Two sheriff’s deputies from western Illinois have been posthumously awarded the state’s Law Enforcement Medal of Honor.
The Medal of Honor is awarded to officers who have been killed or seriously injured in the line of duty, or who’ve displayed exceptional bravery or heroism in the line of duty.
The state on Wednesday honored 136 officers from across Illinois. It was the first ceremony since 2016.
Those recognized included Knox County Sheriff’s Deputy Nicholas Weist.
He died in April of 2022 while laying spike strips on U.S. Route 150 near Alpha to stop a car chase that began in Galesburg.
Weist, 34, was struck and killed by the suspect’s vehicle.
It’s possible that his actions saved the lives of children because less than a mile away, AlWood Elementary School students were crossing the same highway to get to school.
Weist had worked for the county since 2018 and he was a 2009 graduate of Western Illinois University’s law enforcement and justice administration program.
Fulton County Deputy Troy Chisum was also honored on Wednesday.
He was shot and killed in June of 2019 while responding to a call of a disturbance at a home near Avon.
Chisum, 39, had been with the sheriff’s department for 4 ½ years.
He was also a paramedic with the Fulton County Emergency Management Agency.
Tri States Public Radio produced this story. TSPR relies on financial support from our readers and listeners in order to provide coverage of the issues that matter to west central Illinois, southeast Iowa, and northeast Missouri. As someone who values the content created by TSPR's news department please consider making a financial contribution.
