HARDIN — Donald G. Dawson, 57, of Hardin, was sentenced Aug. 5, 2026, to 10 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections after a Calhoun County jury found him guilty of burglary and theft in connection with tools stolen from a work truck at the Godar Diamond boat ramp, according to the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office.
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Dawson received credit for 101 days served in pretrial detention. The sentence was handed down by Judge John Frank McCartney, who also presided over Dawson’s two-day trial. The jury found Dawson guilty on July 15, 2026.
The case was presented and prosecuted by Calhoun County State’s Attorney Lucas Fanning.
The investigation began July 10, 2025, when the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office received a complaint of burglary from a motor vehicle. The complaint alleged that a large quantity of tools had been stolen from a work truck parked at the Godar Diamond boat ramp.
The sheriff’s office processed the scene, interviewed witnesses, and began investigating. On April 8, 2026, the office received information about the location of the alleged stolen tools.
On April 12, 2026, the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office worked with law enforcement officials in Greene County and the Greene County State’s Attorney’s Office to execute a court-authorized search warrant at a residence in Eldred, Greene County. The search led to the recovery of the stolen tools and Dawson’s arrest, according to the Calhoun Sheriff's Office.
Dawson was formally charged by the Calhoun County State’s Attorney’s Office.
The sheriff’s office thanked the Greene County Sheriff’s Office, White Hall Police Department, Roodhouse Police Department, Carrolton Police Department and Illinois Conservation Police for assisting with the search warrant. The office also thanked the Greene County State’s Attorney’s Office and Calhoun County State’s Attorney’s Office for their assistance in the investigation and prosecution.
