Following a one-day trial in the Jasper County Courthouse, a jury has found Effingham resident William Doedtman guilty of Conspiracy To Commit Criminal Damage To Property stemming from a June 27, 2009 spree throughout Jasper County's North Wade Township that left nearly 40 mailboxes damaged or destroyed. During the trial, the jury heard testimony from seven of the nearly 36 Jasper County residents who detailed the damage to and cost of repair or replacement of their mailboxes. The jury also heard testimony from two co-conspirators, Jessica Bannick and Zachary Tegenkamp, both from Effingham and both of whom pleaded guilty to the offense last year.
Courtroom testimony revealed that Doedtman and his companions left Effingham County in Bannick's car during the evening hours of June 27, 2010 on a road trip with no specific destination in mind. At some point after the group of four entered North Wade Township in Jasper County, the first of many mailboxes was destroyed. As complaints of damage poured in to the Jasper County Sheriff's Office, Investigator Larry Reid, met with many of the residents documenting the mailbox damage with photographs. Doedtman, age 20, now stands convicted of a Class 4 Felony which carries with it the possibility of 1-3 years in the Department of Corrections or 30 months probation. Doedtman is scheduled to be sentenced before Circuit Judge Michael McHaney on September 9, 2010.
Jasper County State's Attorney Kevin S. Parker praised the efficient work of the Jasper County Sheriff's Office and Investigator Larry Reid in particular. "I am quite impressed by how quickly police were able to develop leads, which led ultimately to the arrest of Doedtman and his companions, especially starting with so little to work with at the outset," Kevin S. Parker, Jasper County State's Attorney.
