Former Carroll County deputy charged in 2024 death of Mount Carroll teenager

MOUNT CARROLL – A former Carroll County sheriff’s deputy has been charged with reckless homicide and destroying evidence in connection with the July death of 18-year-old Jackson Kradle of Mount Carroll.

Kradle’s death was reported about 3:30 a.m. July 28, when the Carroll County dispatch center received a nonemergency call from an off-duty employee reporting a body in the road on Route 78, less than 1 mile north of Mount Carroll’s city limits.

Former deputy Matthew Herpstreith, 44, was charged Monday, March 24, with reckless homicide, reckless conduct, obstructing justice – all felonies – and one misdemeanor count of attempted obstruction of justice and destruction of evidence. He was also charged with failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.

Carroll County Sheriff Ryan Kloepping issued a news release Monday announcing the charges, which come as the result of an investigation by the Illinois State Police and a review by the Illinois State Appellate Prosecutor’s Office.

Carroll County court records verify that Herpstreith has been charged and is scheduled to appear in court at 1:30 p.m. April 17.

“This case has weighed heavily on our community, our office, and, most importantly, on Mr. Kradle’s family and loved ones,” Kloepping said in the release. “From the moment this heartbreaking event occurred, our priority has been ensuring a thorough and impartial investigation. That is why, within hours of the incident, we requested the Illinois State Police to take over the investigation, ensuring an independent review.”

Kloepping broke his silence about the case in a Nov. 7 social media post on the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page, using it to explain how his office handled the case after two sheriff’s office employees – who were publicly identified during an inquest as Herpstreith and Amy Hubble, a former 911 dispatcher – found Kradle’s body and reported it via a nonemergency call to the sheriff’s office.

In that post, Kloepping confirmed that the two employees – who were placed on administrative leave and represented by the police union – had turned in their resignations three days after they discovered the body and just before the time they knew they were going to be interrogated.

“At that time, an off-duty deputy sheriff and off-duty dispatcher, who is also a paramedic, were on scene,” Kloepping said of the events that unfolded after the discovery of the teen’s body. “Dispatch personnel then dispatched the on-duty deputy sheriff as well as a local city officer, as that officer was closer to the reported location.”

At 3:45 a.m., Illinois State Police said two troopers were responding to the scene. At 3:50 a.m., the Illinois State Police Crime Scene Services unit was contacted to respond to the scene, Kloepping said.

“It is common practice for Crime Scene Services to respond to all unattended or suspicious deaths within Carroll County,” he said. “Their staff has proper training, knowledge and equipment to handle these types of cases.”

The sheriff said that when the on-duty deputy arrived at the scene, they were told that the reporting party had been released from the scene.

“Our department command staff was also contacted to respond to the scene,” Kloepping said. That team includes the sheriff, chief deputy and detective. The Carroll County coroner was contacted at 5:14 a.m. to respond to the scene. At that time, Crime Scene Services was still processing the scene, which is a lengthy process, to ensure the scene is properly documented and any possible evidence can be recovered, Kloepping said.

He said there was no identification on the body, and that staff members at the scene were not aware of the teen’s identity. On-scene personnel suggested a possible identity, Kloepping said, adding that the sheriff’s office followed up on the lead and determined it was inaccurate. At that time, the victim was removed from the scene by the coroner’s office, and Crime Scene Services completed its duties.

Kloepping said he contacted the Mount Carroll fire chief, who responded to the scene to wash down the road. At that time, the road was opened to traffic. Sheriff’s office staff members went to the funeral home to meet with the coroner. The main focus at that time was to determine who the victim was so proper notification could be made to the family, Kloepping said.

Additional law enforcement resources responded from Rockford with equipment that could assist with identifying the victim. While at the funeral home, a call was received reporting a motor vehicle accident, Kloepping said. He said sheriff’s office staff members responded to the incident to determine whether it had any possible connection to the Kradle investigation. It eventually was determined that the new incident was not related, Kloepping said.

“Shortly thereafter, our office was able to make a positive identification of Jackson,” Kloepping said. “At that time, | personally went to the residence of his father and the residence of his mother and made notification. My staff did ask questions of others present to hopefully assist with the investigation. After departing the families’ residences, our command staff met back at the initial scene on Illinois Route 78 to discuss how we would proceed with this investigation.”

He said the next steps involved interviewing the two sheriff’s office staff members who had reported the body’s discovery.

“Due to the possible conflict of interest, I then made a call to the Illinois State Police and requested that their investigation unit handle this case,” Kloepping said. “Within one hour, they had multiple investigators at our office. We provided them with the details of the case and asked for them to handle this incident throughout the remainder of the investigation.”

On July 29, the sheriff’s office command staff met with the two employees. They were placed on administrative leave and given their notice of an internal investigation, Kloepping said, further explaining that as members of the Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council, they “are afforded certain rights” and were given a meeting time in 48 hours for interrogation.

“This procedure follows the guidelines by the Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council and allows them proper time to have representation if so desired,” he said. “On July 31, just prior to the interrogation, both employees resigned from their positions with our agency.”

In November, a forensic pathologist ruled that Kradle died from blunt force trauma as the result of a motor vehicle-pedestrian crash. A coroner’s inquest was held, and on Jan. 14, Kradle’s death was ruled a homicide caused by blunt trauma to the head from a motor vehicle-pedestrian crash.

“As a law enforcement agency, we strive to hold ourselves to the highest standards of accountability,” Kloepping said when announcing the charges Monday. “This situation has deeply impacted the men and women of the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, but our focus has remained steadfast on seeking justice for the Kradle family.

“We understand the community’s desire for more information throughout this process. However, it was critical to allow the independent investigation and subsequent legal proceedings to unfold without interference. Our office remains committed to openness and upholding the trust placed in us by the people we serve.”