Man Wanted in Effingham County Subject of Manhunt Tuesday

A Trilla man wanted in Effingham County and two other area counties was the subject of a manhunt Tuesday afternoon in Moultrie County. The man is still at large and is considered to be armed and dangerous.

41-year-old Matthew E. Armer is wanted in Effingham County on a forgery charge, and is also being sought in Coles County for failing to appear on domestic battery and altered ID card charges and in Shelby County for failing to appear in court on a charge of resisting arrest. 

Moultrie County sheriff's officials say officers checked at a family member's home between Gays and Windsor just after 3pm Tuesday to see if Armer was there. A Moultrie County sheriff's sergeant said he saw Armer jump out of the side window of a barn there. A police K9 unit picked up Armer's scent leading into a nearby field.

At that point, officers from the Mattoon, Sullivan and Windsor police departments, Coles County and Shelby County sheriff's offices, Illinois Department of Natural Reources police and Illinois State Police equipped with an airplane joined the search. The search was called off just before 6:30pm.

Authorities are still seeking Armer and encourage anyone with information as to his whereabouts to contact their local police agency.