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St. Clair County Courthouse amps up security after bomb threat

Published

2 years ago

April 18, 2023

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BELLEVILLE, Ill. – A major, permanent security change at the St. Clair County Courthouse in Belleville, Illinois, happened on Monday. The change came in response to a threat to blow up the building, along with recent mass shootings elsewhere.

It was day one of having to pass through metal detectors to gain access to courthouse offices.

“You know what, this is great. I like it,” said Dedra Moore, an attorney.

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“We’re thrilled we were able to get by without anything happening,” said Sgt. James Hendricks of the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department.

The county will soon begin work to shift the current main courthouse entrance on West Main Street to the rear of the building at 1st and Washington.

New security provisions were part of that plan, but with the recent incidents, authorities decided those new security provisions couldn’t wait.

“Now is the day; don’t wait until it actually happens,” Hendricks said.

Stewart Lannert, 80, of Belleville, is charged with “making a terrorist threat,” a class X felony. A court document said he threatened to blow up the courthouse with dynamite last month.

There have been metal detectors outside the courtrooms for years, but people have had unchecked access to all other offices, from the court clerk to the state’s attorney.

“We wanted to change that,” Hendricks said. “We wanted to make sure that anyone who was inside the building had already been checked. That way, if they went to a restroom or anywhere, we knew they were free of any kind of weapons that could harm anyone. All of our employees and most of the citizens we’ve spoken to, they demand this kind of security.”

He said the new security provisions required six additional bailiffs and public safety personnel.

“This is what I expect to see. This is the norm,” Moore said. “The deputies here have always done a good job of making me feel safe, but just to know that added protection not just for going into a courtroom but for going onto other floors like mapping, planning, and all of those places.”

A cost estimate for the security changes was not immediately available.

Lannert remains jailed with a bond set at $1 million.

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Man attacks Jeff Co. deputy with screwdriver during attempted arrest

Published

2 years ago

July 11, 2023

Natural Bridge

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JEFFERSON COUNTY, Mo. – Two people are behind bars after a man reportedly attacked a Jefferson County deputy with a screwdriver during an attempted arrest over the weekend.

Prosecutors have charged Nicholas Davis, 47, and Amanda Davis, 45, of Dittmer, Missouri, with felonies in the investigation.

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The alleged attack followed a traffic stop of a driver in the 9500 block of Jones Creek Road on July 7, though the driver was not Nicholas or Amanda.

According to court documents obtained by FOX 2, Nicholas reportedly came out of his nearby home, yelled at a deputy and started approaching him while holding a screwdriver. The deputy initially ordered Nicholas to back away, then used pepper spray.

Per court documents, the deputy attempted to arrest Nicholas, who then struck him in the chest with the screwdriver. Amanda reportedly approached the deputy and pulled him away from Nicholas before both ran inside their home.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office says the situation prompted an hours-long standoff involving negotiators, a SWAT team and a K-9 deputy. The situation led to Nicholas refusing warnings and being bitten by a K-9.

Nicholas and Amanda are both jailed in the Jefferson County Jail without bond. Nicholas is charged with first-degree assault on a special victim and armed criminal action. Amanda is charged with resisting/interfering with arrest.

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St. Louis Public Schools superintendent to be sworn in

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2 years ago

July 11, 2023

Natural Bridge

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ST. LOUIS — The new St. Louis schools superintendent will be officially sworn into office today. Dr. Keisha Scarlett took over the job in July after the retirement of Dr. Kelvin Adams. She was assistant superintendent in the Seattle Public School District. The installation ceremony is at 6:15 p.m. before the regular school board meeting.

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Gas tanker crashes into St. Louis Metro transit center

Published

2 years ago

July 11, 2023

Natural Bridge

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ST. LOUIS — A gasoline tanker truck crashed into a Metro transit center near Riverview and Hall Streets early Tuesday morning and knocked over a power pole. The pole is leaning on other power lines. Police have the area blocked off here because there is a downed power line. Ameren and Metro crews are also on the scene.

The incident happened around 12:30 a.m. It’s still unclear exactly what caused the crash, but we do that there was a second vehicle somehow involved. The airbags on that second vehicle did deploy.

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Police at the scene have not been able to give us a lot of details. Metro officials tell FOX 2 that the transit center here is operating this morning for passengers and buses. Access to certain areas will be limited here as clean up unfolds.

A Metro spokesperson says half of the station isn’t being used right now because of safety issues. It isn’t impacting overall bus operations, everything is just happening on the other side of transit center.

The extent of the damage to the actual transit center is still unclear, but I’m told it does not appear to be extreme. A Metro spokesperson tells me there were no injuries to any metro workers or passengers. The tanker driver also was not injured.

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