ROCKFORD A Belvidere man was taken into custody Saturday morning after police said he crashed his Jeep into an Illinois State Police squad car that was stopped on the shoulder of northbound Interstate 39 near Baxter Road.
According to Illinois State Police, a District 16 trooper pulled his squad over to change the tire of another vehicle when a gray Jeep rear ended the trooper’s squad car.
No one was injured.
Police said the squad car’s emergency lights were activated when the vehicle was hit.
The driver of the Jeep, Aaron D. Honert, 45, was charged with violating Scott’s Law, driving too fast for conditions, illegal transportation of alcohol, and driving under the influence of alcohol.
Rockford man charged in string of armed robberies
ROCKFORD A 38-year-old Rockford man has been charged in connection with a string of armed robberies and attempted robberies at convenience stores last week.
Bernard Beard faces three counts of armed robbery and one count of attempted armed robbery, Rockford police said Wednesday in a news release.
He s accused of robbing Circle K gas station, 2225 W. Riverside Blvd., on Jan. 27, Smokes & More, 2645 20th St., on Jan. 28, and Family Dollar, 3824 Broadway, on Jan. 30. He s accused of attempted armed robbery at J&F Tobacco, 2410 S. Alpine Road, on Jan. 28.
Police ask that anyone with additi information contact the department at 815-966-2900 or on Facebook or Twitter. You can also leave an anonymous tip with Rockford Area Crime Stoppers at 815-963-7867.
FREEPORT A Stockton man was sentenced to 180 days in the Stephenson County Jail on Wednesday for his role in the March 28, 2019, death of Illinois State Trooper Brooke Jones-Story.
Jones-Story, 34, was struck and killed by a semitrailer while conducting an inspection on another semitrailer that she had pulled over on U.S. Highway 20 near Freeport.
Craig Dittmar, 57, the driver of the vehicle that struck Jones-Story, pleaded guilty Nov. 30 to reckless homicide, operating a commercial motor vehicle while fatigued causing death, and a violation of Scott’s Law. Police previously said he admitted to falling asleep multiple times before the crash.