Fairbury Man Accused of Violating Protection Order
Rocky L. Wamsley, age 40, of Fairbury, was arraigned in Jefferson County Court on Wednesday, August 23, 2023. Linda Bauer was the presiding judge.
Wamsley pleaded not guilty to violating a protection order, a class 1 misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
On August 16, 2023, at approximately 10:19 p.m., a deputy with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office received a radio communication from dispatch to respond to a report from the protected party saw Rocky L. Wamsley outside her residence.
It was known to deputies that the protected party had an active Domestic Assault Protection Order against Wamsley.
According to the responding deputy, “I witnessed an individual wearing a black tank top and black gym shorts, with the tank top pulled up over his head like a hood looking through a window on the northside of the house.”
Noted in the arrest affidavit, upon seeing the deputy, the suspect fled, “At this time, I exited my cruiser and gave chase on foot yelling for Rocky to stop where he was. Being approximately 200 feet behind the suspect I lost visual after he reached the front of the house. Myself and three other deputies, including a K9 officer, searched the area but did not find the suspect.”
The reporting party provided law enforcement with an address where she believed the suspect was staying.
Deputies drove past that residence and identified the suspect’s vehicle. They obtained an occupant’s permission to search the residence and the deputy noted, “I found Rocky L. Wamsley in the second bedroom to the north on the east side of the house. Rocky was wearing a black tank top and black gym shorts, he also had fresh bleeding abrasions to both knees. Both appeared to be soiled with dust similar to gravel dust like found in an alley. It should be noted that earlier when Rocky saw me pull into the alley in chase, he abruptly changed directions casing him to briefly fall and start running the other direction.”
Wamsley was then arrested.
Another hearing is scheduled for September 18, 2023. The defendant remains free on a $5,000 (10 percent) bond at this time.
