WCSO Press Releases

   On January 23^rd, the Will County Sheriff’s Office, Drug Interdiction Team, seized $400,000 in United States currency.  Around 7pm, while monitoring westbound traffic on I-80 in Frankfort Township, they observed a black Nissan Rogue, with Arizona registration plates.  Deputies observed the vehicle make a sudden lane change without proper signaling.  A traffic stop was conducted and deputies spoke with the driver, a 49-year-old man with an Ecuadorian driver’s license.  The subject also had a Visa ID.  The subject informed deputies that he had flown into Miami on January 13^th, from Ecuador, to work for a windmill company.  The subject was visibly shaking upon speaking with deputies. 

  While the deputy was writing a warning violation for the traffic infraction, he continued questioning the subject about his previous whereabouts and his future travel plans.  The subject continued to show signs of nervousness.  A deputy with his K9 partner, Riggs, arrived on scene and completed a free air sniff on the Nissan.  Riggs positively alerted on the vehicle for the presence of narcotics.

  Upon searching the vehicle’s rear cargo-area two locked suitcases were located.  The subject provided the lock combinations and the bags were opened.  A total of $400,000 in United States currency was then discovered.   Due to the high degree of suspicion, the Will County Drug Interdiction Team seized the cash pending asset forfeiture proceedings or proof of legal ownership by the subject.   The subject was questioned and released yesterday. The investigation remains open and active.  At this time no charges have been filed.

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The Will County Sheriff's Office has received several calls from residents in the past week reporting that they are receiving calls from a Sheriff's Office Sergeant who is attempting to solicit their personal information.  Residents have reported the (imposter) caller has a 'southern drawl'. He is identifying himself, using the first and last name of an actual Sergeant who is employed here.   The caller ID number is also an actual phone number from our department.   The Sheriff's Office is advising citizens that this is a scam! 

Last week,  it was also brought to the Sheriff's Office's attention that a caller, identifying himself as "Detective Brown, from the Will County Sheriff's Department", had called a registered sex offender stating that they had a subpoena for him and that the sex offender needed to drop off money to a specific location in order to get back into compliance with the law.   The sex offender was already in compliance and was informed that we do not have a Detective Brown and we do not call sex offenders and ask for compliance money.

Although we make every attempt at informing citizens of the most recent scams that are being reported, these scam artists continually come up with different angles and sophisticated ways to trick unsuspecting individuals out of their money.   Please take note - The Will County Sheriff's Office does not solicit residents' personal information over the phone, we do not call residents for fundraising reasons, nor do we make threatening phone calls to residents regarding payments for warrants, sex offender compliance or  a no-show at jury duty. 

If you are skeptical of a call you have received, take the callers information and call the Sheriff's Office non-emergency number at 815-727-8575. 

Please share this information with your friends and neighbors and inform any elderly folks that may fall victim to these scams.  

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The holidays are a time for friends, family and coworkers to come together in celebration. Wherever you are — at an office party, a family member’s home or out at a bar — it is essential that you make the lifesaving choice to drive sober when the party ends. To help spread the message about the dangers of impaired driving, The Will County Sheriff’s Department is partnering with the Illinois Department of Transportation, the Illinois State Police and nearly 200 police and sheriff’s departments across the state. The goal is simple: Get impaired drunk drivers off the roads and help save lives.

This high-visibility enforcement campaign, Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over, runs Dec. 17 to Jan. 2. Law enforcement will show zero tolerance for drunk or drugged driving. We aim to drastically reduce impaired driving on our roads through an increased number of state and national messages about the dangers of impaired driving and more officers enforcing live-saving seat belt, speeding and distracted driving laws.

Sadly, statistics show much work must still be done to end impaired driving. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 10,874 people were killed in the United States in drunk-driving crashes in 2017. That’s one person killed every 48 minutes. In Illinois in 2017, alcohol-impaired motor vehicle crashes claimed 349 lives.  

This is why the Will County Sheriff’s Department is so committed to reminding drivers that impaired driving is not only illegal, it is a matter of life or death.

Alcohol-impaired driving is not the only risk on the road. Drug-impaired driving is also on the rise. If drivers are impaired by any substance — whether alcohol or drugs — they should not get behind the wheel. Driving while impaired is illegal, period. If you feel different, you drive different. Drive high, get a DUI.

“We understand that during the holidays, people are running around, busily checking off items on their to-do list and attending parties,” said Sgt. Lakomiak. “We need our community members to slow down and remember: It’s up to them to make the smart decision to drive sober — during the holidays and all year long. Impaired driving is a huge problem in Illinois, and, unfortunately, we are seeing a rise in marijuana use and drugged driving, too. Stay safe and stay sober on the roads.”

Party with a Plan

If you plan to drink, plan for a sober driver to take you home. Is it your turn to be the designated driver? Take that role seriously — your friends are relying on you.

• Remember, it is never OK to drive impaired by drugs or alcohol. Even if you have had only one alcoholic beverage.
• Designate a sober driver, use public transportation, use a ride service, call your community’s sober ride program, call an Uber service, or opt to spend the night.
• If you see an impaired driver on the road, contact the Will County Sheriff’s Department (815)727-8575.
• Have a friend who is about to drive impaired? Take the keys away and help them get home safely. They will thank you later.

The Illinois Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over and Click It or Ticket campaigns are funded with federal highway safety dollars and administered by IDOT in partnership with the Will County Sheriff’s Department and law enforcement throughout Illinois and the nation.

To help address the negative impacts of the opioid crisis, drug-related crime, and rising rates of overdose deaths, Sheriff Mike Kelley has begun implementing a new ‘out-of-the-box’ approach to address the opioid epidemic. Sheriff Kelley has partnered up with Family Guidance Centers to help with the implementation of this program.  Family Guidance Centers, Inc. is a not-for-profit behavioral health care organization based in Illinois that has a mission to treat and prevent substance use disorders as well as an array of other related problems including mental health. 

Many proactive police departments in Illinois, including the Will County Sheriff’s Office are implementing an arrest-diversion program.  These programs are sometimes referred to as “Safe Passage” programs.  This program is the final piece, in a three part approach, of combating the heroin epidemic through drug enforcement, prevention thru education, and now treatment. 

To help jumpstart this program, the Will County Sheriff’s Office was awarded the Community Law Enforcement Partnership (CLEP) Grant for deflection for substance use disorder treatment through the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA).  This grant will provide the Will County Sheriff’s Office critical funding to facilitate referrals for substance use treatment.

Under the leadership of Sheriff Mike Kelley, the Will County Sheriff’s Office has done a great job addressing the opioid epidemic by targeting the drug dealers and getting drugs off the streets thru various enforcement means.  The Sheriff’s Office has educated the public with the “Hidden In Plain Sight” trailer and by establishing the Will County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition.  Sheriff Kelley’s next step is to help those in need to obtain the treatment they most desperately need to rid themselves of addiction by partnering up with Family Guidance Centers in the Will County Sheriff’s Office Safe Passage Program.

If you, or anyone you know, are in need of drug use addiction treatment, the Will County Sheriff’s Office is here to assist you in getting the treatment that is needed.  The Safe Passage Program is a citizen self-referral system. Drug-involved individuals are encouraged to initiate contact and engage with members of the Will County Sheriff’s Office without fear of prosecution, and an immediate treatment referral is made with the assistance of behavioral health experts, trained officers and volunteers. Individuals who are indigent and have no health insurance may be provided financial assistance for treatment or other services when available.

Any resident of Will County who enters the Will County Sheriff’s Office Public Safety Complex and requests help with their addiction to opioids, alcohol, or other substances, will be screened for eligibility and, if eligible, registered for participation in the Safe Passage Program. If the individual requesting help with addiction is in possession of drugs or drug equipment (e.g., needles), the individual will turn these items over to the Sheriff’s Office and not be criminally charged.

The partnership that the Will County Sheriff’s Office and Family Guidance Centers will be providing to the citizens of Will County is just another example of how proactive and serious the Sheriff’s Office is in helping to combat this opioid epidemic.

  Will County Sheriff Mike Kelley is announcing the arrest of Kevin Macha, age 28, of 701 Raub Street in Joliet with one count of Possession of Child Pornography. 

In June 2018, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children reported to the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, that an individual was sharing child pornography on his computer.  In August of 2018 the Sheriff’s Office Investigations Division was notified of the cyber tip.  Over the course of the investigation, it was determined that Kevin Macha was using a social media platform in order to share child pornography. 

Today, a search warrant was executed at the Raub Street address and Macha was brought in for questioning.  During the interview, Macha made incriminating statements and was ultimately arrested.   Numerous electronic devices were seized during the search warrant and are currently being examined.   Macha is being held at the Adult Detention Facility where he will appear in bond court tomorrow.

Kevin Macha is the Director of the Joliet American Legion Band and is currently employed in Braidwood at Reed-Custer School District 255 as a music teacher.  His assignment at the schools include grades fifth through high school.  He has held this position for four years.   Reed-Custer administrators have met with Sheriff’s detectives and are fully cooperating, as the investigation is ongoing. 

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Will County Sheriff Mike Kelley is announcing that a warrant has been issued for the arrest of 24-year-old, Deiontae Shawnrico McMillian of Fayetteville, North Carolina.  McMillian will be charged with Concealment of a Homicidal Death in connection with the strangulation of Danica Shernay Ford,  mother of two, (22 years old) of Concord, North Carolina.  McMillian is currently in custody and being questioned by Will County Detectives at the Fayetteville North Carolina Police Department.

On November 12, 2018 at 9am, Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the area of Jefferson Street and Eden Lane in Joliet Township regarding a deceased black female.  A man who was hunting on private property discovered the body in an open hole in a heavily wooded area and called 911. 

On November 13, 2018, the Will County Coroner’s Office conducted an autopsy and concluded that the cause of death was strangulation.   During the autopsy, a memorial tattoo was observed on Fords’s leg, which assisted detectives in positively identifying Ms. Ford.  Detectives were able to piece together information from the tattoo, which led to the identity of the victim who had resided in the state of North Carolina.

Since the onset of this investigation, detectives have spent hundreds of hours following up on crime tips, evidence, and tracking down the offender.  Dozens of tips from the public were reviewed; several hotels in Will and Cook County were examined; cell phone records; social media; and Ford’s vehicle, all played a major role in tracking McMillian down from Joliet and Cook County back to North Carolina. 

Initial reports indicate that at the beginning of 2018, an acquaintance offered McMillian a job at an insurance agency in Schaumburg, Illinois.    McMillian left North Carolina and came to Illinois and worked that job for a very short period.   Ford eventually came to Illinois where the couple moved from hotel to hotel, while Ford also worked as a dancer and hair stylist. Detectives believe it was at this time, that McMillian and Ford began having domestic problems where he ultimately killed her and discarded her body in the woods in Joliet Township.

Detectives do not believe that Ford was murdered in Will County, nor does evidence suggest this.  Ford’s body was discarded by the offender in a shallow grave in unincorporated Will County and set on fire in an attempt to destroy evidence.  Will County detectives worked tirelessly to piece together Ford’s last days, which ultimately led detectives onto the trail of McMillian.  

Will County Sheriff’s detectives are currently in North Carolina where they continue working this case with McMillian in custody.  Detectives were also able to locate Ford’s vehicle at a North Carolina residence belonging to relatives of  McMillian, with Ford’s North Carolina license plates removed presumably by McMillian.

Details of McMillian’s extradition are not known at this time, however upon his return to Will County he will be held at the Will County Adult Detention Facility.   Bond has been set at $2 million. 

When additional information becomes available in regards to this case, the Will County Sheriff’s Office will provide additional details when appropriate.  

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