Rochester Police Beat January and February 2020
Rochester Police Beat January and February 2020
On January 5th, a stop was conducted after an officer witnessed a turn signal violation. It was realized during the stop the driver’s license was suspended and the vehicle contained cannabis. James Cloe of Pana was issued citations for allegedly driving while license suspended and adult use of cannabis in a motor vehicle. Cloe received a written warning for the turn signal violation.
An officer noticed two females walking on Route 29 at approximately 3:45 am on January 6th. The females stated they were walking to Pana from Springfield. The officer made a call for them and arranged for a ride to meet them at the police station so they would not have to be in the cold. During the interaction, it was discovered that one of the females had a warrant for failure to appear on dangerous drug charges out of Shelby County. Kasey Cantrell was arrested on the warrant and transported to the Sangamon County Jail.
A stop was conducted on January 8th after the registered owner was revealed to have an expired driver’s license and a warrant out of Christian County for failure to appear. Mysti Ficas of Springfield was cited for allegedly having an expired driver’s license for more than one year and operating an uninsured motor vehicle. A valid driver arrived on scene to pick up Ficas’ vehicle and her children. Ficas was arrested and transported to the Sangamon County Jail for the warrant.
Beth Schmitz of Pana was stopped and cited for allegedly driving while license suspended on January 8th. Valid drivers picked up Schmitz and her vehicle from the scene.
Arturo Ortega of Springfield was stopped and cited for allegedly driving while license revoked on January 8th. Valid drivers picked up Ortega and his vehicle.
Russell Edwards of Witt was stopped and cited for allegedly driving while licenses suspended on January 14th.
On January 15th, an officer was notified by a citizen that a truck was stuck in a field off of Cardinal Hill Rd. Officers responded to the scene. The vehicle was stuck up to its bumper in the mud and there was blood and dirt smeared on the siding of a nearby residence. The front door to the residence had been broken in and blood had dripped throughout the entry way. While on scene, an individual exited the residence. The suspect was detained while officers secured the house. It appeared no one was in the residence at the time it was broken into and the blood came from an injury on the suspect’s hand. Sangamon County Sherriff’s office took over the investigation as it was in their jurisdiction.
A resident reported his truck was struck by another vehicle while it was parked on the street in front of their residence sometime during the evening of January 16th. An officer spoke with neighbors and didn’t locate any damage on their vehicles. A report was generated documenting the incident.
A stop conducted on January 17th for speed revealed the driver to have an active warrant out of Clay County. Deborah Sizemore of Taylorville was arrested for the warrant, cited for allegedly operating an uninsured motor vehicle and given a warning for the speeding violation.
January 18th, a resident notified police of a suspicious person in the Maplehurst subdivision. The homeowner answered the door to a male who stated he was there to fix her fireplace. When she advised the man that her fireplace was in working order, he told her he was coming in. The homeowner was able to shut him out before he made entry. The man was described as 60-70 years of age with wrinkly skin and wild black and grey hair. He was driving a dark colored pick-up truck. The area was canvassed but the individual was not located.
Angela Sharp of Taylorville was stopped and cited for allegedly driving while license suspended and operating an uninsured motor vehicle. A valid driver picked up Sharp from the scene.
Alexis Hutchens of Bulpitt was stopped and cited for allegedly driving while license suspended and operating an uninsured motor vehicle on January 28th.
On January 28th, officers responded to an aircraft emergency near White Timber Road. The aircraft was engulfed in flames upon their arrival. Several Rochester Officers and Sangamon County Deputies attempted to control the flames. Members of the Rochester Fire and Rescue team arrived and were able to extinguish the fire. The investigation was turned over the appropriate jurisdictions. We want to commend the tremendous response of numerous law enforcement agencies and the efforts by our brothers and sisters in the Rochester Fire and Rescue.
On February 1st, an officer was requested to check on the welfare of an individual who has a history of depression and overdoses. The cell phone of the individual had led the officer to a subdivision in Rochester. The individual was eventually located 4 hours later in front of a residence. The individual was incoherent, cold wet and muddy. Empty pill bottles were found around where the individual had been located. The individual was transported to the hospital.
On February 5th, while out patrolling an officer noticed a vehicle unusually parked in a cul-de-sac. While making contact with the occupants, the officer noticed the smell of burnt cannabis coming from the vehicle. A vehicle search resulted in the seizure of cannabis and drug paraphernalia. The driver was issued a village ordinance citation for the alleged violation.
While conducting stationary patrol on February 10th, an officer ran the registration to a vehicle and discovered the registered owner of the vehicle was revoked. Joseph A. Hamilton of Springfield was cited for allegedly driving while license revoked and operating an uninsured motor vehicle. The vehicle was towed by Jostes.
While investigating an accident on February 13th, the officer discovered one of the drivers was wanted on a Logan County Warrant for failure to appear on a traffic offense. Michelle Duboff of Springfield was arrested for the warrant and transported to the Sangamon County Jail.
A juvenile was doing donuts in the school parking lot at approximately 8 pm on February 17th. This activity ended when his vehicle collided with the fence near the high school track. An accident report was completed. The juvenile was issued a citation for allegedly squealing tires.
On February 21st, the operator of a motor home with a Missouri registration was seen attempting to take the air compressor from the gas station. After several individuals yelled at him he drove off east bound on Route 29. The driver didn’t pay for his fuel valued at $90.47. A report has been generated.
While on patrol on February 22nd, officers observed a vehicle traveling on Oak Hills road with an expired registration. Officers made contact with the driver who had pulled over and opened the hood of the vehicle. He stated he was test driving the vehicle and it was making weird noises. The driver was known as an individual with a suspended license. Archiebald Doe of Springfield was issued a citation for allegedly driving while license suspended and a written warning for the expired registration. A valid driver picked up Doe from the scene.
Criminal Reports
Cannabis 30g or less -3; Criminal Damage to Property – 1; Criminal Sexual Assault – 1; Deceptive Practices – 5; Domestic Battery – 3; Harassment by Telephone – 3; Interfere with Judicial Procedures – 1; Theft $500 and Over – 1; Under $500 – 1; Violation of Orders of Protection – 1; Warrants – 4
Traffic Reports
Citations Issued – 67; Warnings Issue – 305
Accident Investigations – 12; No Driver’s License – 1; Operating Uninsured Motor Vehicle – 15; Other Moving Violations – 6; Registration Violations – 3; Speeding – 33; Suspended / Revoked Drivers License – 9
Calls for Service
Aircraft Emergency – 1; Animal Related Calls – 6; Assist Fire Department – 24; Assist Other Governmental Agency – 18; Assist Other Police Agency – 39; Assist Schools – 7; Building / Business Checks – 47; Burglar Alarms – 10; Civil/Citizen Assists – 27; Disturbance – 9; Domestic Trouble – 1; Lost or Recovered Articles – 4; Loud Noise Complaint – 2; Mental Cases – 3; Missing Persons – 1; Motorist Assists – 30; Ordinance Violations – 2; Suspicious Person / Vehicle – 27; Truancy – 1; Vacation Watches – 367