BENTON – The following information was released by the Benton Police Department on Thursday, February 2, 2023.
On January 26th, 2023 at approximately 8:35 p.m., Benton Police conducted a traffic stop on the public square. Through investigation, police identified the driver as Matthew W. Hart, age 41, of McLeansboro who was arrested for driving while license suspended. Hart was also cited for operating a vehicle with no valid insurance. Hart was provided with copies of his citations and later released.
On January 28th, 2023 at approximately 2 p.m., Benton Police were dispatched to the 500 Burkett Street in reference to a stolen vehicle. Through investigation, police were informed the vehicle had been returned after the suspect discovered a child in the back seat. The suspect was identified as Garrett L. Cardwell, age 39, of Benton who was charged with theft and endangering the life of a child. Cardwell was transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.
*All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.*
The Benton Police Department handled a total of 557 calls for the month of January. Officers also conducted the following for the month of January:
156 traffic stops
14 traffic crashes
4 missing juvenile reports recovered
1 miss adult report recovered
1 death investigation