Menard County, Illinois – A former Menard County Sheriff’s Deputy was arrested after being involved in a single-vehicle accident. The Illinois State Police responded and arrested the former deputy for driving under the influence of alcohol. She was then transported to Menard County Jail, where she reportedly slapped a correctional officer.

On November 28, 2023, around 5:50 p.m., Deputy Michael Dosier of the Menard County Sheriff’s Department was dispatched to a single-car accident with no injuries on State Highway 97 near Athens Blacktop.

Deputy Dosier reported that upon arriving at the scene, he observed a blue SUV halfway blocking the southbound lane on State Highway 97, with the front of the vehicle in the ditch. He asked bystanders if they witnessed anything, and one person mentioned seeing the vehicle swerve and enter the ditch. Deputy Dosier then approached the driver’s side of the vehicle and spoke with the driver, Kelsey M. Wooldridge, age 30, a former co-worker he knew. He noted that during their conversation, Kelsey had a hard time forming sentences and kept repeating herself. According to Deputy Dosier’s report, she mentioned swerving to miss a deer, apologizing and claiming she had never hit a deer. She repeated this multiple times, and at one point, she couldn’t remember if she had hit the deer.

Deputy Dosier reported that Kelsey began to drink water, but he told her to stop because the Illinois State Police were on their way to handle the accident, given Kelsey’s previous employment with the Menard County Sheriff’s Office. Before concluding his report, Deputy Dosier mentioned that when Trooper Carlock with the Illinois State Police arrived on the scene, Kelsey mentioned to him that she was going to go to jail because she could not do the eye test because of her eye issues.

The scene was then turned over to the Illinois State Police, and Kelsey was arrested, initially taken to the Menard County Jail.

At around 7:33 p.m., Deputy Dosier was called to the Menard County Jail to transport Kelsey to Memorial Medical Center in Springfield, Illinois.

Deputy Dosier reported that while in the jail, he witnessed Correctional Officer Isabelle Staab trying to stop Kelsey from pulling on the door in the booking room. He entered the room to assist C.O. Staab. “I helped sit Kelsey down on the bench. While she was on the bench, we talked to her to calm her down and get her to cooperate with us. C.O. Staab wanted Kelsey to go into the holding cell. Kelsey did not want to go into the holding cell. Kelsey wanted Correction Officer Randy Holliday, so I had him step in. Deputy Luke Standley entered the room as well. It was explained to Kelsey that she needed to go into the holding cell several times, and Kelsey refused. Deputy Stanley and I then assisted Kelsey up while she was trying to hold onto the bench. Kelsey was escorted to the holding cell. Once in the holding cell, I let go of her arm. As soon as I let go of Kelsey’s arm, she turned around and slapped me in the face. Once she slapped me in the face, I grabbed Kelsey and put her on the bed in the holding cell and put her left arm behind her back, while Deputy Standley placed handcuffs on her and double-locked them.”

As per C.O. Staab’s report, Kelsey refused to go into the holding cell. “Kelsey stated multiple times that she was not going into the holding cell and refused. Deputy Standley and Dosier assisted Wooldridge to the holding cell,” C.O. Staab reported. “Once Kelsey was in the cell, Deputy Dosier let go of her arm. Kelsey turned abruptly and struck Deputy Dosier in the face with an open hand. I assisted Deputy Dosier in securing Kelsey’s arms behind her back.”

C.O. Staab noted a bright red mark forming on the left side of Deputy Dosier’s jaw.

In response to Kelsey’s arrest, Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell shared with us that the Menard County Sheriff’s Office contacted the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office, seeking permission to transfer her to the Sangamon County Jail. Sheriff Campbell pointed out that it’s not unusual for one agency to hold an inmate for another. “The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office has done this before with the Menard County Sheriff’s Office when there is a potential issue with an inmate being housed in our jail,” he shared.

According to personnel records, Kelsey was first hired as a part-time corrections officer with the Menard County Sheriff’s Department on August 15, 2016. She then became a full-time corrections officer on March 27, 2017, and later a full-time deputy sheriff assigned as a school resource officer with the PORTA School District. According to Menard County Sheriff Mark Oller, Kelsey was Menard County’s first female patrol deputy.

In a resignation agreement between Kelsey Wooldridge and the County of Menard, she agreed to resign from her employment two months ago, on August 3, 2023. The resignation agreement outlined that Menard County would provide Kelsey with a neutral non-law enforcement job reference, only providing dates of employment and noting that she resigned. The County also agreed to keep Kelsey under the County’s insurance with the same benefits enjoyed by full-time employees until August 31, 2023. Kelsey was required to return all county-owned property, including her county ID, within one week of the resignation letter date.

Chief Mike Nichols of the Petersburg Police Department informed us that Kelsey resigned from her position on August 7th, 2023, and is no longer employed with the Petersburg Police Department. When we inquired about the existence of a departmental investigation prior to her resignation, given our suspicion regarding the circumstances of her departure from both departments, Chief Nichols told us, “As far as Kelsey [sic] is concerned, she was a part-time officer only, and there was no internal investigation within our department. Any further questions regarding Kelsey should be directed to the Menard County Sheriff’s Office.”

Following the DUI and the physical confrontation with the deputy, the Menard County State’s Attorney’s Office has filed charges against Kelsey for transporting/carrying alcohol, Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol (a class A misdemeanor), aggravated battery of a peace officer (a class 2 felony), and resisting a peace officer (a class A misdemeanor).

We are actively seeking information regarding the circumstances leading to Kelsey’s resignation from both the Petersburg Police Department and the Menard County Sheriff’s Office. As we receive additional details, we will continue to provide updates.

Kelsey’s next court date is set for December 12, 2023, with Criminal Defense Attorney Sara Vig of Vig Law representing her, according to records.

Stay tuned to Springfield Leaks for additional updates.