On Wednesday, a resolution honoring fallen Deputy Sheriff Nick Weist was adopted as a Joint House Resolution. By resolution a portion of IL 150 from Main Street in Galesburg to the intersection of 150 and Illinois Route 17 in Alpha, will be renamed the “Deputy Sheriff Nick Weist Memorial Highway”. Weist was killed while deploying stop sticks in an attempt stop a vehicle on the run from Police following an attempted robbery in Galesburg. The driver of the vehicle, Daylon Richardson was carrying a firearm and can be heard on numerous recordings and in testimony by pursuing officers, having fire his weapon at pursuing officers, leading to the decision to deploy stop sticks.
Sadly, as Deputy Weist, who had been on his way home prior to be called back for this emergency, was killed after Richardson’s vehicle struck the stop sticks at a high rate of speed and crashed. Richardson is currently on his way towards a trial on two counts of murder, along with charges of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and aggravated fleeing and eluding. Deputy Weist had served with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office for four years and previously served with the Mercer County Sheriff’s Department and Aledo Police Department. He is survived by his wife, two children, mother, father, and sister.
The crash that led to the death of Deputy Weist occurred just a mile and a half from the home of State Representative Dan Swanson who proposed the Joint House Resolution honoring Deputy Weist.
