Rochester Police Beat November and December 2019
On November 7th, Eric Street of Staunton was stopped and cited for allegedly driving while license suspended.
On November 10th, an officer was dispatched to Maxheimer road to assist a motorist that had become stuck in a ditch. The individual stated he was lost and didn’t realize the ditch was so deep when he went to turn around. The driver exhibited several indications that he was impaired including slurred speech and an uneven gait. Standard Field Sobriety Test were administered and revealed several more clues of impairment. A breathalyzer indicated a BAC of .273%. Gary English of Springfield was cited and arrested for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol and having a BAC greater than .08%. English was transported to the Sangamon County Jail. Jostes towed the vehicle.
On November 19th, officers made contact with and arrested Derek Powers of Springfield on a Sangamon County Warrant for failure to appear. He was transported to the Sangamon County Jail.
Several juveniles in the school district were discovered to have been involved in creating several network “outages” at the school. On November 11th, the students were all interviewed and most admitted to their involvement. The school handled discipline within its system. Charges have been forwarded to Juvenile Probation.
Eddie Cousins of Kinkaid was stopped, cited and arrested for allegedly driving while license suspended on November 28th. The vehicle was towed by Springfield Welding.
A vehicle was observed speeding and swerving over the center lane of route 29 on November 28th at approximately 3:00 a.m. The driver showed several indications of impairment. He had slurred speech and a strong odor of alcohol was being emitted from his breath. The driver refused to take the Standard Field Sobriety Test. Aaron Knoblock of Springfield was cited and arrested for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol, driving on a suspended license, speeding, criminal damage to government supported property, and possession of adult use cannabis. Knoblock was transported to the Sangamon County Jail. Shaners towed the vehicle.
An officer conducted a stop for no registration light on December 7th. During the stop, the driver provided a false identity. After uncovering the real identity of the driver, it was revealed the driver’s license was suspended. Shea Hovey of Rochester was arrested for allegedly obstructing identification, cited for allegedly driving while license suspended, issued a warning for no registration light, and given a village ordinance citation for the alleged possession of drug paraphernalia. Hovey was transported to the Sangamon County Jail.
A robbery occurred at Head West Subs on December 7th. Rochester Police Officers were dispatched to the business at approximately 5:20 p.m. The suspect had entered and approached the front counter. He had his face partially covered and was wearing a hooded sweatshirt with the hood pulled over his head. The suspect displayed a large gray revolver which was located in his waistband and motioned for the employee to open the cash drawer. The suspect left the business with $53.00. A month long investigation culminated in the arrest of Joseph P Bimmerle of Rochester. January 10th, Rochester Police Department with assistance from the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office arrested Bimmerle pursuant to an arrest warrant for multiple charges including aggravated robbery. He was taken into custody at his residence and transported to the Sangamon County Jail. Bond was set at $250,000.
On December 9th, Billy Cunningham of Pleasant Plains was stopped and cited for allegedly driving while license suspended and for operating an uninsured motor vehicle. The vehicle was towed by Jostes.
Carly Castle of Taylorville was stopped and issued a citation for allegedly driving while registration is suspended on December 10th.
A stop conducted on a vehicle for speeding, December 12th, revealed the driver to have a suspended driver’s license and a warrant. Eric Christine of Edinburg was arrested for the warrant, issued a citation for allegedly driving while license suspended and given a written warning for speeding. Christine was transported to the Sangamon County Jail.
On December 12th, an officer conducted a stop on a vehicle observed making several moving violations. During the stop, the driver exhibited several indications of impairment. She was having difficulties following instructions, becoming increasingly confused as to her location and gave the officer several inconsistent answers to questions. Standard field sobriety tests were administered and the officer observed several more indicators of impairment. The breathalyzer test resulted in a blood alcohol content of 0.258% with the legal limit being 0.08%. Ashley Eubanks of Rochester was arrested and cited for allegedly driving while under the influence of alcohol, having a BAC greater that 0.08%, illegal transportation of alcohol and disregard for a stop sign. Eubanks was transported to the Sangamon County Jail. Jostes towed the vehicle.
An officer responded to call in reference to a vehicle in the ditch off of Route 29 on December 23rd. The driver stated a deer ran out in front of his vehicle and he swerved to miss it. Robert Brandt of Auburn was discovered to allegedly have a suspended driver’s license and was cited. Pate Towing towed the vehicle.
On December 26th, Todd Malensky of Springfield was stopped and cited for allegedly driving while license revoked. Valid drivers picked up Malensky and his vehicle.
Criminal Reports
Aggravated Computer Tampering – 1; Armed Robbery – 1; Child Pornography – 1; Criminal Damage to Property – 1; Criminal Defacement of Property – 1; Deceptive Practices – 1; Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol – 3; Forgery – 1; Harassment by Telephone – 2; Identity Theft – 1; Illegal Transportation of Alcohol – 1; Obstructing Justice – 1; Stalking – 1; Theft $500 and Over – 4; Theft Under $500 – 2; Violation of Orders of Protection – 2; Warrants – 2
Traffic Reports
Citations Issued – 60; Warnings Issue – 209
Accident Investigations – 15; DUI – 3, Equipment Violations – 1;Hit and Run – 1; Operating Uninsured Motor Vehicle – 11; Other Moving Violations – 1; Registration Violations – 2; Speeding – 26; Suspended / Revoked Drivers License – 8
Calls for Service
Abandoned Vehicle – 1; Animal Related Calls – 9; Assist Fire Department – 31; Assist Other Governmental Agency – 2; Assist Other Police Agency – 41; Assist Schools – 12; Building / Business Checks – 32; Burglar Alarms – 12; Civil/Citizen Assists – 39;Death Investigations (non-criminal) – 1; Disturbance – 8; Lost or Recovered Articles – 2; Loud Noise Complaint – 3; Mental Cases – 3; Mischievous Conduct – 1; Motorist Assists – 11; Neighborhood Trouble – 1; Ordinance Violations – 1; Suspicious Person / Vehicle – 21; Vacation Watches – 39