JERSEYVILLE — Two Jersey County Sheriff’s Office officers received the prestigious Sheriff’s Service Award for their roles in assisting neighboring counties with a multi-county burglary investigation earlier this year.
Jersey County Sheriff's Office Detective Sally Arbuthnot and Telecommunicator Megan Ayres were recognized for their investigative efforts that helped identify and apprehend a suspect involved in a series of burglaries across Pike, Calhoun, and Jersey counties. The awards were announced by Jersey County Sheriff Nick Manns on Thursday.
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The investigation began when the Pike County Sheriff’s Office alerted Detective Arbuthnot to a string of burglaries occurring in Pike and Calhoun counties, sharing a surveillance image of a suspect vehicle.
Although the image was of poor quality, Sheriff Manns said it provided details on the vehicle’s color and approximate model. Arbuthnot contacted business owners along State Route 16 in Jersey County to check their properties and later recovered burglary-related evidence from a citizen tip.
“After finding the evidence, we were able to determine the approximate time that the evidence was dumped based on the times our Deputies did business checks and patrols in that area,” Sheriff Manns said.
Using the timeline derived from the evidence, Telecommunicator Ayres reviewed hours of surveillance footage to pinpoint the suspect vehicle’s presence in Jersey County.
Ayres identified a possible vehicle registered in Macoupin County, information which she shared with Arbuthnot.
The detective then relayed the information to the Pike and Calhoun County Sheriff’s Offices.
With additional assistance from the Gillespie Police Department, authorities identified and arrested a suspect.
Charges were filed based on investigations led by Pike and Calhoun counties.
“Although Pike, Calhoun, and Jersey County Sheriff’s Offices are small agencies in comparison to some of our neighbors to the south, our communication, cooperation with one another, and our combined resources allow us to do big things,” Manns said. “Working together is, and always has been, the key to protecting small communities.”
Manns also expressed gratitude to the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office for recognizing the efforts of Arbuthnot and Ayres, saying, “We are so proud of them and so lucky to have such smart and strong professionals.”
The collaborative investigation highlights the importance of interagency cooperation in rural law enforcement efforts.
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