Jasper County Man Given Prison Sentence in Effingham County Case

(DAVID BERGBOWER)

Jasper County resident David Bergbower Wednesday was sentenced to prison for offenses committed in Effingham County.

The 34-year-old Bergbower was sentenced to eight years in prison for burglary and eight years for unlawful possession of a stolen vehicle

In August of 2022, Effingham City Police received reports from multiple area residents about burglaries and thefts, including at least two vehicle thefts. Following a lengthy investigation by Detective Justin Quandt and Detective Matthew Hoelscher with the Effingham Police Department, Bergbower was charged with two counts of burglary and one count of theft.

Then, on September 1 of this year, the Effingham County Sheriff's Office responded to a call related to a stolen vehicle in Dieterich. Sheriff's Deputy Eric Loy located the subject vehicle, attempted a traffic stop, but the driver, allegedly Bergbower, fled at speeds of more than 20MPH over the limit. The pursuit was terminated for safety reasons, but Bergbower was located again shortly thereafter.

Officers from the sheriff's office, Effingham Police Department and Illinois State Police attempted to surround an area of cornfields. Eventually, aerial drones provided by Epic Ag and a helicopter provided by Precision Aviators were used to successfully locate and arrest Bergbower.

Authorites allege that Bergbower took the subject vehicle without authority, and that the vehicle he left behind was also stolen. The September incident resulted in charges of theft, unlawful possession of a stolen vehicle, and aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer.

Effingham County State’s Attorney Aaron C. Jones stated, “My office would like to thank the Effingham County Sheriff’s Department, Effingham Police Department, and Illinois State Police for their joint efforts in searching for Bergbower on September 1, 2023. Additionally, the invaluable assistance provided by Epic Ag and Precision Aviators was crucial to this arrest, and they are to be commended for providing their equipment and services.” Jones continued, “The swift response from local law enforcement officers, particularly Deputy Eric Loy, was critical to the arrest and identification of Bergbower as the perpetrator. This sentence is also a credit to the hard work and thorough investigations conducted by Detective Justin Quandt and Detective Matthew Hoelscher of the Effingham Police Department on cases involving Bergbower, as well as multiple other officers with their agency and the Effingham County Sheriff’s Department.”