SAVANNA, Ill. – Savanna Police Chief Donald Stephens has formally withdrawn from the Republican primary race against Carroll County Sheriff Ryan Kloepping.
Stephens has worked for the Savanna Police Department since Dec. 2021 and became Chief in Nov. 2023. He intended to challenge incumbent Kloepping in the Republican primary for Sheriff in March.
On Nov. 3, Stephens filed paperwork to establish his candidacy as a Republican in the primary election for Carroll County Sheriff, challenging Kloepping who ran uncontested in 2022, records show.
The objection.
On Nov. 13, an Objection was filed against Stephens to remove him from the ballot for allegedly not permanently residing in Carroll County, records show.
The Objection alleges Stephens owns a home in McHenry County, Illinois, where he voted in the 2022 and 2024 elections, but has been renting an apartment in Mt. Carroll.
Stephens affirmed the allegations but says he resides in Mt. Carroll five to seven days every week, with exception to visiting family some weekends at his home in Marengo.
According to Illinois law, a candidate for Sheriff is required to be a resident of the county for at least one year.
The Objection cites a 1954 decision in Florence Hughes v. Illinois Public Aid Commission, which finds the two elements necessary to create a residence are; (1) bodily presence in that place and (2) the intention of remaining in that place; neither alone is sufficient to create a legal “residence.”
Stephens says he has lived in his current apartment in Mt. Carroll since 2022, well more than the one year requirement.
The Objection writes, ‘a mere possessory interest or temporary occupancy in an apartment is insufficient to demonstrate a candidate’s intention to remain in the county as a permanent home.’
Furthermore, the Objection writes, ‘a candidate must demonstrate that the residence he claims is actually his principal place of abode for which he possesses a bona fide intention to remain permanently.’
Clink link below to read full objection.
What’s next?
Stephens maintains he has been an established resident of Carroll County for three years. He is upset a technicality prevents him from pursuing the position of Sheriff to help make a positive impact on a county that has dealt with recent setbacks, such as a wrongful death lawsuit filed in July by the parents of Jackson Kradle.
Although he has formally withdrawn from the 2026 primary election, Stephens told me he intends to purchase a home in Carroll County and run for Sheriff in 2030 while remaining Chief of Police in Savanna.
Primary elections will be held March 17.
As of now, Kloepping will be uncontested.
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