Without exception, those who knew him describe him as a capable and hard worker able to do almost any odd job or farm task. The man gave police the name of a 44-year-old Galesburg man as a possible suspect. Newspaper The Stark County News (Toulon, Ill.) 1856-186? Just before leaving, he turned briefly toward the public who had packed the courtroom, and stared. "That started Curt's grudge against me," says Collins, now a commercial pilot for a major airline. Stark County offers a variety of recreational activities for residents including camping sites along rivers and lakes, hunting opportunities on local wildlife preserves, snowmobiling trails, hiking trails on state parks, biking trails through nature preserves and golf courses throughout town that attract visitors year-round. Stark County, IL history and pioneers : abstracted from Stark County news, Toulon, IL, dated 1885-1900 WorldCat Toulon's 12th Anniversary Ancestry . Thompson got out of his truck and approached Dison's car. He climbed the four wooden steps that led to the side door of the house, leaving the squad car lights flashing in the driveway. By now, calls for help had been broadcast to officers in two other Stark County townsWyoming (six miles away) and Bradford (15 miles away). He might follow his enemy down the rural roads that led out of Toulon, or block him with his truck at intersections. Stark County 130 West Main Street Toulon, IL - Illinois 61483 Trial Court Administrator Gabe McLeod 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (309) 286-5941 (309) 286-4039 Visit Website Get Directions Links Administrative Orders Circuit Clerk Court Directory Disability Information (ADA) e-Filing Forms Holiday Schedule IL Legal Aid Online Jury Information One day in 1981, a posse of 30 or 40 followed the bully to his truck and, in broad daylight, shot him dead. In 1987, Thompson pulled his pickup in front of Dison's car on a rural road, blocking the former sheriff. Name Stark County Recorder of Deeds Suggest Edit Address PO Box 97 Toulon , Illinois , 61483 Phone 309-286-5911 Fax 309-286-4039 In exchange, prosecutors dropped a first-degree murder charge. The population was 1,400 at the 2000 census. A handful of Toulon residents claim that Thompson was misunderstood. Then, Toulon's strengthits smallnessbecame its biggest liability. Jim and Janet Giesenhagen gave statements about Thompson's behavior in connection with that case. Had police been afraid of Thompson? Streicher fell to Thompson's porch, his face dusted with gunpowder, shotgun wadding stuck to his shirt collar, his upper left side blown away. "He butchered his own meat. Court records show that Dison arrested Thompson in 1971 after Thompson allegedly threatened a man at a Toulon feed store. For 30 years, some of the people of Toulon had worried that it could come to this. Neither the Toulon city policeman nor the Stark County sheriff, Collins says, was interested in pursuing the matter, claiming it to be outside their jurisdictions. Stark County Sheriff's Office. "I had no connection to Curt, no dealings with him," Tracy says. Named for John Stark, a soldier of the French and Indian wars, a Major General of the Revolution, who served with distinction at Bunker Hill, Trenton, Princeton, and Bennington. The case remains open. The Blue Mountains Eye Study: The True Story of the Worlds Most Important Eye Study! Acquaintances say he grew up on a farm near Toulon, the youngest of several children. For years, a rough-hewn man named Curt Thompson threatened and intimidated his neighbors in the small farming community of Toulon, Illinois. Most folks farm the land or work for the town. He used a walker! For nearly 30 yearswell into Dison's old age and retirementThompson maintained a feud with the sheriff. I would have hired the man in an instant if not for his temper.". Finally, Jim set up a video camera on the back of his garage and pointed it toward the alley. And they are consistent in their reasoning. She, Jim, Janet, and Ashley were in her backyard playing with Ardelle's cats. Lede AI Sports Desk. TOULON, Ill. (WICS) The Stark County Sheriffs Office requested the Illinois State Police (ISP) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) to investigate an officer-involved shooting. Update: Six years later, Thompson died in prison in an apparent suicide. As Thompson drove past Tracy's house, Tracy's telephone rang furiously inside. 17-year-old Eian Sharkey of Toulon, Illinois, was reported . About ten years ago, I noticed that he had only one of the dogs. The Illinois State Police will submit the case to the Stark County States Attorney once the investigation is complete. you know how small towns arethey have to pick at somebody and never let up. Authorities say 66-year-old Rodney G. Williams was pronounced deceased after being taken to an area hospital. We are the only Legal Newspaper in Stark County. Often, he was the only law enforcement officer on duty in the entire county. TOULON, Ill. We know more about an officer-involved shooting over the weekend in nearby Stark County that claimed the life of a Toulon man. The second was filed by Sandra against Thompson's son, Curtis Jr. "After that," Sandra says, "Curt would sit at the stop sign at the end of our driveway and glare.". Browse Stark County, IL real estate. Ardelle, who did not know whether Thompson was still inside the Giesenhagen home, threw on her shoes and coat and ran across the alley. Some light rain moving into the region this evening. Always, he would glare. Title Place of Publication Published Dates 1. No officers were injured during the incident, and the Illinois State Police will submit the case to the Stark County States Attorney once the investigation is complete, according to the release. Born at Washington Court House, Information - Stark County CUSD #100 Pride and Excellence 300 W. Van Buren St. Wyoming, IL 61491 Phone: 309-695-6123 | Fax: 309-695-3062 Home About Us School Board Schools Information Superintendent's Office Superintendent: Mr. Brett M. Elliott Unit Clerical/Payroll: Rebecca Lane Bookkeeper: Mary Streitmatter 300 Van Buren Street Wyoming, IL 61491 Avatar: The Way of Water is the movie that James As far as humans are concerned, departure is considered a sad event in life. # 13,383-17,843 in National Rankings. It is the 40th largest county by population, with a population of 30,564 as of 2019. His name was Curtis Thompson, and he was a former coal miner who had lived in the area all his life. He didn't arrest him. "Grandma, he's down there," Ashley said. Curt said he'd get him, too. ALICE'S BEAUTYSALON AliceHarrington,Owner HairStyling-PermanentWaving 226S.UnionSt.-Toulon,III. The library houses a collection of vital records compiled by the Genealogical Society from courthouse records and from other sources. "It's not against the law to drive your car down a public road or an alley and glare at someone. Contact Information Stark County Courthouse 130 W. Main St. Toulon, IL 61483 309-286-5911 - County Clerk 309-286-5941 - Circuit Clerk 309-286-5911 - Recorder IRAD Depository University Library Western Illinois University 1 University Circle Macomb, IL 61455-1390 309-298-2716 Established March 2, 1839 ( Laws, 1839, p. 229) Combat Stress: Effective Strategies And Resources For Managing Your Stress! Phone: (309) 286-2541 Fax Number: We are proud to serve our communities with up to date information in print and on line. Deputy Streicher, 23, had dreamed of becoming a cop since childhood, when he admired Ponch, the hero of the TV series CHiPs. When authorities asked for witnesses, no one came forward. Backup law enforcement was still minutes away. On March 22, 2002, sheriff's deputy Adam Streicher was the only cop on duty in Toulon, Illinois, a town of 1,400 that briefly pokes up between cornfields, the municipal equivalent of a prairie dog. They speak of a farm boy who lost his father at an early age, who had to work for room and board in grade school, who was bright and well read and married a lovely woman to whom he stayed married and with whom he produced three children. A lot of his life was spent not having more than minimum finances. As of the 2010 census, its population was 2,420 and it contained 1,080 housing units. Ardelle says the dispatcher told her, "You have to call it yourself." "Dison didn't take any shit," says Collins, the former mayor. "Curt was probably born 100 years too late," says one of Thompson's neighbors. Everyone knows each other here, not just by name but by hopes, dreams, victories, and disappointments. Residents who otherwise massed to help neighbors now advised one another to "just ignore" Thompson. On that Friday night last March, while Deputy Streicher lay on Curt Thompson's porch, Thompson streaked in the squad car toward the Giesenhagen house. This investigation is active and ongoing, and no additional information will be released at. But if anyone treated him fair, he'd treat you fair back. DOWNLOAD THE FOX 32 NEWS APP FOR BREAKING NEWS ALERTS The investigation is ongoing. Unlike most bullies, Thompson targeted more than the weak. Thompson was convicted of disorderly conduct, but not the more serious charge of aggravated assault. He stopped the former sheriff, he said, to warn him against bothering his family. "Day after day, around eight in the morning, Curt would drive down the alley behind Jim's house, just circling very slow, three or four times, almost not moving, and glaring," recalls Joe Tracy, Jim's best friend. That date hasn't been set yet. Ashley told Ardelle, "Grandma, come quick! On a Friday night like this one, an ambitious deputy might nab some beer-chugging teenagers or issue a "Settle down, folks" to a bickering couple. He lived frugally and was a very intelligent person. Newspapers Published in Stark CountyWe catalogued the following 26newspaper titles from Stark County. About this Newspaper; Libraries that Have It; About this Newspaper. He stood perhaps five feet nine. Peoria Police says they responded to the crash in the intersection of NE Adams and Spalding Streets at around 4:44 A.M. Officers arrived to find a vehicle that had been struck by another, Trudging toward spring, one item at a time. ", No one remembers any formative incident in Thompson's life that might explain the roots of his temper. . Still, Toulon has its advantages, and they are the kind that don't defer to eras. In 1986, the Giesenhagens told police that Thompson's Labrador retriever had bitten six-year-old Shawn Henderson, Janet's son from a previous marriage, who lived with them. Janet worked long hours at a Peoria grocery store, about an hour away, then went home to play with their daughter, Ashley, and surf the Internet. Genealogy and family history records include: obituaries, births, & marriages. When someone in Toulon gets sick, much of the town rushes to her bedside or comforts her children or takes over her household chores. The details of Thompson's life are sketchy. A month after the murders, Curt Thompson was taken to the Stark County courthouse to enter pleas in the 30-count indictment against him. His condition improved over the course of the next week. But Streicher didn't intend to sit. The disorderly conduct verdict, however, was reversed by the Third District appellate court, which reasoned that the trial judge had improperly excluded testimony about the long-running feud between Dison and Thompson and his family. Even among her siblings, Ptasnik says, the instinct was to turn away from Thompson. He finally consented to a public defenderMatthew Maloney, an attorney certified to handle capital cases, from Princeton, Illinois, northeast of Toulon. Bob Taylor came. Thompson had been shot in the face. Entdecke Dr. Hall House & Office, 301 Franklin Street, Toulon, Stark County, IL, Illinois, 11 in groer Auswahl Vergleichen Angebote und Preise Online kaufen bei eBay Kostenlose Lieferung fr viele Artikel! Stark County News is categorized under Newspaper Publishing and Printing Manufacturers (SIC code 2711). On Saturday, February 18, 2023, the Stark County Sheriffs Office requested the Illinois State Police (ISP) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) to investigate an officer involved shooting. Provided by Davenport-R Island-Moline KWQC The. "He had no choice. Preliminary information indicates at approximately 6:30 a.m., on Saturday, officers assigned to the Henry County Special Operations Squad (comprised of officers from multiple Illinois State Police are investigating an incident in which a suspect armed with a machete was fatally shot by police in Stark County, near Peoria. Latest news from Toulon, IL collected exclusively by city-data.com from local newspapers, TV, and radio stations . Then, another, longer silence, this one crushing in its implicationit was time for the officers to approach the stolen vehicle. Now Ashley's socks were soaked in blood. Nothing moved inside the squad car. "There was nothing Curt wouldn't do for you." "I don't want to think about it," one resident says. She didn't want anyone to touch any of her stuff, and she raised her kids like that. The UAW PEORIA A Decatur man has been indicted by a Peoria County grand jury in connection with a fatal shooting at a Farmington Road gas station earlier this year. Stark County Athletic Complex Wyoming, IL 410 N Galena Feb 14 Boys Varsity Basketball at United United 6:00 pm | Monmouth-United High School Feb 15 Girls 7th-8th Volleyball vs. Visitation Visitation 5:30 pm | Stark County Athletic Complex Wyoming, IL 410 N . On Saturday, Feb. 18 at 6:30 a.m., officers assigned to the Henry County Special Operations Squad were attempting to execute a search warrant at a home in the 500 block of N. Olive Street, when they encountered the man inside of his apartment. MUSSLEMAN DIAL3492 110S.E.STREET TOULON,ILL. Toulon Homes for Sale $98,900; Osceola Homes . Then one night, authorities say, a newcomer paid him a call, and the towns worst fears came true. The thinking was to ignore him, and hopefully things would get better. Project Now is the administrator for Head Start programs in the area. In addition to recreation activities, there are plenty of cultural attractions in Stark County such as art galleries showcasing local artists work, museums highlighting local history and culture as well as theaters offering live performances of musicals and plays throughout the year. [2] But most people chose just to ignore him.". If you have any questions about this domain name or website, please contact us here. Nothing. Tazewell County Tazewell County Courthouse 342 Court St Rm. News Around REALTORS . According to a Department of Justice press release, 51-year-old Dante Latice Williams was sentenced to 262 months in prison for robbing First Mid Bank and Trust in Galesburg, followed by five years of supervised release. Illinois Marriages, 1790-1860 includes Stark County, 1839 - 1850 (Source: Explore Ancestry for free) ($) Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre-1916 Oct. 1877-Dec. 1900 (Source: Illinois State Archives) Stark County Vital Records Office (Source: Vital Records Information for the United States) U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules . The man was later transported via helicopter to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria. View all past . Thompson was now pointed south on Franklin Street. Deputy Streicher waited for an answer at the man's door. "He knew that was about the time Ashley went to school. A few days later, he appeared in court in Toulon and demanded to represent himself, saying his court-appointed attorneys in previous cases had not been "worth throwing back." Ardelle Giesenhagen, Jim's mother, and others say Thompson began to stalk the Giesenhagen family, and kept it up for years. 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