(Information in this report is gathered from police agencies, county courts and emergency radio dispatch. The public is reminded that defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty and charges may sometimes be dropped or changed as part of the legal process.)

Columbia Police

Oct. 30

Taylor A. Black, 28, of Freeburg, was arrested on multiple St. Clair County warrants on Route 3 southbound at North Main Street.

Oct. 31

Sarah Walla, 20, of Columbia, was arrested for domestic battery (physical contact) in the 200 block of Micah’s Way.

Nov. 3

Officers staged in the area of Columbia Center near the Democrat headquarters to help keep the peace after reports of young Donald Trump supporters chanting and cheering.

Illinois State Police

Oct. 31

Emergency personnel responded just before 6 p.m. to a single-vehicle crash on I-255 eastbound near the Columbia exit. A white Jeep SUV went off the roadway and struck a guardrail. Responding agencies included Columbia police, fire and EMS. The driver, Amy McGuire, 41, of Columbia, said her cell phone had fallen from its dash mount and as she reached to pick it up, her vehicle ran off the road to the right. The vehicle struck a previously damaged guardrail. McGuire was transported by ambulance to an area hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries.

Monroe County Sheriff

Oct. 20

Tracy L. Tockstein, 64, of Prairie du Rocher, was cited for illegal possession of ammunition without FOID on Route 158.

Oct. 28

A 17-year-old Waterloo man was fortunate to avoid injury in a crash near Wartburg. Police said that at about 8:45 p.m., the young driver of a 2004 Toyota Camry swerved to avoid a deer in the roadway on JJ Road about 9/10th of a mile west of Lemen Road. The car fishtailed, lost control and went off the roadway, coming to rest upside down in a water-filled creek. The driver refused medical transport at the scene. 

Oct. 30

Emergency personnel responded about 6 p.m. for a crash involving a motorcycle and deer on Route 3 northbound near Hope Christian Church between Columbia and Waterloo. Responding agencies included the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, Monroe County EMS and Columbia Fire Department. A 2019 Harley-Davidson driven by Konrad Faries, 40, of Waterloo, was traveling north on Route 3 near FF Road when the motorcycle struck a deer that had darted across the roadway. The motorcyclist and his passenger, Jessica Faries, 37, of Waterloo, were both transported by ambulance to Mercy Hospital South in St. Louis County for treatment of unspecified injuries.

Valmeyer Police

Oct. 29

A man is charged with felony theft from a Valmeyer church. Daniel M. Hatter, 44, who now resides in Winter Garden, Fla., but is originally from Freeburg, accepted payment of $10,500 from St. John United Church of Christ in Valmeyer on April 29 “for materials and services the defendant did not intend to perform.” That charge is a Class 1 felony because the alleged theft involves a place of worship and the amount was greater than $10,000. Hatter is also charged with Class 3 felony theft for accepting another payment from the church in the amount of $3,700 on June 17. Hatter is believed to have defrauded other churches before leaving for Florida. A church official said Hatter was to upgrade the St. John UCC sound system and its Carillon bells.