DECATUR — A motorcycle trailer hearse was among a stash of stolen vehicles police say they recovered Thursday following the arrest of three men that included a pursuit through several Macon County communities.
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According to a Macon County Sheriff’s Office news release, deputies responded around 8 a.m. Thursday to a report of a truck having been stolen overnight in Forsyth.
A short time later, around 11 a.m., officers from the Warrensburg Police Department located the stolen truck outside a village residence. It was towing a trailer that police later confirmed to be stolen overnight from the Tanzyus-Logan Funeral Home, 3085 N. Kandy Lane, in Decatur.
Rebecca Tanzyus, president and partner of the funeral home, said the custom-made hearse trailer and motorcycle are only used for special occasions and is usually locked in a trailer over the winter, so it was to her surprise to hear it was stolen in the morning.
Pictured is the motorcycle trailer hearse belonging to Tanzyus-Logan Funeral Home in Decatur. It was among three stolen vehicles, two trailers and a camper recovered Thursday by Macon County authorities.
“I think people are probably getting desperate for different things but I mean it’s just a thing,” Tanzyus said. “I have insurance so you don’t really need to cry over it, it’s just sad that people felt that they needed to do something like that.”
After identifying two suspects, deputies and officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop when they say the driver fled from the scene, leading law enforcement units in a vehicle chase starting in Warrensburg and through Latham, Niantic and eventually ending near the west side of Decatur.
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The Decatur Police Department successfully deployed spike strips and, alongside the sheriff’s office, Warrensburg police, and Decatur Park District police, they followed the truck until it came to a stop in the 900 block of West Tuttle Street in Decatur.
The suspects then fled the truck on foot and were subsequently taken into custody after a brief search of the surrounding area.
According to the sheriff’s office news release, one of the suspects threw a loaded handgun during the pursuit that was later recovered and reported stolen from a Decatur residence.
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A search warrant was later issued for a residence in Warrensburg where several other stolen items were found and the homeowner was taken into custody.
Authorities said the total value of all items seized from the investigation is estimated at $175,000 and includes three stolen vehicles, as well as two trailers, a camper and the motorcycle trailer hearse belonging to the Tanzyus-Logan Funeral Home.
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Tanzyus said they are grateful to the local law enforcement agencies that had a hand in apprehending the suspects, as well as helping load their motorcycle hearse trailer back onto the trailer.
A check of Macon County Jail records Friday showed that two suspects apprehended following the chase remain in custody with one of them being held on $753,000 bail, meaning he must post $75,300 to be released, and the other being held $170,000 bail, meaning he must post $17,000 to be released.
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The homeowner also remains in custody with bail set $100,000, meaning he must post $10,000 to be released.
All three men are being held on preliminary charges of theft. These and other preliminary charges are subject to review by the state’s attorney’s office.
Updated mugshots from the Herald & Review
Phillip Gehrken
Phillip J. Gehrken, 52, of Forsyth has been arrested on preliminary charges stemming from the July 11 fatal shooting of 51-year-old victim Kevin Cooper. READ THE STORY HERE.
Laurel A. Szekely
Appeared in Macon County Circuit Court July 8, 2021, and pleaded guilty to endangering the life or health of a child. She took a plea deal that saw three counts of aggravated battery dismissed and was sentenced to an 18 month conditional discharge. Szekely was accused of fracturing her baby’s leg and causing head injuries.
Charles M. McClain
Charles M. McClain is pleading not guilty to three counts of predatory criminal sexual assault against a child and one count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.
Emmanuel White
Emmanuel White, 18, is charged in Moultrie County with two counts of armed violence, possession of a stolen firearm, unlawful possession of a stolen/converted motor vehicle, possession of methamphetamine and defacing identification marks on a firearm. READ THE STORY
James T. Johnson
James T. Johnson was sentenced to 12 months conditional discharge on April 22, 2021, after pleading guilty to the aggravated assault of a peace officer. READ THE STORY
Raymond D. Graham
Raymond D. Graham. Sentenced to 6 years in prison April 26, 2021, after pleading guilty to a charge of home invasion.
Tony J. Pettis
Tony J. Pettis is pleading not guilty to charges of the aggravated discharge of a firearm, two counts of the aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and a charge of being a felon in possession of a weapon. He is accused of threatening to kill a Decatur man and firing two shots into the ground near the man’s feet. READ THE STORY
Colby J. Park
Colby J. Park, 22, is pleading not guilty to charges of predatory criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual assault of a 6-year-old Decatur boy. Park was recently judged mentally fit to stand trial. READ THE STORY
Tyreco S. Garry
Tyreco S. Garry is denying murder and attempted murder charges. He is accused of shooting to death Jayleon Cummings on Dec. 22, 2020, and attempting to kill a 16-year-old boy who was with Cummings. READ THE STORY
Jessica A. Logan
A Macon County Circuit Court jury decided that Decatur mother Jessica A. Logan murdered her 19-month-old son Jayden M. Comage by smothering him to death in his bed. Logan said her child choked to death after accidentally getting tangled up in bed sheets. READ THE STORY
Travis C. Childress
Travis C. Childress is accused of launching a one-man crime spree within weeks of being paroled from prison. He was booked on five preliminary counts of robbery along with charges of resisting police and violation of parole. READ THE STORY
Derek M. Leonard
Derek M. Leonard, 23, was sentenced in Macon County Circuit Court on May 27, 2021, to 30 months probation and two days in jail after pleading guilty to a single charge of aggravated domestic battery involving his girlfriend. READ THE STORY
Keith M. Lowe
Keith M. Lowe appeared in Macon County Circuit Court May 26, 2021, pleading not guilty to attempted murder and other charges in the April 28 shooting of a woman in Decatur. READ THE STORY
Dessica N. Jackson
Dessica N. Jackson was sentenced May 25, 2021, to 30 months probation and 30 days in jail after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the stabbing death of her Decatur ex-lover. READ THE STORY
Andy R. McCulley Jr.
Andy R. McCulley Jr. is pleading not guilty to two counts of armed robbery, two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and and a charge of mob action in the robbery of a homeless Decatur man. See also the case of his son, Andy R. McCulley III. READ THE STORY
Andy R. McCulley III
Andy R. McCulley III was sentenced May 20, 2021, to 120 days jail and 24 months probation after pleading guilty to aggravated battery with a deadly weapon in the robbery of a homeless Decatur man. READ THE STORY
Angela M. Schmitt
Angela M. Schmitt took a plea deal May 20, 2021, in Macon County Circuit Court and admitted one charge of theft of more than $100,000 from the Decatur veterinary clinic where she used to work as office manager. She was sentenced to 48 months probation and ordered to pay back more than $331,000. READ THE STORY
Deandre M. Smith
Deandre M. Smith was sentenced to 15 years in prison on May 20, 2021, after pleading guilty in Macon County Circuit Court to a single charge of armed violence. READ THE STORY
Eldon L.K. Borders
Eldon L.K. Borders was sentenced to 12 years in prison May 17, 2021, after pleading guilty to aggravated criminal sexual abuse involving child victims. READ THE STORY
Shawn L. Eubanks
Shawn Eubanks was sentenced May 14, 2021, to 20 years in prison for the execution-style murder of Demesheo M. Lovelace, who was gunned down in Greenwood Cemetery on July 2, 2017. READ THE STORY
Jarquez A. Hobbs
Jarquez A. Hobbs was sent to prison for 54 years on May 13, 2021. He was found guilty by a jury April 8 of invading the apartment home of a sleeping 5-year-old girl and snatching the child from her bed before raping her in the family’s dining room and forcing her to perform sex acts. READ THE STORY
Velma L. Copeland
Nurse Velma L. Copeland denies aggravated identity theft and unlawful possession charges involving a dead patient’s credit card. READ THE STORY
Octavius R. Howse
Octavius R. Howse pleaded not guilty on May 12, 2021, to two counts of being a felon in possession of a weapon and being an armed habitual criminal. READ THE STORY
Matthew Anderson Jr.
Matthew A. Anderson Jr., 22, was sentenced June 23 in Macon County Circuit Court to a total of 50 years in prison for the murder of Curtis T. Hairston on Jan. 4. 2019, in a shootout at the former Long John Silver’s restaurant in Decatur. He had been convicted after a jury trial. READ THE STORY
Jon A. Merli
Jon A. Merli, sentenced to 17 years in prison April 27, 2021, after admitting the predatory criminal sexual assault of a girl aged 7.
Matthew R. Anderson
Matthew R. Anderson was sentenced in Macon County Circuit Court. Sworn affidavits from Decatur police said Anderson had robbed the Circle K Gas Station at 1315 Koester Road in Forsyth on the night of June 16, 2020, implying to the terrified cashier he had a gun.
Scott L. Minix
Scott L. Minix has pleaded not guilty to charges that he exposed himself to a mother and young children shopping in a Decatur Walmart. READ THE STORY
Delahn L. Amos
Delahn L. Amos pleaded not guilty to murder and attempted murder charges that accuse him of killing one Decatur man and almost killing another in a hail of bullets fired in back-to-back shootings on consecutive nights. READ THE STORY
Chancellor C. Embry
Chancellor C. Embry pleaded not guilty to kicking in the front door of a Decatur home belonging to a terrified woman and stealing from her at gunpoint. He later pleaded not guilty to new charges that he robbed another woman at gunpoint a month earlier. READ THE STORY
Chelsea Brown
Chelsea Brown is among three people facing preliminary charges after a daughter of the convicted killer was attacked in a courthouse elevator while leaving her father’s sentencing hearing. READ THE STORY
Kevin Brown
Kevin Brown is among three people facing preliminary charges after a daughter of the convicted killer was attacked in a courthouse elevator while leaving her father’s sentencing hearing. READ THE STORY
Shawanda Apholone
Shawanda Apholone, the aunt of a murdered Decatur man, is among three people facing preliminary charges after a daughter of the convicted killer was attacked in a courthouse elevator while leaving her father’s sentencing hearing. READ THE STORY
Joseph Luckee Vincent Williams
Two counts of attempted murder, and several other serious charges, were dismissed against Williams at a court hearing May 3, 2020. But a judge dismissed the charges without prejudice, which means they could be refiled. Williams, who represented himself in court, has always maintained his innocence.
Jamie L. Golladay
Jamie L. Golladay denied charges he fed a 14-year-old girl cocaine on one occasion and gave her repeated cash gifts on others while sexually assaulting the child. READ THE STORY
Derondi C. Warnsley
Derondi C. Warnsley was sentenced to 30 months probation after pleading guilty to an amended charge of attempted residential burglary. In return for the guilty plea, four Class X felonies alleging home invasion and armed robbery and two Class 1 felonies alleging aggravated robbery and one count of residential burglary were dismissed. READ THE STORY
Levron K. Hines
Levron K. Hines pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempted first-degree murder. He and Delahn L. Amos are accused of shooting a Decatur man who believed he was being hired to provide a member of Hines’ family with a tattoo. READ THE STORY
Avery E. Drake
Avery E. Drake has pleaded not to charges of reckless discharge of a firearm, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and armed violence, and to a charge of obstructing justice in a separate case. READ THE STORY
Daniel R. Blazich
Daniel R. Blazich pleaded not guilty to charges that he tried to kill a Decatur man by hitting him in the head with a hammer and then holding on to the man while an accomplice shot the victim twice. READ THE STORY
Dessica N. Jackson
Dessica N. Jackson of Decatur was sentenced to 30 months probation and 30 days jail on May 25, 2021, after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of her ex-lover.
Phillip M. E. Diggs
Phillip M. E. Diggs told a judge Sept. 17 that he was not guilty of trying to solicit a 13-year-old Decatur boy for sex. READ THE STORY
Blake E. Merli
Blake E. Merli is pleading not guilty to two charges of possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver and being an armed habitual criminal. READ THE STORY
Jason C. Herendeen
Jason C. Herendeen pleaded not guilty to burglary and pocketing more than $4,600 from the sale of gold bullion coins stolen in a Clinton burglary. READ THE STORY
Jeremiah D. Collins
Jeremiah D. Collins is charged with five burglary charges, three counts of criminal damage, two counts of unlawful possession of a vehicle, one count of theft and one of arson. He was found eligible for Macon County’s Behavioral Health Court, also referred to as Mental Health Court, which offers access to treatment and rehabilitation for those who qualify for it. READ THE STORY
Deonte D. Smith
Deonte D. Smith was sentenced to 11 years in prison in connection with trying to shoot a man to death after hiring an Uber driver to take him to the crime scene. Smith pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated battery on a public way and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon in return for other charges being dropped. READ THE STORY
Deoane A. Stone
Deoane A. Stone was sentenced to 10 years in prison in connection with the sexual assault of a girl aged under 13.Stone pleaded guilty to two charges of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. Three charges of predatory criminal sexual assault and a further charge of aggravated criminal sexual abuse were dismissed. READ THE STORY
Carl E. Harvey II
Carl E. Harvey II pleaded not guilty to charges he stole more than $100,000 in cash and went on a shopping spree with the loot. READ THE STORY
Ashley N. Jobe
Ashley N. Jobe has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for partnering with her boyfriend to sexually assault two children under the age of 13. She pleaded guilty to two charges of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. READ THE STORY
Lori J. Kramer
Lori J. Kramer was sentenced to 24 months’ probation and ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation in connection with charges she repeatedly slapped an autistic boy across the face so hard she split open his top lip. READ THE STORY
Tony Reid
Talmel T. Wilson, Jr.
Talmel T. Wilson, Jr. pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and being a felon in possession of a weapon. READ THE STORY
Dana E. Bond, Jr.
Dana E. Bond, Jr. pleaded not guilty to charges of being a felon in possession of ammunition. Bond’s June 9 arrest had sparked a tense confrontation between police and neighborhood residents. READ THE STORY
Bryant K. Bunch
Bryant K. Bunch pleaded not guilty to murder in the shooting death of Devin Slater. READ THE STORY
Christopher L. Bailey
Convicted sexual predator Christopher L. Bailey pleaded not guilty to 11 charges of possession and distribution of child pornography in Decatur. He also faces federal charges of possessing child pornography and two counts of distribution. READ THE STORY
Jennifer E. Bishop
Jennifer E. Bishop was sentenced to 24 months probation after pleading guilty to a charge of endangering the life or health of a child stemming from the accidental suffocation of her baby son while drunk and sleeping in the same bed with him. READ THE STORY
Anthony J Dickey
Anthony J Dickey pleaded not guilty to charges he held up and robbed a victim in a Decatur home at gunpoint. READ THE STORY
Tevin C.S. Bradford
Tevin C.S. Bradford pleaded not guilty to charges he attempted to shoot to death a man he found in the apartment of his pregnant ex-girlfriend. READ THE STORY
Paul M. Folks
Paul M. Folks pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder after prosecutors accused of him of firing his revolver into the backs of a fleeing crowd and shooting a Decatur woman dead. READ THE STORY
Malik O. Lewis
Malik O. Lewis was arrested in June on preliminary charges of causing an accident that resulted in injury and death and failing to report an accident involving a death. READ THE STORY
Demetric J. Dixon
Demetric J. Dixon is accused of being the driver who fled from the scene of a collision that resulted in the deaths of four passengers, having an estimated blood alcohol level almost three times the legal limit for driving and running a red light. He has pleaded not guilty. READ THE STORY
Leeandre M. Honorable
Leeandre M. Honorable pleaded not guilty to the attempted murder charge and two counts of the aggravated discharge of a firearm. READ THE STORY
Seth D. Maxwell
Seth D. Maxwell pleaded not guilty to charges he invaded his 81-year-old grandfather’s Decatur home before assaulting him and then dragged his mother out of the house by her hair when she intervened. READ THE STORY
Michelle R. Batman
Michelle R. Batman, accused of helping herself at gunpoint to contents from a home she had previously moved out of, pleaded not guilty to a charge of residential burglary. READ THE STORY
Shane A. Lewis
Shane A. Lewis, 41, has pleaded not guilty to two charges of possessing methamphetamine and two counts of resisting police. READ THE STORY
Eric D. Currie
Eric D. Currie pleaded not guilty to a charge he hit a glass counter window at a restaurant, causing flying glass shards to cut the chin and forearm of a female employee. READ THE STORY
Elijah K. Jones
Elijah K. Jones has pleaded not guilty to two counts of the aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, as well as charges of aggravated domestic battery involving strangulation and vehicular invasion at a preliminary. READ THE STORY
Felipe K. Woodley-Underwood
Felipe K. Woodley-Underwood was arrested April 10 in Wisconsin in connection with the shooting death of Bryston Musgrave, 24. He has pleaded not guilty. READ THE STORY
Jessica E. Bartimus
Jessica E. Bartimus was arrested on a preliminary charge of aggravated domestic battery after police say she inflicted life-threatening stab wounds on her 31-year-old boyfriend. She told police she acted in self-defense. READ THE STORY
Aric L. Corsby
Police said Aric L. Corsby of Decatur beat his girlfriend, pressed a gun to her head and shot at her. He was arrested on a preliminary charge of attempted murder April 22. READ THE STORY
Dylan R. Bunch Jr.
Police say Dylan R. Bunch Jr. was traveling around 60 mph under the influence of cannabis when he blew through a stop sign and smashed into another vehicle April 18, killing the other driver. READ THE STORY
Randall R. Burrus
Randall R. Burrus, 50, is charged with possession of a firearm by a felon and with being in possession of a firearm after having been convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence. He was arrested April 15. READ THE STORY
Tyler D. Jeffrey
Tyler D. Jeffrey has pleaded not guilty to 14 charges of possessing and distributing child pornography involving children as young as 2, as well as four counts of failing to report annually as required by sex offender registration rules. He also faces a federal charge of transportation of child pornography. READ THE STORY
Timothy W. Smith
Timothy W. Smith pleaded not guilty April 1 to two charges of aggravated criminal sexual abuse involving a girl under the age of 15 and a charge of domestic battery involving physical contact against the same victim. READ THE STORY
Justin D. Tate
Police say Justin D. Tate picked up a runaway 14-year-old girl and force-fed her methamphetamine before making her perform sex acts and then raping her. He was arrested March 24. READ THE STORY
Courtney Williams
Courtney Williams was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges that he sexually exploited a child younger than 14. READ THE STORY
Clarence A. Ballard
Clarence A. Ballard was sentenced to 45 years in prison after pleading guilty to predatory criminal sexual assault of a child. The charges stemmed from ballard having kidnapped a girl under 13 and strangling, punching and repeatedly sexually assaulting the child. READ THE STORY
Seth M. Nashland
Seth M. Nashland, 31, was sentenced to 17 years in prison after pleading guilty to two charges of inflicting aggravated battery causing permanent disability to his 8-week-old son, leaving the baby blind and racked by seizures. READ THE STORY
Tracy T. Cunningham
Tracy T. Cunningham was charged with trying to stab his mother to death. READ THE STORY
Colby J. Park
A judge is still waiting to see whether Colby J. Park is fit to stand trial in a 2018 case of predatory criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse. READ THE STORY
Charles E. Gardner
Charles E. Gardner has pleaded guilty to the murder of Cody Drew and sentenced to 28 years in prison. READ THE STORY
Jacquez L. Jones
Jacquez L. Jones has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder. He is accused of shooting another man to death Jan. 9. READ THE STORY
Terrence L. Calhoun
Terrence L. Calhoun was arrested Jan. 11 after police say he stabbed a woman twice in the chest with a kitchen knife. READ THE STORY
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