front living room and is thought to have been started by a candle previously thought extinguished, Schaecher said. A pet dog succumbed to the smoke but all occupants were safe, he said.Firefighters were on the scene [...]
↧
Death in Bureau County fire is under investigation
Bureau County authorities are investigating a death discovered after a fire was extinguished in rural Princeton Monday evening.Sheriff James Reed said the sheriff’s office responded to a structure fire at the corner of Route 6 and 1800 E. The fire was extinguished by fire departments from Princeton and Bureau.After the fire was out, a vehicle was found inside the home, and responders later located a body in the vehicle, Reed said."The identity of the [...]
↧
Fire destroys Kewanee home; family escapes safely
A family of six escaped from their burning home on Kewanee’s North Side Tuesday night.Anna and Rebecca Shoen and their four young sons got safely out of their house at 625 N. Elm St., Fire Chief Paul Schaecher said.Schaecher said the fire department was dispatched at around 8 p.m. Tuesday. Upon arrival, crews found the upstairs to the two-story house emitting heavy smoke and fire, and fire could be seen through a bedroom window. "All residents had [...]
↧
Stabbing victim says his assailant was shorter than the man on trial
A bench trial for a Kewanee man facing attempted first-degree murder charges for allegedly stabbing John "Jack" Eyman in November of 2014 began Monday.Denzel Davenport, 19, faces Class X felony charges of attempted murder, home invasion and armed robbery; two Class 3 felony charges of aggravated battery and a Class 1 felony charge of residential burglary.State’s Attorney Matt Schutte called seven witnesses, including Mr. Eyman, who took his seat, pointed at [...]
↧
↧
Burglars hit gaming machines at local restaurant Monday
The Kewanee Police Department is investigating a burglary reported Monday morning at the Barnhouse Restaurant. Kewanee Police Chief Jim Dison said someone entered the building at 420 S. Main St. through the front door. Several video gaming machines were forced open and an undetermined amount of cash was removed. Authorities believe the incident happened between midnight and 3 a.m. Anyone who may have noticed anything suspicious is being asked to contact the Kewanee [...]
↧
Henry County skeleton may be raising new questions after 50 years
We have another real-life local history mystery, and this one which might be a script from the Fox TV series "Bones."I received an e-mail last week from Jennifer Mack, a bioarchaeologist in the Office of the State Archaeologist at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. She was doing research on a discovery made in Henry County in or around 1966 and had contacted Steve Morrison of the Henry County Genealogical Society. He referred her to me.She was looking for information [...]
↧
Sheriff investigating armed-robbery attempt in Andover
The Henry County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an attempted armed robbery Monday night at the Casey’s General Store in Andover.A "male suspect" entered the store carrying what appeared to be a shotgun, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office. The suspect pointed the gun at the clerk and ordered her to give him the money.The clerk said there was no money, and the suspect ran out the door to the west, the news release said.The [...]
↧
Jury finds woman not guilty of battery charges
A Henry County jury Wednesday found a former Kewanee woman not guilty on five felony charges stemming from a domestic battery report on July 21, 2015.Julie A. Nimrick, 51, now of Thomson, faced Class 3 felony charges of aggravated battery/use of a deadly weapon; aggravated battery of a victim over 60 years of age; and aggravated battery/great bodily harm; a Class 4 felony charge of aggravated assault while operating a motor vehicle; and a Class 2 felony charge of aggravated [...]
↧
↧
Five face federal drug and weapons charges
A federal grand jury has returned indictments charging five people in separate cases in the Central District of Illinois, as announced by U.S. Attorney Jim Lewis. The indictments had remained sealed pending the defendants’ arrests and court appearances. All have appeared before a U.S. magistrate and been remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshal. Indicted were:- Kirk Curtis Bryner, 61, of Neponset, charged with possession of a short-barreled [...]
↧
Kewanee man found guilty of attempted murder of elderly victim
A Kewanee man on Tuesday was found guilty of attempted murder by Judge Jeffery O’Connor following the second half of a two-day bench trial that began in late January.Denzel Davenport, 19, faced four Class X felony charges, including attempted murder, home invasion and armed robbery; two Class 3 felony charges of aggravated battery; and a Class 1 felony charge of residential burglary. A juvenile has also been charged in the case.John "Jack" Eyman, 80, was robbed and [...]
↧
Police investigate report of shots fired on east side
Kewanee police are investigating reports of shots fired, causing damage, in the east end of the city Wednesday night.Police Chief Jim Dison said that at 10:07 p.m. Wednesday police responded to a report of possible gunshots shots being fired in the Cole and Lake streets area. Officers canvassed the area, Dison said, and found a vehicle and two mobile homes that had been hit by a projectile.A vehicle was heard leaving the area eastbound on Lake Street, Dison [...]
↧
Kewanee man on trial for pot plants
A Kewanee man’s jury trial for felony possession and production of between 50 and 200 marijuana plants began Monday.On Aug. 30, 2012, Thomas D. Schaefer, 46, was arrested after search warrants were executed at 317 E. Central Blvd., Schaefer’s home, and at 431 Dewey Ave., where he worked.In her opening statement, First Assistant State’s Attorney Catherine Runty told the jury the searches turned up a marijuana growth operation where Kewanee police and [...]
↧
↧
Trial evidence includes items for pot growing
The jury in the trial of Thomas D. Schaefer Tuesday saw items ranging from water purifiers to portable air conditioners which the prosecution says were seized from Schaefer’s home and were used for growing marijuanaSchaefer is charged with felony possession and production of between 50 and 200 marijuana plants.In ths second day of his trial in Henry County Circuit Court, more than four dozen evidence items were introduced to the jury. Items included portable air [...]
↧
In short order, jury finds Kewanee man guilty of growing pot
A Henry County jury took just 38 minutes Wednesday to find Thomas D. Schaefer, 46, of Kewanee, guilty of Class 2 felony counts of production and possession of between 50 and 200 cannabis plants.Schaefer is charged with growing marijuana plants in two Kewanee homes.First Assistant State’s Attorney Catherine Runty presented the jury with more than 50 items of evidence during the three-day trial.Prior to the jury’s appearance Wednesday defense attorney [...]
↧
In court, 7-year-old victim describes sexual assault
Clutching a stuffed bear, a 7-year-old girl, the alleged victim of Danyel BJ Smith, 25, of Elmwood testified Thursday about a kidnapping and sexual assault incident from Aug. 21, 2015 at the Hatzer-Nordstrom auction in Annawan.Smith is charged in Henry County Circuit Court with two Class X felonies of predatory criminal sexual assault and aggravated kidnapping of a victim under 13.Speaking in a soft but steady voice, the girl answered questions from State’s [...]
↧