Henry County Sheriff's Office News

Henry County Sheriff's Office News

Missing Child Found with Public's Help (5-22-2008)

On Thursday, May 22, 2008, at approximately 4:45 AM the Henry County Sheriff's Office received a 9-1-1 call reporting a missing 4 year old child from the 800 block of 8th St. in Colona, IL.

The Colona Police Department responded, along with the Henry County Sheriff's Office, the Colona Fire Department, and the Geneseo Police Department K-9 Unit. After searching the immediate area and being unable to locate the child, additional help was requested from the "A Child Is Missing" hotline. "A Child Is Missing" is a national, non-profit alerting service that is able to distribute emergency messages over a large geographic area by phone. Approximately 500 homes in the affected area were notified of the missing child within minutes of the request.

A few minutes later, a resident in the 700 block of 6th St. in Colona heard a noise outside and, being aware of the alert, decided to investigate. The child was found outside their residence and they notified police. Initial examination of the child by the Colona Fire Department medical staff showed no ill effects and it appeared to be a case of sleep walking.

The combined efforts of the Colona Police Department, the Henry County Sheriff's Office, the Colona Fire Department, the Geneseo Police Department, and the public response to the "A Child Is Missing" alert all contributed to the successful recovery of a lost child.

We would encourage anyone wishing to express appreciation for the "A Child Is Missing" program to contact them directly. They offer their service free of charge. More information about the "A Child Is Missing" program can be found on their website, http://www.achildismissing.org, or by calling the A Child Is Missing Headquarters in Ft. Lauderdale, FL at 888-875-2246. They have assisted in over 300 safe recoveries of lost and missing children and adults.

More information about sleep walking can be obtained from your family medical professional or by inquiring on the Internet.

Inquiries about this incident should be directed to either the Colona Police Department at 309-792-1511 or to the Henry County Sheriff's Office at 309-937-3911.

Cell Phones are Changing (2-18-2008)

The Henry County Sheriff's Office along with our partner 911CellPhoneBank.org want you to be aware that cell phone technology is changing. There are two types of phones, the newer digital style and an older analog style. As of midnight tonight, February 18, 2008, the cell phone companies will no longer be required to provide the older analog type of service. This could affect the use of a deactivated cell phone obtained from us (or any cell phone, for that matter) for calling 9-1-1 in an emergency.

Some ways to tell if you are affected by this change are:

If your cell phone is more than 5 years old, is a "bag phone", or is larger than your house phone, it is probably an analog style phone and may no longer work.

If you own a General Motors vehicle with OnStar you may also be affected. GM started modifying its cars in recent years to prepare for this change, some models manufactured as recently as 2005 will not be able to use a digital-only service, and they cannot be upgraded. Check with your dealer to see what your vehicle has.

If your home security system uses a wireless back-up system in case the phone lines are out, you may be affected. Check with the company that installed or manufactured your security system to see if you will be affected.

Remember, this switch to digital-only service is voluntary. The cell phone companies are not required to end analog service, they are just no longer required to offer it.

Anyone who has received a deactivated cell phone from us within the past year should be able to continue using it to call 9-1-1. Anyone who was given a cell phone more than one year ago can bring in their old phone and we will replace it with a new one. There is really no easy way to tell whether a phone is analog or digital, and the time to find that out is not when you are trying to call 9-1-1, only to find that the phone doesn't work.

The Henry County Sheriff's Office will continue accepting cell phone donations and providing refurbished phones to those who need them. For more information about our cell phone program, contact Sheriff Gib Cady at 309-937-3901 or visit 911CellPhoneBank.org.

Henry County Courthouse 2008 Holidays

New Year's Day	January 1, 2008	Tuesday
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day	January 21, 2008	Monday
President's Day	February 18, 2008	Monday
Good Friday	March 21, 2008	Friday
Memorial Day	May 26, 2008	Monday
Independence Day	July 4, 2008	Friday
Labor Day	September 1, 2008	Monday
Columbus Day	October 13, 2008	Monday
Election Day	November 4, 2008	Tuesday
Veteran's Day	November 11, 2008	Tuesday
Thanksgiving	November 27 - 28, 2008	Thursday-Friday
Christmas Holiday	December 24 - 25 - 26, 2008	Wed - Thur - Fri
New Year's Day	January 1, 2009	Thursday

For more information call the
Henry County Sheriff's Office at (309) 937-3911

Links to Earlier News Stories

Photo Album

Submitted Photo

Sheriff Cady rides in the 2006 Hog Festival Parade, Kewanee, IL, September 2, 2006. Riding alongside the Sherriff is Misty Olson of the Henry County Mounted Search and Rescue Unit.

Photo Courtesy of the Kewanee Star Courier

Sheriff Cady rides the Wells Fargo Stage, Hog Festival Parade, Kewanee, IL, August 30, 2003