Gun Shots, Burglary Reported in Village of Hammond

By Doris Elmore
Staff Writer

The Piatt County Sheriff’s Department responded to multiple reports of gun shots being heard in the area of the 500-600 block of South ‘D’ Street in the Village of Hammond on Sunday, Oct. 25, at approximately 10:36 p.m.

According to information from Piatt County Investigator Tom Apperson, at approximately 10:54 p.m. the first deputy arrived in the area of South ‘D” Street to investigate. At approximately 11:21 p.m. a second deputy, whom had also responded to this call in Hammond, observed a vehicle pull into the parking lot of the Hammond Pub. The deputy made contact with a male subject that had exited this vehicle. The other individual proceeded to run away from the deputies on foot and the deputies engaged in a foot chase despite commanding the subject to stop multiple times. A taser was deployed; however, that deployment was unsuccessful, and the subject continued to run from the deputies. The deputies apprehended the subject multiple blocks to the south of where the foot pursuit began. The individual was identified as Terry G. Bartley, a 42-year-old male from Atwood.

Bartley was arrested and transported to HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital in Decatur for evaluation, and was then transported to the Piatt County Jail on charges of driving while license suspended, resisting/obstructing a peace officer, possession of hypodermic syringes/needles, and arrest warrants out of Piatt and Douglas Counties.

On the morning of October 26, the Piatt County Sheriff’s Office was notified of a burglary with forced entry to the United Methodist Church, located at 204 E. Third Street, Hammond sometime between Sunday morning and Monday morning. An item was reported as being stolen in this report. Piatt County Sheriff’s Office also received a report of a trespass to a detached garage in the 300 block of E. Fifth Street in Hammond as well.

At the time of this press release, the arrest of Terry Bartley remains separate from the investigation of the shorts-fired calls, the burglary, and trespass reports. No firearms or discharged casings have been located.

This incident remains under investigation. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Piatt County Sheriff’s Office at (217) 762-5761. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Note: The required bail was posted for Terry Bartley and he was released from custody on October 27. He is due back in Piatt County Court on November 10 at 9 a.m.