Effingham County Sheriff's Office Presented Award

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Published on September 14 2016 1:38 pm
Last Updated on September 15 2016 7:55 am
Written by Millie Lange

 

 

Pictured are, left to right, MOCIC Director Mike Snavely, Chief Deputy Paul Kuhns and Illinois Executive Board Member Vince Wieland.


On August 26 in Wichita, Kansas at the 36th annual Mid-States Organized Crime Information Center’s Conference the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office was presented with an Outstanding Cooperation and Performance in Law Enforcement award. This award was presented to three Law Enforcement Agencies out of MOCIC’s nine state area who conducted an investigation or prosecution successfully while working with multiple agencies using at least one MOCIC service. MOCIC provides analytical services, investigative support, and equipment loans to local Law Enforcement Agencies in Illinois, Wisconsin, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota and Iowa.

The Effingham County Sheriff’s Office was recognized for its investigation into Anhydrous Ammonia thefts from a rural fertilizer storage facility. Suspects were coming on to the storage facility grounds, usually at night, to steal Anhydrous to manufacture methamphetamine. After contacting MOCIC the Sheriff’s Office received sophisticated night-vision cameras and recording equipment. The specialized equipment allowed Deputies to obtain clear video over a two month period that allowed the main suspect to be identified.  The Southeastern Illinois Drug Task Force adopted the investigation and after two years of investigation the last of seven suspects was sentenced in June of 2015. The seven suspects each received between 24 and 151 months in the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

The agencies participating in the investigation were the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office, the Southeastern Illinois Drug Task Force, the Illinois State Police, the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office, the Effingham County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Jasper County State’s Attorney’s Office.  The cases were prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District in Benton, Illinois.

The Effingham County Sheriff’s Office recognizes the outstanding investigative work done by the Drug Task Force in this case and is proud to be one of the Law Enforcement Agencies that worked together during this time to benefit a large area of the community.