A Dixon man faces several drug and weapons charges following an early morning car crash Sunday in Amboy where responding deputies said they smelled cannabis and alcohol.

The vest was donated by Vested Interest in K9s Inc., a nonprofit that provides bullet- and stab-protective vests and other assistance to dogs in law enforcement and related agencies across the U.S.

A Dixon man has been charged with six offenses, including four felonies, in connection with gunshots reported around 4:25 a.m. Monday, July 21, 2025, in a field off Tilton Park Drive.

The TALK-LINE interview for July 16 featured Lee County Sheriff Clay Whelan looking back at services offered during the 2025 Dixon Petunia Festival and the work of multiple law enforcement agencies to handle big events.

A Lee County judge has filed a written statement explaining his July 7, 2025, decision to allow the pretrial release of a Dixon man accused of disseminating images and videos of child sexual abuse.

Law enforcement agencies throughout Illinois participated in safety campaigns that ran from June 20 through July 7.

Heath A. Knipple, 46, was charged in Lee County Circuit Court with six counts of Class X felony dissemination of child pornography with each listing that the victim was younger than 13

Three Rock Falls men were in police custody Wednesday, July 2, accused of entering a garage in rural Rock Falls during a party over the weekend, assaulting a man, firing multiple gunshots at the residence and fleeing.

The safety campaign will run from June 20 through July 7 to encompass three summer weekends leading up to and after Independence Day.

An Earlville teen died Monday, June 9, 2025, in a two-vehicle crash north of Compton in Lee County.

Semi driver Eric Dodge of Ashton speaks four months after a near-fatal crash in which his truck veered off Interstate 88 between Rock Falls and Dixon, launched over Bollman Road overpass and landed in a cornfield.

Madison Manning, 25, has been found safe in Rock Falls, according to a news release issued by the Dixon Police Department on Thursday morning.

Read the transcript from our May 21 Talk-Line interview with Lee County Sheriff Clay Whelan discussing the upcoming Memorial Day driving period and what the county is doing as far as extra patrols.

The Talk-Line interview for May 21 featured Lee County Sheriff Clay Whelan discussing the upcoming Memorial Day driving period and what the county is doing as far as extra patrols.

A Dixon man sentenced to nearly 70 years in prison three months ago for sex-related crimes against a victim younger than 13 says his sentence is excessive and is asking that it be reduced.

Dax will receive a bullet- and stab-protective vest thanks to a charitable donation from non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s.

Two Lee County 911 dispatchers and four Sublette fire crew members were awarded by Mercyhealth on Thursday, May 15, 2025, for their lifesaving actions that led to a successful home birth for a young Sublette family.

A Rock Falls man is hospitalized in Rockford after the motorcycle he was driving collided with an SUV near Palmyra and Peek Home roads.

Investigating deputies have determined that a 2013 GMC Acadia was traveling east on Route 2 at a high rate of speed when it struck an eastbound 2014 Ford Fusion. The Acadia then crossed the median and collided with a westbound 2012 Dodge Charger.

When crews arrived at 8:05 a.m. Monday, April 14, they found a two-story residence with a heavy fire on the second floor, Dixon Rural Fire Chief Dustin Dahlstrom said.

Luther Head, who played six seasons in the NBA, made an appearance Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Lee County Circuit Court. An extradition hearing is set for April 17 in Lee County.

Dax, a purebred Belgian malinois, is the Lee County Sheriff’s Office’s newest K-9 officer. He went out on his first patrol Sunday, April 6, 2025, with his partner, Deputy Justin Hart of Amboy.

James L. Ballard’s plea comes less than two months after the state appellate court upheld a Lee County Circuit Court decision to keep Ballard in jail under the Pretrial Fairness Act, known as the SAFE-T Act

A Facebook post suggested the owner found human bones while renovating.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office was alerted to a burglary in progress Saturday, March 15, in the area of U.S. 30 and Walton Road in rural Dixon, where two people were seen going in and out of a garage, authorities said in a news release.

The TALK-LINE interview for March 19 features Lee County Sheriff Clay Whelan discussing some state legislation concerning law enforcement procedures opposed by the sheriff.

Read the transcript from Shaw Local Radio's Talk-Line podcast with Lee County Sheriff Clay Whelan explaining why he believes a bill in Springfield on warrants doesn't make sense.

Whiteside County deputies responded shortly before 8 a.m. Friday to 1706 E. Rock Falls Road following a 911 call reporting a disturbance.

An Ashton teen pleaded guilty Monday to first-degree murder, admitting he used a belt to strangle his girlfriend to death four months ago in the apartment they shared.

Dalton J. Delhotal, 29, pleaded guilty to the charge Tuesday, Feb. 4, in Lee County Circuit Court. Four additional charges of criminal sexual assault, all Class 1 felonies, were dismissed as part of a plea deal.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is alerting the public of an imposter scam that deputies were recently made aware of.

K9 Nemo, a Dutch Sheppard who is almost 8 years old, began his career in May 2019.

Shaw Local has been covering numerous court cases this year as they move through the courts in Lee and Whiteside counties. Here are a few of the high-profile cases we have covered in the past year.

Through Jan. 2, law enforcement agencies across Illinois are adopting a zero-tolerance policy for impaired driving to keep motorists safe.

Dixon police and Lee County sheriff's deputies treated 37 kids to a shopping spree Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, during the annual Shop with a Cop event at Dixon Walmart.

The Ashton teen charged with the murdering his 16-year-old girlfriend will be move from a juvenile detention center to an adult facility on Dec. 18 when he turns 18-years-old, a Lee County judge ruled Monday.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is joining forces with the Illinois State Police to crack down on unsafe driving this Thanksgiving with their “Click It or Ticket” and “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” enforcement campaigns from Friday, Nov. 22, through Monday, Dec. 2.

Harrison Webb, charged with attempted murder, is accused of walking from his Rock Falls home to Sterling, going into the restaurant’s kitchen, and with less than two feet separating them, shooting a 17-year-old worker in the back of the neck.

According to a Dixon Police Department news release, John D. Mowery, 41, was taken into custody Tuesday, Nov. 12.

The 17-year-old boy, whose name was not released by authorities because he is a juvenile, also is charged with aggravated battery with a firearm, felony burglary and unlawful possession of a stolen firearm.

A Rock Falls teen was treated at a local hospital and released after he was shot in the neck Wednesday night at Sterling’s Pizza Ranch, police say.

Despite his insistence that he is a changed man, a Rock Falls felon was sentenced to up to 18 years in prison Wednesday in connection with a December 2023 standoff at a Dixon hotel.

Jaedyn Hill was found dead Oct. 15 in an Ashton apartment.

A firefighter was injured Sunday afternoon by farm equipment while responding to a 2.5-acre field fire about 3 miles south of Interstate 88 in rural Lee County.

Lee County Sheriff Clay Whelan got emotional while presenting life-saving awards to Amboy Officer Tom Lehman and Deputy Kyle Kellen, who saved the life of Last Alarm employee Roberta Glenn after she collapsed and became unconscious behind the bar.

David J. Sosa, 17. of Ashton is charged with four counts of first-degree murder in the strangulation death of his girlfriend, Jaedyn A. Hill, who turned 16 earlier this month.

Sept. 14 crash among 58 investigations aided by license plate reader cameras installed in August in Lee County.

Court documents: David Sosa walked 11 miles from his Ashton apartment to Rochelle to turn himself in to police, admitted he strangled 16-year-old Jaedyn Hill to death at their shared residence.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is urging motorists to commit to sober driving, buckling up and following traffic laws this Halloween, as children and their families walk through neighborhoods after dark for candy and spooky fun.

Rochelle police were first to learn of the death Tuesday morning when a 17-year-old boy walked into that police department and said he was involved in a murder, according to a news release issued by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.