Fulton County IL Sheriff's Office

05/21/2026

Update: Rylea has been located and is safe. Thank you all for your assistance.

The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s assistance in locating a missing juvenile.

Some time during the night of 05/20/26 13y.o. Rylea Parker left her residence in Ipava. Parker is believed to be in possession of a white 2011 Chrysler Town and Country van with license plate ES11932. Parker is approximately 5’6” and 110 lbs with Hazel eyes and Black hair. She was last seen wearing a light blue shirt and black pants.

Please notify local law enforcement with any information.

Fulton County Sheriff’s Office (309)547-2277

05/18/2026

Job Opening: FULTON COUNTY STATE’S ATTORNEY’S OFFICE

Position: Administrative Assistant

Pay grade/ Classification: Grade 3, Bargaining unit

Shift: 8 a.m to 4 p.m Monday thru Friday

Location: Fulton County State’s Attorney’s Office, Fulton County Courthouse, Lewistown, Illinois

Wage: $20.15 per hour, 35 hours per week (NOTE- If vacancy is filled by current County Employee years of service will determine pay)

Additional Benefits: Paid Vacation time pending years of service, 1 paid personnel day per year, paid sick time, paid holiday time, health insurance (including dental/ vision) and IMRF pension plan.

Please send resume with three references to Joseph Padalino, Fulton County Assistant State’s Attorney, no later than May 31st, 2026. Resumes may be mailed to Fulton County State’s Attorney’s Office, 100 N. Main St., Room 202, Lewistown, Illinois 61542 or by email to [email protected]

Fulton County is an Equal Opportunity Employer

05/18/2026

The suspect from the incident at approximately 10 P.M on 05/17/26 is in custody. The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the public for their assistance. (The suspect was a juvenile brought in for questioning on the admin side of the building, and was not an inmate of the jail.)

05/12/2026

This week marks National Police Week, with May 15th proclaimed as National Peace Officers Memorial Day. Established in 1962 by President Kennedy, National Police Week honors those who have lost their life in the line of duty for the protection and safety of others. The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office honors the memory and service of Deputy Troy Chisum who tragically lost his life in the line of duty while serving the citizens of Fulton County. Please keep the Chisum family in your thoughts and prayers. We will never forget the sacrifice that Troy made on June 25th, 2019. We remember Troy this week and every week as a true hero of Fulton County.

05/04/2026

This week, May 3-9 2026, is National Correctional Officer Week. The Sheriff's Office would like to recognize our dedicated men and women who work in the Fulton County Jail. Maintaining order in the jail takes a lot of patience and resilience. Working in corrections is becoming increasingly more difficult each day and we cannot thank our staff enough for the long hours and overtime that they put in. We appreciate you!

05/01/2026

Sheriff Webb would like to congratulate Joley McLaughlin on being this year’s Illinois Sheriff’s Association scholarship winner. Joley completed a heartfelt essay on the topic of “Have you had or seen an interaction with law enforcement that has changed your prospective on the profession in a positive way.” Joley wrote about the day her uncle, Macomb Police Officer John Paul “JP” McLaughlin was wounded by gunfire while serving a search warrant in the City of Macomb in 2024. Joley wrote that on that day, “I learned what true camaraderie and brotherhood were,” as she described the support shown for JP. Joley continued, “Those next few weeks, I came to realize that law enforcement wasn’t just a brotherhood. Law enforcement is a team, and each of them became a personal hero to me, just like my Uncle JP.” Joley is a senior at Lewistown High School and will be attending Carl Sandburg in the fall to study Radiological Technology. Congratulations, Joley!

04/30/2026

Burglary Arrest:
On 04/29/26 at approximately 0330 hours, Deputies of the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office were notified of a burglary in progress at the Rut-N-Strut Tavern located at 1251 N. IL 100 Hwy near Anderson Lake. While responding to the area deputies located and stopped a vehicle leaving the area. Following the traffic stop deputies identified the driver, George Surratt, as the suspect from the Burglary to Rut N Strut.
A gaming machine and entry door to the Rut-N-Strut were damaged during the incident and the suspect reportedly accessed the cash box in the gaming machine before fleeing the scene with an undisclosed amount of currency. Evidence from the suspect vehicle and scene were collected and the currency suspected to have been taken from the gaming machine was recovered.
George H. Surratt, 37, of Havana was subsequently charged with Burglary, Criminal Damage to Property, Trespassing and Driving While License Suspended. Surratt was held at the Fulton County Jail pending first appearance in Fulton County Court.

The investigation into the recent business burglaries is ongoing and additional charges are expected.
The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office asks any individuals with information regarding recent gaming machine burglaries to contact the Sheriff’s Office or CrimeStoppers with any additional information.

04/22/2026

Update on missing person, Kenneth Johnson.

Joint Press Release from Sheriff Webb and Coroner Rhodes:

The Fulton County Coroner's Office is releasing the identification of the deceased male who was found in a wooded area in rural Lewistown. A ground search was performed and the individual was located approximately 500 yards north of where his vehicle had been parked. Fulton County Coroner Austin Rhodes positively identifies the deceased male as Kenneth Johnson, 59, of Canton. An autopsy was performed on today’s date in Peoria County. Routine toxicology testing is pending. No foul play is suspected. This investigation continues to be investigated by the coroners and sheriff's office.

The Sheriff's Office and Coroner's Office were assisted by Canton Police, Lewistown Police, Farmington Police, Fulton County ESDA, Illinois Conservation Police and the Illinois State Police Air Ops.

04/22/2026

MISSING PERSON:
On 4/21/26, the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office took a report of a missing person, Kenneth Johnson, 59 of Canton. According to family, Kenneth had plans of mushrooming in the Lewistown area and was last heard from on 4/20/26 at approximately 5:00pm but did not return home. Once the report was made, Deputies attempted to ping the last known location of Kenneth’s phone which showed an area west of Canton. Additional searches showed the phone in the Smithfield area but deputies were unable to locate Kenneth or the vehicle. At 9:50pm, a citizen called in to report an abandoned vehicle on Vernon Road near Webb Road in rural Lewistown. Deputies responded and located the vehicle belonging to Kenneth Johnson. A ground search was conducted throughout the night with negative results. Although no foul play is suspected at this time, the vehicle was impounded to a secure facility. The Sheriff’s Office is continuing ground and air searching efforts at this time with all available deputies and additional agencies.

04/21/2026

The 2026-2027 Peacekeepers Scholarship application for law enforcement or military dependents is now open. The deadline for students to submit the application to the Fulton County Sheriff's Office (in person or mail) is June 3, 2025 (must be received by this date).

SHARE THIS POST: The 2026-2027 Peacekeepers College Scholarship Application is now open! Deadline to apply is Mon. June 1, 2026. Just go to our website to download a fillable PDF of the application. All the information is located on our Youth Outreach tab of the ISA Website. Applications are due into YOUR County Sheriff's Office by the June 1st deadline.
Click Here: https://www.ilsheriff.org/youth-2/
Scroll down to the bottom of your Youth Opportunities page to find this information