Dispute Along US 45 in South Part of County Resolved w/o Incident

A dispute that caused US Route 45 in the south part of Effingham County to be closed Thursday afternoon was resolved peacefully.

According to Effingham County Sheriff Paul Kuhns, authorities were called to 1270 North US Route 45 about 3pm due to a dispute over a stolen vehicle. Once officers were on scene, individuals inside the house came out of the residence with one exception. After further negotiations, the final individual came out of the house and was taken to Effingham County Jail for questioning.  Willis J. Hewkin, of Rural Effingham, was taken into custody for Aggravated Assault, Possession of a Stolen Vehicle and Unlawful Possession of 2 Wild Turkeys.

While there were threats during the dispute that shots would be fired, the matter was resolved without incident and as of late Thursday afternoon, no weapons had been found.

Route 45 at the scene of the incident was closed for a time, but the highway was reopened about 5pm.