CENTRAL ILLINOIS SOLDIER DIES IN IRAQ

A solider from Central Illinois has died while serving in Iraq.  According to The United States Army, 21-year-old Corporal Ryan Buckley of Nokomis died Friday when a roadside bomb went off near his vehicle in Baghdad.  Buckley served with the 101st Airborne based out of Fort Campbell, Kentucky.  His family said that he dropped out of college and joined the Army after the terrorist attacks on September 11.

PRISONER ESCAPES FROM JAIL

The Bond County Sheriff's Department is reporting an escape from the Bond County Jail late Saturday night.  Anthony S. White, age 20, was being held in the jail pending court proceedings for Aggravated Discharge of a Firearm and was currently serving a sentence in the Illinois Department of Corrections for Residential Burglary.

White escaped from the Bond County Jail around 11:20 Saturday night.  He was in possession of a Bond County Correctional Officer's uniform including a tan shirt, dark brown pants, and a duty belt with pepper spray and handcuffs.  Details on how White escaped are not being released until the investigation is complete.  WGEL has been told that White left through the front door.  Sheriff Jeff Brown told WGEL that they believe White fled on foot to the Helen Ferguson residence on east Main Street where he allegedly stole a silver 1990 Mercury Sable.  Ferguson was unaware that the car had been stolen until she was contacted by local officers Sunday morning.

White is described as a white male, 6 foot tall, with brown hair, brown eyes, thin build, and a tattoo on his stomach. White was spotted around 9am Sunday in a trailer near the Boulder area in Clinton County.  Early Sunday afternoon he was seen in the DuQuoin area after being involved in a minor accident.  White fled from the scene.  The Illinois Department of Corrections and the U.S. Marshal's Office are assisting in the search for Anthony S. White.  

 

PHONE LINE TANGLES WITH TRAIN

A surprise thunderstorm Sunday afternoon caused some damage in Mulberry Grove.  A tree fell onto the roof of a house on Main Street.  No one was injured but the roof sustained around $5,000 in damage.  A tree limb fell at the park on Maple Street pulling down a phone line onto the railroad tracks.  Just moments later a passing train caught the line, dragging it for several feet.  Mulberry fire chief Dwight Volkmar told WGEL that the line was damaged for about three blocks north and south of the impact.  There was also a report of a cable line down on Pierce Street in Mulberry Grove.  Sunday's storm developed quickly and Bond County was never under a thunderstorm watch or warning. 

 

TWO JUVENILES SENTENCED IN ATV THEFT

Two juveniles have entered guilty pleas to the Memorial Day weekend burglary at G and C Motorsports of Greenville.  Five ATVs were stolen from that business and all have since been recovered.  A 13-year-old from Royal Lake was sentenced to 42 months probation.  A 14-year-old from rural Greenville was given 48 months probation, 500 hours of community service, 30 days of home detention, and 30 days in the juvenile detention center with credit for time served. The 14-year-old had also been charged with a burglary to a building on Ivy Street in Greenville.  He was also resentenced to 24 months probation on a 2005 case where he had been charged with Burglary to a Motor Vehicle, Criminal Damage to Property, and Retail Theft.  The probations will run concurrently.

A 15-year-old boy from Royal Lake was taken into custody Thursday by St. Louis City police.  A juvenile warrant had been issued in Bond County for the boy who was allegedly involved in the G and C Motorsports burglary.  St. Louis police claim the teenager was a passenger in a car that was allegedly stolen.  He is scheduled to be in Bond County court on Tuesday. 

POLICE INVESTIGATING VANDALISM AND THEFTS

Greenville police are looking into three reports of thefts from yards or residential vandalism.  Joe Alstat told police that his garage door was dented and a screen door was damaged.  Vicky Matthews reported that some lawn ornaments were stolen from her yard.  Mike Ernest says a screen door and lawn ornaments at his residence were damaged.  All three incidents happened sometime overnight Friday. 

GO CART STOLEN

The Sheriff's Department is investigating the theft of a two-seat go-cart from a Woburn Road residence.  Scott Workman told deputies that the go-cart was taken from a barn on his property sometime between Friday night and Sunday afternoon.

 

PERSON OF INTEREST IN MURDER WHO WAS LOCATED IN BOND COUNTY HAS BEEN CHARGED

23-year-old Dorian L. Wilborn of Cahokia was charged by the St. Clair County States Attorney with one count of alleged First Degree Murder for the death of 28-year-old-Saul Holmon III of Centreville. Holmon was found shot to death in his apartment in Centreville on June 17.

As reported earlier by WGEL, Wilborn was described by Illinois State Police as "a person of interest" in the murder investigation and was found in Bond County.  Based on information gathered by the Illinois State Police and U.S. Marshals, Wilborn was believed to be in the Greenville area.

Around 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, the Bond County Sheriff's Department and Greenville police took Wilborn into custody at a home in Smithboro.

Wilborn is currently being held in the St. Clair County Jail on $1million bond.

UNEMPLOYMENT RATES DOWN

For May 2006, over-the-year unemployment rates fell in all 12 of the metro areas in Illinois, according to data released by the Illinois Department of Security.  The Illinois section of St. Louis gained 800 jobs during the month of May in construction, wholesale trade, and financial activities. Locally, Bond County showed a slight increase of unemployment in May 2006 at 5.5%.  In May 2005, the unemployment rate was 5.4%. Clinton County also showed an increase in May 2006 of 4.5% that is up from 4.2% in May 2005. Madison County unemployment was down in May 2006 to 5% from 5.2% one year ago.

 

MONDAY SPORTS

HS SOFTBALL
The fourth member of the Lady Aces softball team has signed to play collegiate softball.  Emily Brewer will play at Lewis and Clark.  She joins teammates Tiffany Brown (Parkland College), Samatha Belcher (McKendree College), and Kelli Bloemker (McKendree College) in receiving scholarships.

SWIM TEAM
The Kingsbury Clippers swim team won 349-207 over the Sparta team on Saturday.  Three members of the Clippers had three 1st place finishes…Jacob Gouge, Julia Gibbs, Adam Stroud, and Dani Huber.  Of the twenty relays, the Clippers won 11 of them.  The Clippers go to Columbia on Wednesday night for a 6pm meet.