Two men were killed in a two-vehicle crash on state Route 161 near Posey last Wednesday morning.
According to a preliminary investigation from the Illinois State Police, on May 9 at approximately 5:50 a.m., Kermit J. Stinde, 34, of Centralia, driving a black 2009 Ford Expedition, was eastbound on Route 161, near state Route 127 in Posey.
For unknown reasons, Stinde crossed the center line into oncoming traffic, striking a gray 2002 Ford Escape, driven by John Davis Jr., 26, of Hoffman.
Clinton County Coroner Phillip Moss pronounced both drivers deceased at the scene.
He said that two registered nurses happened to come upon the scene in separate vehicles and both stopped and attempted lifesaving efforts.
He said no passengers were in either vehicle and no one witnessed the crash.
Both Stinde and Davis were pronounced dead just before 7 a.m.
The crash remains under investigation by the Illinois State Police.
Stinde worked for Hughes Net as a contractor. He is survived by his wife Andrea Stinde and two sons, Hayden John Stinde and Justin Dubois, all of Centralia, along with other family members.
No obituary information has been available for Davis, who worked at KMK Metal Fabricators Inc. in Trenton.
A photo of Shyann taken while she was hospitalized at Cardinal Glennon Hospital in St. Louis. It was over four months ago, on Saturday, Jan. 6, that Jennie Warren’s granddaughter Shyann — then just 5 months old — was airlifted to Cardinal Glennon Hospital in St. Louis. She was unresponsive and spent the next two weeks in a coma.
Doctors confirmed that the baby’s injuries which, according to Warren, included skull fractures and a brain bleed, were caused by shaken baby syndrome.
To date, no arrests have been made and the case remains under investigation by the Carlyle Police Department.
Last week, Clinton County Crimestoppers announced a $2,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the abuse. Seeking justice for her granddaughter, Warren reached out to local media in the months following the incident.
“I am seeking any information that anyone may have regarding my granddaughter,” Warren said. “All I know is that on Dec. 31 Shyann was a 5-month-old baby girl who was happy, laughing, sitting up, grabbing toys and talking and on Jan. 6 she was unresponsive. Now she can’t move, can’t see, can’t talk and has to be tube fed.”
On May 4, the police department offered the following statement:
On Jan. 6 at approximately 1:36 p.m., the Carlyle Police Department responded along with paramedics to 1871 Jefferson Street in Carlyle for the report of a 5-month-old infant possibly not breathing.
The child was immediately transported by ambulance to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Breese for initial treatment and then flown by medical helicopter to Cardinal Glennon in St. Louis.
On Jan. 6, medical staff indicated that injuries sustained by the infant were likely attributed to abuse of the child. A criminal investigation was initiated on this date.
Extensive interviews have been conducted in this case beginning on Jan. 7 with the baby’s parents as well as those present during the time of the initial call.
During the course of this investigation persons of interest were identified and became the focus of the ongoing investigation. Polygraph examinations were scheduled and offered to the parties.
The Carlyle Police Department has worked closely with the Clinton County State’s Attorney and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services during this investigation and the investigation is still ongoing at this time. All evidence obtained in this case to date has been submitted to the Clinton County State’s Attorney for further review at this time.
After the initial incident occurred, the minor child was placed into protective medical care by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. A recent Clinton County Court decision in April 2018 has returned the minor child to the limited custody of her father.
According to Warren, Shyann was in a coma for her first two weeks in the hospital. She spent 2-1/2 months between Cardinal Glennon Hospital — where she had surgeries to install a tube in her stomach for feeding and a shunt in her brain to remove excess fluid — and Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital in Maryland Heights, Missouri for rehabilitation.
“I know that somebody knows something and I want justice,” Warren said. “The doctors at Cardinal Glennon have said she was shaken by somebody, but all the witnesses who were present supposedly know nothing. It is truly sad that someone could do this to a baby with no remorse or responsibility.”
Anyone with any information can call the Carlyle Police Department at 618-594-2488 or Clinton County Crimestoppers at 618-594-6666. Tips can remain anonymous.
by Bruce Hixon
for the Breese Journal
BREESE JOURNAL PHOTO |BRUCE HIXON
Heading to State — Mater Dei high jumper Carly Etter advanced to the Class 1A State Meet with a jump of 5 feet. She was in a 3-way tie for second place where neither of the three cleared the next jump. All three of those jumpers will compete at the State Meet this weekend. While Mater Dei junior Carly Etter was able to extend her season, the spring campaign came to an end for the rest of her Lady Knights teammates at Friday’s Class 1A Nashville Sectional.
Etter advanced to state competition in the high jump as she finished in a three-way tie for second place with a jump of 5-0. While Madison’s Janiya Collins claimed the title with a mark of 5-1, Okawville’s Audrey Jansen and Chester’s Kaitlyn Hoffman matched the 5-foot mark Etter cleared.
The tie was unable to be broken as Etter, Jansen and Hoffman had the same number of combined misses throughout the competition as well as the same number of misses at descending heights so all three advanced to state.
“Carly did what she needed to do. I thought going into the competition she had a pretty good shot at advancing. She had gone as high as 5-2 during the season so I knew she was capable. She is capable of clearing 5-2 again at state or even going 5-3,” said Mater Dei coach Dave Kohnen.
Etter’s three-way tie for second place accounted for six of Mater Dei’s 12 points. Mater Dei’s other entry in the high jump, Piper Heligenstein, also placed as she finished sixth with a mark of 4-10.
Elyse Faust posted a fourth place finish in the 3200 meters with a time of 13:43. The Lady Knights also got a sixth place finish from its 800-meter relay team of Katie Toennies, Etter, Heligenstein and Olivia Wilken in a time of 1:57.
Nashville won the meet with 121 points followed by runner-up Belleville Althoff with 79 and third place Chester with 68. The 12 points scored by the Lady Knights were good for 11th place.
Etter will compete in the Class 1A state preliminary round on Thursday at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. The finals for Class 1A, Class 2A and Class 3A are Saturday.
Season ends for Cougars: Central saw its girls track season end last Wednesday at the Class 2A Springfield Lanphier Sectional as it failed to qualify any of its entries for state competition.
The Cougars scored 18 points and finished in a tie for 12th place. Springfield Southeast claimed the team competition with 118 points followed by runner-up Troy Triad with 97 and third place Springfield Lanphier with 73.
Abbie Horstmann posted Central’s best finish as she was third in the triple jump with a mark of 32-9 3/4. Horstmann also had a sixth place effort in the high jump as she cleared 4-9.
Sydney Kuper was fourth in the discus competition with a throw of 98-0. Jessie Hempen posted a fifth place finish in the 200-meter dash with a time of :26.91 and a sixth place time of :13.03 in the 100-meter dash.
Regan Albers was sixth in the 3200 meters at 14:09. Taylor Pavich was sixth in the discus with a throw of 96-7. Central’s 400-meter relay team of Hempen, Paige Brueggemann, Horstmann and Annabelle Wieter posted a sixth place time of :52.76.
| Fri., May 11 |
443.85 |
| Sun., May 13 |
443.84 |
| Tues., May 15 |
443.85 |
| May 9 | .00 |
| May 10 | .04 |
| May 11 | .01 |
| May 12 | .00 |
| May 13 | .00 |
| May 14 | .00 |
| May 15 | .02 |
