Batavia High School was placed on lockdown early today, preventing students from entering the building, as police investigated a report of a person with a rifle.

Officers were sent to the school around 6 a.m. after getting a report of the person entering the school. As of 7 a.m., nothing was found, according to Batavia police. The school remained on lockdown.

3-31-19 Ryan D. Wallace age 38 of Benton was arrested and charged with driving while license suspended, methamphetamine delivery and possession of drug paraphernalia. He is being held in the Franklin County Jail.

4-2-19 Jovan D. Bardle age 31 of West Frankfort was ticketed for failure to wear a seatbelt.

4-2-19 Daryl D. Gostowski age 54 of Thompsonville was ticketed for failure to wear a seatbelt and operating an uninsured vehicle.

4-2-19 Harley E. West age 20 of Benton was ticketed for operating an uninsured vehicle.

4-3-19 Jenna E. Herbst age 28 of Marion was ticketed for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.

4-3-19 Rebecca L. Braddy age 43 of West Frankfort was ticketed for a Scott’s Law violation, use of cell phone while driving and operating an uninsured vehicle.

4-4-19 Samuel A. Miller age 30 of Benton was arrested for domestic battery. He was transported to the Franklin County Jail where he later posted bond.

4-4-19 Justin L. Barnhart was arrested and charged with driving while license revoked. He was transported to the Franklin County Jail where he later posted bond.

4-4-19 Christine M. Lake age 36 of Wentzville, MO was ticketed for using a cell phone while driving.

4-4-19 Tamara D. Smith age 48 of Benton was ticketed for using a cell phone while driving.

4-4-19 Richard J. James age 23 of West Frankfort was ticketed for using a cell phone while driving.

4-4-19 Megan A. Whiting age 37 of Elburn, IL was ticketed for using a cell phone while driving.

4-4-19 April D. Miles age 47 of Benton was ticketed for using a cell phone while driving.

WARRANT ARRESTS

3-25-19 Larry E. Levault age 35 of Benton. Failure to appear for driving under the influence.

3-27-19 Jeremy M. Toth age 31 of Benton. Failure to appear for driving while license suspended.

3-27-19 Nicole J. Brown age 40 of Wadesville, IN. Failure to appear for permitting truancy.

3-29-19 Michael L. Moulton age 43 of Benton. Failure to appear for theft.

3-29-19 Briesha L. Rush age 20 of Mt. Vernon. Failure to appear for speeding.

3-29-19 Brian K. Caraker age 21 of Benton. Failure to appear for retail theft.

3-29-19 Amy M. Ward age 45 of Benton. Failure to appear for retail theft.

3-31-19 Darrian N. Willis age 23 of West Frankfort. Warrant for unlawful delivery of methamphetamine.

4-1-19 Michael S. Ellis age 38 of Mt. Vernon. Failure to appear for domestic battery.

4-1-19 Chalieah E. Butler age 23 of Logan. Failure to appear warrant for speeding.

4-1-19 Antwon M. Brown age 30 of Marion. Failure to appear warrant for retail theft.

4-2-19 Zachary L. Conaway age 29 of West Frankfort. Failure to appear driving on revoked license.

On April 2nd, 2019 at approximately 6p.m., Benton Police conducted a traffic stop at the intersection of Espy and Studell Street.
Upon investigating, police arrested Shaina A. Tucker, age 30, of West Frankfort on an active Franklin County warrant for petition to revoke.
Tucker was charged and transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.

Franklin County Sheriff’s deputies will be outfitted with life jackets, thanks to an in-kind donation from a Minnesota-based company.

Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.

Grammy-winning duo Dan + Shay solidified themselves as the hottest group in country music with multiple wins at the Academy of Country Music Awards, where Keith Urban was named entertainer of the year and Kacey Musgraves won three honors.

Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.

SPRINGFIELD — Heavy metal band Megadeth will be the opening act at this year’s Illinois State Fair.

Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.

ZEIGLER — There were four people running for as many seats on the Zeigler City Council. It turns out one of them might not be eligible to serve.

Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.

Alan M. Dershowitz, the attorney and Harvard Law professor emeritus, slammed Robert Mueller on Sunday, saying the special counsel engaged in a “cop out” by stating that his report neither exonerated President Trump nor concluded he’d committed a crime related to obstruction of justice.

Here’s a link to the story at Fox News.

Illinois is raising the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025, and a Democratic lawmaker says that should be the base pay for all workers.

Here’s a link to the story at Illinois News Network.

For more than a year, state child welfare workers watched over 2-year-old Ja’hir Gibbons and his 5-year-old brother, looking for any signs that they had been physically abused.

Here’s a link to the story at the Chicago Tribune.