HIGH SPEED CHASE ENDS IN BOND COUNTY
A high speed chase ended at the 41 Mile marker on west bound I-70 yesterday after a bank was robbed in Altamont. According to Altamont Police, The People’s Bank and Trust on Main Street in Altamont was robbed Tuesday at around 2:00 p.m. Altamont Police told WGEL Radio that it was an armed robbery but the suspect did not show a gun at the bank. The suspect reportedly got away with an undisclosed amount of money and fled on foot. While only one suspect was present during the alleged robbery, it's possible more than one person was involved in the crime. The nearby Altamont Grade School was briefly put on lock down, according to WXEF Radio of Altamont. The Bond County Sherriff’s department received a call at 2:31 p.m. of a high speed chase in progress traveling west bound on I-70.
Jim Leitschuh of the Bond County Sherriff’s Department told WGEL Radio that deputies deployed stop sticks to the interstate to stop the fleeing vehicle. Leitschuh said in an attempt to avoid the stop sticks the suspects drove into the median between the interstates, lost control, spun around and became stuck. The wet conditions likely kept the out of control car from careening into the east bound lanes. No one was hurt during the robbery or the chase and no other cars were struck when the vehicle lost control. The Illinois State Police is handling the investigation and has yet to release the names of the suspects.
Images from the scene in Bond County
Police cars near Exit 41 on I-70 Westbound after the chase
FEDERAL LAWSUIT FILED OVER CLOSING OF MURRAY CENTER
A group of plaintiffs have filed a federal lawsuit against the Illinois Department of Human Services to oppose the closure of the Murray Center in Centralia and six other state-operated development centers. We spoke with attorney Judith Sherwin, who filed the suit for the plaintiffs.
The groups which have filed the lawsuit, mainly the Illinois League of Advocates for the Developmentally Disabled and the Murray Parents’ Association, have been working for atleast a year trying to find an alternative to the closure of the SODC’s in Illinois, including the Murray Center. They have spoken with representatives of the Governor’s office, various legislators, and members of the Illinois Department of Human Services. Pleas to change the state plan have not succeeded thus far. About a dozen individual plaintiffs have joined the Illinois League of Advocates for the Developmentally Disabled and the Murray Parents’ Association to try to stop the state plan from being executed and to stop the closure of the Murray Center. The Murray Center has been providing skilled service to individuals with the diagnosis of developmental disabilities since 1964.
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