Herrin traffic stop leads to felony arrest after attempted vehicle break-in

FOX23 News at 9 p.m

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Ill., (KBSI) — A Herrin man was arrested Monday night following an attempted vehicle break-in and a subsequent traffic stop in Williamson County, according to the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies responded around 9:52 p.m. Oct. 20 to a report of a damaged vehicle along Illinois Route 13 near Crab Orchard Road. The vehicle’s owner told deputies it had broken down earlier while he was traveling to work, forcing him to leave it parked on the roadside.

When the owner and others returned with a trailer to retrieve the car, they found another vehicle parked behind it. A man and several women were standing near the passenger side of the disabled vehicle. When questioned, the man said he was “checking to see if everyone was okay,” before leaving the area with the group.

Moments later, the owner discovered the vehicle’s front passenger window had been broken. Witnesses provided deputies with a detailed description of the suspect and the vehicle involved.

At approximately 10:57 p.m., deputies conducting patrols in Herrin located the suspect’s vehicle in the 400 block of South 20th Street and initiated a traffic stop. As the vehicle came to a stop, a male matching the suspect’s description exited and fled into a nearby residence. Deputies pursued and apprehended the suspect without incident.

The suspect was identified as Justin A. Phipps, a man known to law enforcement through prior contact. The victim and another witness later identified Phipps as the individual seen near the disabled vehicle earlier that evening.

A search of the suspect’s vehicle uncovered a gray tire iron, with a rounded end resembling the circular damage found on the victim’s window.

Phipps was charged with the following offenses:

Criminal Damage to Property (Class 4 Felony – 720 ILCS 5/21-1(a)(1))

Possession of Burglary Tools (Class 4 Felony – 720 ILCS 5/19-2(a))

Resisting or Obstructing a Peace Officer (Class A Misdemeanor – 720 ILCS 5/31-1)

He was transported to and remanded into the custody of the Williamson County Jail.