Illinois
‘Obviously a big loss’ as Central Illinois first responders bid farewell to 23-year-old firefighter
GRIDLEY (25News Now) – A 23-year-old Central Illinois man who dedicated his life to serving others was laid to rest in El Paso on Saturday.
Normal firefighter Ethan Jeffreys was remembered as a ‘rising star’ in emergency services before passing away from stomach cancer.
Jeffreys began his EMS career with the Illinois National Guard before joining his hometown El Paso Emergency Squad. He then joined the Normal Fire Department, and shortly after was diagnosed with cancer.
Firefighters from across the area attended his funeral at Christ Community Church in Gridley. After the service, he was buried in El Paso’s Evergreen Cemetery.
“Obviously a big loss, he was one of the people that rose to the top on our list to hire firefighters. We really thought he had a lot of promise and a great future with the fire department,” said Chief Mick Humer of the Normal Fire Department.
Jeffreys was buried with full honors by the Illinois National Guard and Normal Fire Department. Firefighters from Bloomington and Peoria covered for Normal firefighters so they could attend the funeral.
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Illinois
Illinois man’s Memorial Day weekend in Key West was derailed after he went bar hopping in a stolen police car
Imagine your unofficial start to summer taking place in Key West, Florida. You’ve made the trip for the Memorial Day weekend from suburban Chicago, and you’ve got plans to enjoy some of the local establishments.
You have an evening of drinks planned on Saturday when all of a sudden those plans get derailed. Bar hopping was likely on the agenda, but there’s no chance doing so in a stolen police car was ever mentioned.
According to the Key West Police Department, John Mack, 38, of La Grange, Illinois, hopped into and took a patrol car from an officer working off-duty at Dante’s Key West Pool Bar & Restaurant.
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Local 10 reports that the KWPD said Mack had been drinking inside the bar and restaurant before the incident, which surveillance video shows took place just before 6:20 p.m. Police say the footage shows him “walking out of the pool bar with two friends and standing a couple of feet away from the patrol vehicle.”
Mack then, allegedly, opened the door, got inside, and drove off, almost hitting two men. A security guard reportedly got the attention of the officer the patrol car belonged to and as other KWPD officers were responding to the bar, Mack drove the car around the parking lot.
An Illinois man was arrested in Key West after allegedly stealing a police car and taking it for a ride. (Getty)
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Police say they later found him nearby outside of the Boat House Bar & Grill. He had successfully, it would appear, drunkenly bar hopped in the stolen police car. While he claimed to have had only three to six Coronas, according to police, he failed the field sobriety test.
They then allege he resisted arrest, which caused him to sustain cuts from a fence. He refused a breathalyzer and wasn’t in possession of a valid driver’s license at the time of his arrest. He only had an Illinois ID card on him.
A Memorial Day Weekend trip to Key West for an Illinois man included an arrest after he allegedly stole a patrol car. (Getty)
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Mack, who is obviously innocent until proven guilty, was arrested on charges of DUI, burglary, grand theft, grand theft of law enforcement equipment, reckless driving, refusal to submit to DUI testing and resisting arrest without violence.
That is a full Memorial Day weekend no matter how you look at it.
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