Former deputy pleads Not Guilty as pressure mounts on passenger, first-responding officer

MT. CARROLL, Ill. – A former Carroll County Sheriff’s Deputy charged in the death of Jackson Kradle pleaded Not Guilty in court Wednesday as pressure mounts on his passenger and the Mt. Carroll police officer who allowed them to leave the scene where Jackson was killed.

Now-former deputy Matthew Herpstreith, 44, faces multiple felony charges including Reckless Homicide and Obstructing Justice. He is accused of striking and killing Jackson with his truck, lying to police and attempting to destroy evidence by allegedly washing the bottom of the truck shortly after the alleged incident.

Herpstreith appeared in court Wednesday morning for the first time since being formally charged in late March. He entered a plea of Not Guilty and was subsequently booked and released at the Carroll County Jail.

Jackson’s father, Joshua Sisler, was in attendance and expressed his frustration about Herpstreith’s unwillingness to take accountability for his actions despite his presumed innocence in the court of law.

“I’m just afraid they’re [going to] try to drag this off for years and I don’t really want that to happen,” Sisler said. “Jackson’s rights were all stompled on and he’s not here to defend himself.”

Jackson’s mother, Diana Kradle, also expressed her frustration with the Illinois legal system which allows Herpstreith to be booked and released without spending any time in jail for his charges.

“I know he’s still out there walking around free and, you know, Jackson won’t get to do that,” Kradle said. “I’m hoping that he gets jail time, that he has to, you know, serve some kind of sentence for what he’s done.”

Herpstreith is set to appear in court again May 9 at 1:30 p.m. for a preliminary hearing, however, during the proceeding, Judge Klahn made both parties aware of a possible conflict of interest involving himself and his brother-in-law who works for Illinois State Police.

Special Prosecutor Charles Colburn confirmed to the court the man in question was involved in the investigation into Kradle’s death. Judge Klahn advised both parties he will allow them time to file a motion to substitute him with a new judge to oversee the case moving forward.

Meanwhile, Jackson’s family and many others in the community continue to push for action against now-former Carroll County dispatcher Amy Hubble who was Herpstreith’s passenger at the time of the alleged incident, according to released phone calls, police reports and inquest testimony.

According to police reports and inquest testimony, Hubble was a certified paramedic with the Savanna Ambulance Association when she rolled Jackson’s body to assess him at the scene and claimed to hear an agonal breath before informing the first-responding on-duty member of law enforcement on the scene, Mt. Carroll Police Officer Scott Marth, he was dead.

According to Carroll County Coroner Matthew Jones’ timeline of events presented at the inquest in January, Marth arrived to the scene around 3:36 a.m. but when on-duty Carroll Co. deputy Josi Anderson arrived to the scene at around 3:46 a.m. both Hubble and Herpstreith had already left the scene.

Marth wrote in his reports, and testified at the inquest, he found no reason for either of them to stay.

There is no indication Marth has been reprimanded for allowing Hubble and Herpstreith to leave the scene despite testifying at the inquest saying the incident occurred in the county’s jurisdiction. And it appears there has been no further consideration to reprimand Marth despite Herpstreith being formally charged.

An Illinois state lawmaker has informed me, and Jackson’s family, their office is opening an inquiry into the actions of Marth and Hubble to determine if they violated any law or protocol. Furthermore, if there were no violations, the lawmaker said they will consider introducing new legislation.

Due to the ongoing nature of the inquiry, I have chosen not to identify this lawmaker.

After consulting with a former medical professional, it is my personal understanding all paramedics must hand the care of a patient over to an equal or higher-level medical professional before leaving the scene of a patient.

There is currently no public record of Hubble transferring the care of Jackson over to another medical professional before leaving the scene of his body.

Furthermore, the inquest revealed a phone call between Hubble and on-duty Carroll County dispatcher Rebecca Frederick where Hubble admits she is drunk and asks Frederick to tell her where the cops are located in the county to avoid being caught drinking while driving, which takes place at around 11:22 p.m.

According to released phone calls, police reports and inquest testimony, Herpstreith used a non-emergency line to report finding Jackson’s body with Hubble, about four hours later, at around 3:31 a.m.

I have submitted a Freedom of Information Act request with the Savanna Ambulance Association asking for more information regarding Hubble’s role as a paramedic on the morning Kradle was killed.

I have also reached out to the Mt. Carroll Police Department for more information regarding Officer Scott Marth’s actions at the scene where Kradle was killed.

This is a developing story and updates will be provided separately as they become available.