On Friday, May 9, 2025, Shaw Local reported that Lee County Circuit Court Judge Matthew Klahn stepped aside from presiding over a felony case involving a former Carroll County sheriff’s deputy due to a conflict of interest. The case centers on Matthew Herpstreith, 44, of Savanna, charged with reckless homicide, reckless conduct, obstructing justice, and other offenses related to the July 2024 death of 18-year-old Jackson Kradle in Mount Carroll.
Klahn was initially assigned to oversee the case, which involves allegations that Herpstreith struck and killed Kradle in a vehicle-pedestrian crash on Route 78. Herpstreith and a Carroll County dispatcher reported finding Kradle’s body on the highway in a nonemergency call. The deputy was arrested eight months later, on March 24, 2025, and pleaded not guilty at his April 23 arraignment.
During a hearing scheduled as a preliminary examination on May 9, Klahn addressed a motion from Herpstreith’s defense attorney, Joseph Nack, requesting a judge substitution. The motion was based on the employment of Klahn’s brother-in-law with the Illinois State Police. Klahn had previously disclosed this connection to the chief judge, stating he would recuse himself if his brother-in-law were to testify. Special prosecutor Charles Colburn confirmed the brother-in-law’s role and expected testimony, prompting Klahn to grant the substitution without objection.
Klahn noted that such substitutions are standard, as defendants in criminal cases are entitled to one judge replacement. He appointed Ogle County Judge Anthony Peska to take over the case. The preliminary hearing was rescheduled for June 13, 2025, at 2:30 p.m., with Peska presiding.
Source: Shaw Local
