WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Ill. (WSIL) -- Four people were arrested in connection to theft, criminal damage and stolen property investigations in Williamson County.
The Williamson County Sheriff's Office said they have had an outbreak in theft and criminal damage activity in the past several months. This includes damage to public utilities and the with copper wires within those utilities.
The sheriff's office says these thefts they have investigated, have resulted in outages for customers and infrastructure damage which resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars throughout the county. There has also been reports of thefts in nearby counties as well.
In the area of Wolf Creek Road and Old Route 13, the sheriff's office were able to use court authorized GPS tracking devices and said they saw a wire theft in progress. This was on the morning of October 4 at 3:12 a.m.
The sheriff's office said they saw two suspects, identified as Loran W. Robison and Rusty A. Leeper, who they then pulled over after leaving the area. The sheriff's office detailed their deputies saw stolen wire in the truck bed, along with linemen climbing equipment in the truck.
The sheriff's office detailed the following charges both Robison and Leeper face...
Loran Robison
- Theft ($10,000 - $100,000) - Class 2 Felony
- Criminal Damage to Property - Class 2 Felony
- Improper Lighting
- Improper Lighting - No Taillights
- Improper Lane Usage
- Operating Uninsured Vehicle
Rusty Leeper
- Theft ($10,000 - $100,000) - Class 2 Felony
- Criminal Damage to Property - Class 2 Felony
Another report the sheriff's office detailed was criminal damage to property in the Lake of Egypt Road area near Power Plant Road. After using cellular based cameras, the sheriff's office said one person, later identified as Robison, stole a cellular camera on September 19, and was then cited for theft of state supported property.
The following is a list of charges for Robison provided by the sheriff's office from multiple locations and dates...
Lake Of Egypt Road / Power Plant Road Wire Theft Which Occurred On August 24, 2024.
- Theft ($10,000 - $100,000) (Class 2 Felony)
- Criminal Damage To Property (Class 2 Felony)
Illinois Route 37 / Eagle Point Bay Road Wire Theft Which Occurred On August 27, 2024.
- Possession Of Stolen Property (Class 2 Felony)
- Theft ($10,000 - $100,000) (Class 2 Felony)
- Criminal Damage To Property (Class 2 Felony)
Lake Of Egypt Road / Power Plant Road Wire Theft Which Occurred On September 7, 2024.
- Theft ($10,000 - $100,000) (Class 2 Felony)
- Criminal Damage To Property (Class 2 Felony)
Illinois Route 37 / Maneese Lane Wire Theft Which Occurred On September 14, 2024.
- Theft ($10,000 - $100,000) (Class 2 Felony)
- Criminal Damage To Property (Class 2 Felony)
Lake Of Egypt Road / Power Plant Road Wire Theft Which Occurred On September 27, 2024.
- Theft ($10,000 - $100,000) (Class 2 Felony)
- Criminal Damage To Property (Class 2 Felony)
In regards to more theft investigations, the sheriff's office said there were three which were reported for theft and criminal damage in the area of Stotlar Road East of Bandyville Road in late September. Jerri L. Stirtzel and Steven G. Litton are accused of selling stolen copper wire from this location.
Stritzel and Litten were then arrested and cited with possession of stolen property, the sheriff's office added. They were also taken to the Williamson County Jail.
More arrested are anticipated and the investigation is ongoing.
Assisting the Williamson County Sheriff's office with these investigations are the Marion Police Department, Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, Illinois State Police Crime Lab, and Williamson County State’s Attorney Ted Hampson.
If you have any information concerning this or any other investigation, you are informed to call the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office at 618.997.6541 or “Submit A Tip� on the Williamson County Sheriff’s App.
