Concealed Carry Town Hall Meeting
O’Fallon, Illinois
February 19, 2013
A message from Sheriff Watson
My position on concealed carry has always been in favor of the law abiding citizens. Sheriff Justus and I had some arguments over the issue in the past because he was initially opposed to concealed carry.
But over time he changed his position in favor of concealed carry. I would like to think I had a small role in changing his opinion.
When Concealed Carry was not popular, I was one who often stood alone in the law enforcement world, in full support of gun rights for law abiding citizens.
Guns are not a personal hobby of mine, and my guns are used primarily for the job. I do own a couple shotguns and target pistols, but I have not shot them in years.
With that said, I respect the men and women who enjoy the sport of hunting and target shooting, and I surely do not want to limit their legal enjoyment. I would be upset if they wanted to take away my golf clubs, sail boat or camper, the things I enjoy within the guidelines of the law.
I also believe that firearms not only have a place in sport and recreation but are a valuable tool for personal protection. I have always felt that concealed carry was a right of the lawful people and I have not changed my mind
Limiting magazines to under 10 rounds turns asemi-automatic, into, basically a revolver. This makes no sense, and in the end, will it save lives? NO.
People kill people, Not Guns, not Magazines.
I don't own an assault weapon, but I respect the rights of those who do.
Owning a high powered weapon should be a personal choice not limited by law.
This is a free country, and I shall always support the rights of law abiding citizens, and especially I will always support the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America.
Thank you
George H. Bricking Jr. was arrested at his employer located in Sauget Thursday morning. Bricking is being charged with first-degree murder in the 1995 murder of Christine Foster.
Derik Holtmann — BND
By BETH HUNDSDORFER NEWS-DEMOCRAT — --
George Bricking Jr. probably thought it was going to be another day at his job making hamburger patties Thursday, until St. Clair County Sheriff Rick Watson and deputies showed up with a first-degree murder warrant for him.
Watson and his deputies arrived at Holten Meats in Sauget about 9:15 a.m. to pick up Bricking, 53, in connection with the murder of Christine Foster, 35, of Collinsville, whose partially clothed body was found in a drainage ditch by a man walking his dog on Dutch Hollow Road off Illinois 161 near Belleville on May 20, 1995.
They went to the human resources' manager's officer and asked for Bricking, Chief Investigator Scott Weymouth said. He was cuffed in the hallway, Weymouth said, and offered no reaction or resistance.
"We are praying for the Bricking family," said Kay Bridges, Foster's sister. "We are sure they are sad ... but George has walked around for 17 years. He needs to pay for his sins."
This is the second cold case in St. Clair County in less than a week where an arrest has been made.
Foster was last seen outside the Downtown Abbey on East Main Street in Belleville just after the 2 a.m. closing time when a fight broke out in the parking lot. Bricking told police he pulled his motorcycle to the curb to watch when Foster asked him for a ride home.
Foster's blood alcohol level at her autopsy was 0.371 -- more than four times the legal .08 limit to drive. In her right hand, Foster clutched a man's ruby ring. Bricking told police that he had a "similar" ring, but it went down the drain a few days after the murder.
Bricking was arrested but was released after a grand jury twice declined to indict him. He moved to Texas, but later returned to Belleville.
A search warrant was issued in the case last year.
Sheriff's department investigators re-interviewed a handyman, who came to repair the sink in the house Bricking shared with his mother. They also reinterviewed Bricking's mother Jeannette Yarber, who told them she still has the receipt for the ring at her house. The receipt was collected as evidence and was tested for DNA.
The search warrant also requested investigators be allowed to photograph the drain and seize the gooseneck portion for evidentiary purposes.
Investigators also obtained a buccal swab of the inside of Bricking's mouth, yielding DNA material that can be compared against the crime scene including the ring, blood from her clothing and skin found under her fingernails.
On Friday, Carlos Garrett, 51, was arrested in connection with the murder of 16-year-old Nicole Willis, who was found beaten and raped in a vacant lot in Centreville on Oct. 4, 1989. He was scheduled for release from the Illinois Department of Corrections where he served six years on a Montgomery County drug case.
Before he was released on parole, Illinois State Police picked him up in connection with Willis' death. He was transferred to the St. Clair County Jail, where he is being held on a $1 million bail.
Willis' grandfather found her partially nude body the next morning in an empty lot at 215 N. 69th St. -- about a block from her home. She had been beaten and sexually assaulted.
Willis last seen the day before walking home on a Tuesday afternoon after she got off a Bi-State bus at the intersection of 68th and State streets.
"Technology, persistence and hardwork means that justice delayed is not justice denied in these cases," said St. Clair County State's Attorney Brendan Kelly at a news conference on Thursday afternoon.
He was flanked by police who worked on the Willis and Foster cases and the families of the victims.
Bricking ended his day at the St. Clair County Jail, where he will remain until after he is tried in Foster's murder unless he posts $1 million bail. His evening meal was turkey, rice and gravy.
Contact reporter Beth Hundsdorfer at bhundsdorfer@bnd.com or 239-2570.
Springfield, IL. – The Illinois Sheriffs’ Association at their Winter Training Conference adopted the attached resolution which mirrors the National Sheriffs’ Association Resolution passed at their Mid-Winter Conference in Washington, D.C. Seventy-three Sheriffs were in attendance at the Illinois Conference held in Springfield. The Sheriffs also voted unanimously not to support the proposed legislation House Bill 132 that bans certain weapons.
Sheriffs from across the state of Illinois believe that it is their responsibility and duty to uphold the Constitution including the Second Amendment. Rational law abiding citizens are not the cause of random acts of horrific violence in our communities. The focus should be primarily on the lack of mental health services in our country.
County jails continue to detain individuals who have been remanded to the Department of Human Service Mental Health Division for treatment. On February 8th there were sixty-eight (68) of these individuals waiting for placement, some of which have been waiting for over four months.
Illinois Sheriffs' Association 401 East Washington Springfield, Illinois 62701 217-753-2372
From A&E's Beyond Scared Straight.
St. Clair County Sheriff's Canine Deputies Calvin Savage and Justin Biggs work with Caso on a training wall. The wall helps train the dogs for narcotic detection. Each of the Sheriff's department dogs have some style of training each day. Derik Holtmann — dholtmann@bnd.com
By ROGER STARKEY — News-Democrat
BELLEVILLE — Dogs in the K-9 unit of the St. Clair County Sheriff's department will soon be better suited for their frontline duties.
Trouw Nutrition, of Highland, will donate two K-9 Kevlar vests to the sheriff's department this week. The company is donating the vests as part of its annual campaign to give back to companion animals.
Lesley Gerard, a marketing specialist, said Trouw Nutrition chose to donate Kevlar vests this year because many K-9 units work only on donations.
Lt. Kurt Eversman of the St. Clair County Sheriff's Department said a large part of their K-9 unit's funding is received from donations.
"A K-9 unit can be very expensive," Eversman said. "Any donations we get help."
The Kevlar vests, which cost $840 each, will help the K-9 animals as they carry out high-risk duties. Eversman said the K-9 unit is called on to perform a variety tasks, including assisting with disturbances at the St. Clair County Jail and aiding in fugitive searches and crowd control.
"Unruly people usually become quite compliant when the K-9s show up," Eversman said.
The K-9 unit was deployed 583 times in 2012 and were part of 413 arrests. The unit assisted other area agencies 183 times last year.
Deputy Justin Biggs, whose partner, Boss, will receive one of the Kevlar vests, appreciates Trouw Nutrition's generosity.
"These vests are a vital tool to help us protect our partner," Biggs said.
Boss and Casso, another K-9 dog who will receive a custom-fitted Kevlar vest, will need to adjust to wearing the new equipment, but they will not require special training, Biggs said. The department's other K-9 officer, Dax, already has a Kevlar vest.
Trouw Nutrition donated a total of 10 vests to agencies from Georgia to California. The company purchased the vests from Kevlar for K9s, a nonprofit organization whose goal is to help protect America's working K-9s.