In court on Wednesday, a former sheriff’s deputy faced charges related to the death of a teenager in Illinois. The teenager, Jackson Kradle, was discovered deceased on the side of the road last July.
Matthew Herpstreith waived a formal arraignment, WQAD reported, and the judge entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.
The deputy is accused of various offenses including reckless homicide, reckless conduct, obstruction of justice, attempted obstruction of justice, destruction of evidence, and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident in connection to Kradle’s death, as reported by Shaw Local.
During the incident, the former Carroll County deputy, Herpstreith, and off-duty dispatcher Amy Hubble came across Kradle’s body on state Route 78 around 3:30 a.m. on July 28. They both called 911 to report the discovery.
Illinois State Police were called in to lead the investigation, and the focus fell on Herpstreith and Hubble. Both resigned their positions before an internal investigation could be completed.
They were called to testify at a coroner’s inquest in January, WQAD reported, but they declined to answer questions about the incident. Evidence presented at the inquest indicated that Herpstreith, Hubble, and Kradle had all been at a retirement party on the night before Kradle was killed and that later Kradle and his girlfriend went to a get-together at his family’s farm. He left on foot, however, after becoming agitated.
Evidence was also presented indicating that Kradle’s DNA and fiber from the swimming trunks he was wearing were found on the underside of Herpstreith’s vehicle.
The jury at the inquest found ruled Kradle’s death a homicide, and then, in March, Herpstreith was arrested.
The judge on Wednesday cautioned that he would not “allow any type of outburts or harassment or intimidation” in the course of the case despite its emotional nature.
Herpstreith is due in court for a preliminary hearing on May 9.
