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Sheriff Schultze was elected in 2022.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Washington County IL Sheriff's Office

MISSING PERSON ALERT: BRITTANY MOESER

April 24, 2024

The Washington County IL Sheriff's Office is urgently seeking the public's assistance in locating Brittany Moeser, a 36-year-old female who has been missing since April 13, 2024, from Clarmin, Illinois.

Brittany Moeser is described as 5’7” tall, weighing approximately 128 pounds, with light red hair. She was last seen on April 13, 2024, when she left her residence.

Family members reported Brittany missing and indicated that she may be armed, prompting responders to exercise extreme caution during the initial search efforts. Despite extensive search operations involving numerous search and rescue agencies from St. Clair, Washington, and Randolph counties, as well as the Eureka MO Search and Rescue team, Brittany Moeser has not yet been located.

The Illinois State Police (ISP) have conducted two flyovers of the area since Brittany's disappearance. Additionally, two drone teams from Irvington, IL, and Coulterville, IL, have provided assistance in the search efforts. Over the past 12 days efforts have been extensive, covering over 500 acres of land.

It is imperative to note that while Brittany has previously left home, she has always maintained contact with her family members. However, her current disappearance is concerning due to her known medical conditions, which greatly jeopardize her mental and physical well-being.

Sheriff Ross Schultze of the Washington County IL Sheriff's Office implores anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Brittany Moeser to come forward. Time is of the essence in situations such as this, and any information, no matter how small, could be crucial to locating Brittany and ensuring her safety.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Brittany Moeser during this time of great uncertainty. The Washington County IL Sheriff's Office remains committed to the search and investigation, and we will continue to pursue all leads until Brittany is located.

If you have any information regarding Brittany Moeser's whereabouts, please use the information listed below.

Contact:

Washington County IL Sheriff's Office

Phone: 618-327-8274 Ext. 4

Email: droptip@washingtonco.illinois.gov

Store Link:  https://ipom25.itemorder.com/shop/home/ 

CRIMINAL SPEEDING ARREST 

On March 22, 2024, at approximately 2:21 AM, a Washington County Sheriff's Deputy was conducting stationary radar on State Route 153 when they were passed by a vehicle doing 94 MPH in a 55 MPH zone. 

A traffic stop was conducted and the driver was identified as 26-year-old Wesley C. Bornemann of Addieville, IL.  Wesley was subsequently placed under arrest for criminal speeding and transported to the Washington County Jail.  Wesley was booked and released with a citation and mandatory court date.  

Bornemann is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

 On Sunday March 2, 2025, while on a detail for Polish Fest, a Washington County Sheriff's Deputy conducted a traffic stop on a black Honda coupe for speeding. 

A Washington County K-9 was deployed and gave a positive alert.  A search of the vehicle was conducted.  A firearm with a high capacity magazine loaded with multiple rounds of ammunition was located.  Upon further inspection of the firearm, it was determined there were no serial numbers on the firearm. 

The male driver was subsequently arrested and charged with Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm without a Serial Number, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm without a FOID Card, Possession of Ammunition without a FOID Card, Unlawful Possession of Cannabis, Driving without a License, and Speeding. 

The male subject was transported to the Washington County Jail and subsequently released.  Subject is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

 Washington County Sheriff’s Office K9 Luna has received donation of body armor

Washington County Sheriff’s Office, IL, K9 Luna has received a bullet and stab protective vest thanks to a charitable donation from non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc.  K9 Luna’s vest is sponsored by Jennifer Holder of Cumming, GA and embroidered with the sentiment “Born to Love-Trained to Serve-Loyal Always”.

Vested Interest in K9s, Inc., established in 2009, is a 501(c)(3) charity whose mission is to provide bullet and stab protective vests and other assistance to dogs of law enforcement and related agencies throughout the United States. This potentially lifesaving body armor for four-legged K9 officers is U.S. made, custom fitted, and National Institute of Justice (NIJ) certified.  Since its inception, Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. has provided over 5,918 vests valued at $6.9 million to K9s in all 50 states made possible by both private and corporate donations. 

The program is open to U.S. dogs at least 20 months old and actively employed and certified with law enforcement or related agencies. K9s with expired vests are also eligible to participate. There are an estimated 30,000 law enforcement K9s throughout the United States.

Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. accepts tax-deductible contributions in any amount, while a single donation of $1,050 will sponsor one vest. Each vest has a value of $1800.00, weighs an average of 4-5 lbs., and comes with a five-year warranty. For more information or to learn about volunteer opportunities, please call (508) 824-6978.  Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. provides information, lists events, and accepts donations at www.vik9s.org, or you may mail your contribution to P.O. Box 9, East Taunton, MA 02718.

 On January 31st, 2025 the Washington/Monroe County Drug Task Force conducted a traffic stop on 1-64, near Mile Marker 44.

Probable cause was established to search the vehicle, approximately 100 pounds of methamphetamine was discovered hidden in the vehicle. The male driver and female passenger were both arrested and transported to the Washington County Jail.

The methamphetamine was taken by federal authorities to aid in the future prosecution of the suspects. The suspects were released from the Washington County Jail pending future charges. 

Washington County Sheriff Ross Schultze and Monroe County Sheriff Neal Rohlfing remain committed to removing drugs and drug traffickers traveling through our counties. Removing 100 pounds of methamphetamine off the streets prevents the drugs from being sold throughout local communities.

The Washington/Monroe County Drug Task Force is a vital part of our law enforcement team and an asset to the people we serve. Sheriff Schultze and Sheriff Rohlfing will continue to work tirelessly to rid drugs and drug traffickers from the counties we serve. We commend the deputies and K9 units working hard to rid the community of criminals and drugs.

Job well done.

On January 21st, 2025 at 4:10AM, Dpt. Mayoral was performing routine security details in the towns throughout the county. After finishing a detail in Irvington, he was enroute to Hoyleton when he noticed the glow of a fire behind a residence on State Route 177.  Dpt. Mayoral advised dispatch he was out with a shed fire, which had spread to a nearby camper. As dispatch was paging Hoyleton and Nashville Fire Departments, Dpt. Mayoral activated his sirens and knocked on the doors and windows of the house to wake the sleeping occupants. The residents were evacuated and were placed in Dpt. Mayoral’s squad car to stay warm.  The shed and camper were a total loss, but the fire departments quick arrival prevented the flames from reaching a nearby propane tank. The propane tank was temporarily plumbed with rubber lines going into the house.  The fire had spread three feet of the tank when fire firefighters arrived.   Quick actions by Dpt. Mayoral, Hoyleton and Nashville Fire Departments, and Washington County Public Communications prevented the fire from spreading farther and possibly becoming a much more dangerous situation. The homeowners lost a shed and camper but their house was spared any damage.   

Dpt. Mayoral has been employed with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office since last July, this is the second time that he has saved lives.  Dpt. Mayoral is attending the 32nd annual SILEC awards banquet tonight to receive his life saving award from saving a life of a female on his first day of employment.

 

 On January 11th, 2025 at 8:00PM Dpt. Mayoral was on routine patrol on State Route 177 and Sweetgum Rd. Irvington, when he observed a silver pickup traveling eastbound with no license plate displayed.  Dpt. Mayoral initiated a traffic stop on Sweetgum Rd.  Washington County K9 Deputy was requested for assistance.  Before the K9 arrived on scene, probable cause to search the vehicle was developed.  Once a cover car arrived on scene, the vehicle was searched which resulted in the discovery of a large amount of narcotics packaged for delivery.  58 grams of MDMA, 28.5 grams of LSD, 35 grams of psilocybin mushrooms, 16.5 grams of suspected DMT, and 28 doses of suspected PCP were all located in the vehicle.  45-year-old Jesse L. Kempfer (Pictured right) of Centralia, IL and 49-year-old Rodney J. Harrington (Pictured left) of Marion, IL were placed under arrest, advised of their rights, and transported to the Washington County Jail.  Both subjects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

 

 Effective December 17th 2024, the Washington County Sheriff's Office will conduct its sheriff's sales online via the Roup auction platform. For more details and to view upcoming sales, visit our new online auction site: washingtoncountysheriff-il.roup.com.  Once you load the webpage, there will be a blue "Sign Up" button in the upper right corner. This is where you will create an account. There is also a FAQ tab at the top that answers a lot of questions about the process. If you have any questions or need assistance with setup, you can reach out to illinois-auctions@roup.com.

There are two sales currently scheduled, one in January and one in February that will be held in-person as they are sales that were previously set. Payment for properties purchased online will still be made in person here at WCSO. Thank you for working with us through this transition.



 

The Illinois Premise Alert Program (Public Act 96-0788) provides for public safety agencies in the state of Illinois to allow people with special needs or disabilities to voluntarily provide information regarding an individuals’ special need or disability to police, fire, and EMS personnel.  This information can be maintained on a public safety agencies’ Computer Aided Dispatch System (CAD) and provided to first responders dealing with situations involving the special needs individuals. 

Forms can be found with the link below:
https://docs.google.com/gview?url=https://cdn.myocv.com/ocvapps/a90162263/files/WashingtonPremiseAlert.pdf

Forms can also be found on our Sheriff’s App under “Premise Alert”.