Second Week in September 2026 Recap

It has been a busy several days for first responders across Stephenson County, with fire crews, law enforcement and EMS handling everything from vehicle crashes and reckless drivers to fires, medical emergencies and unusual calls for service.

One of the more significant fire calls came from South Walnut Road in Freeport, where crews responded to a commercial trailer fire in a parking lot. Initial radio traffic reported smoke coming from the trailer before responders confirmed it was on fire.

Traffic-related calls included several reckless driving complaints. One of the most concerning came from Freeport, where a driver was reported traveling approximately 70 mph on Empire Street and later approximately 100 mph on Galena Avenue. Freeport Police requested assistance from the Stephenson County Sheriff’s Office during the incident.

Other roadway calls included a two-vehicle crash on Fairground Road with chest pain reported, a two-car crash on West Empire Street with a back injury, a reckless SUV on U.S. 20, a semi blocking a lane on Route 75 near Kenneth Drive and a disabled oversized semi near Route 75 and Brick School Road in Dakota.

In Pearl City, an iPhone crash detection alert sent responders to Silberman Road. Officers located an unoccupied truck that had been involved in a crash and appeared to be leaking fluid. Injuries were unknown at the time of the initial call.

Law enforcement also responded to a possible burglary near Five Corners Road and Route 20 in Lena, multiple domestic-related calls with addresses withheld, and several welfare or behavioral-health situations. Addresses were redacted from those calls when appropriate to protect the individuals involved.

Medical calls kept EMS crews busy throughout the county. Dispatches included chest pain, difficulty breathing, falls with injuries, high blood pressure, asthma attacks, possible overdose calls and several requests for lift assistance. In one Freeport call, CPR was started on a person in what was later described over the radio as a possible drug overdose.

There were also a number of unusual calls. A frantic unknown woman reportedly showed up at a home on Blumendahl Road, firefighters investigated a gas odor on South West Avenue and an odor complaint on East Iroquois Street, and crews responded to a CO2 alarm on West Ringold Street.

Outside Freeport, Pearl City responders were called to Block Road after cattle escaped their fence, although they had not entered the roadway at the time of the call. Deputies were also notified of a deceased deer blocking Davis Road.

Other calls during the period included fire and smoke alarms, a dog bite in Lena, a welfare check following a 911 hang-up, and numerous medical emergencies throughout Freeport and the surrounding communities.

These reports are based on initial scanner traffic and are not official incident reports. Details can change as first responders investigate and additional information becomes available.