Attorney of former deputy accused of reckless homicide hints Carroll County teen’s death could be suicide

MOUNT CARROLL — The defense attorney of a former Carroll County sheriff’s deputy accused of reckless homicide and destroying evidence said Friday, June 12, that the July death of a Mount Carroll teen could have been a suicide.

Matthew Herpstreith, 44, of Savanna, was charged March 24 with reckless homicide, reckless conduct and obstructing justice – all felonies – as well as a misdemeanor count each of attempted obstruction of justice, destruction of evidence and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident in the death of 18-year-old Jackson Kradle of Mount Carroll. Herpstreith pleaded not guilty to all charges at his arraignment April 23.

ExpandAutoplay

Image 1 of 6

Ogle County Judge Anthony Peska oversees a probable cause hearing Friday, June 13, 2025, for Matthew Herpstreith in Carroll County Court. (Alex T. Paschal)

Kradle’s body was found at 3:30 a.m. July 28 on Route 78, less than a mile north of Mount Carroll’s city limits. He was the victim of blunt force trauma, which a forensic pathologist ruled was the result of a vehicle/pedestrian crash.

Herpstreith and a Carroll County dispatcher, who were off duty at the time, alerted the Carroll County dispatch center via a nonemergency call that they had found the body on the highway. Herpstreith’s arrest came eight months later.

Ogle County Judge Anthony Peska was appointed to the case May 9 after defense attorney Joseph Nack made a motion for judge substitution because the judge previously assigned, Lee County Judge Matthew Klahn, has a family member in the Illinois State Police that may be called to testify.

On Friday, Peska ruled that probable cause does exist and the case will continue towards trial after special prosecutor Charles Colburn, an attorney with the Illinois State Appellate Prosecutor’s Office, called Illinois State Police special investigator Matthew Kipping to the stand.

During questioning by Colburn, Kipping testified that Herpstreith left the scene on Route 78 after one Carroll County deputy arrived and is captured on video at a car wash half an hour later at 4 a.m. driving the same vehicle that he was in at the scene. The video shows Herpstreith operating the power wash, spraying the front of the vehicle and paying “special attention” underneath the vehicle, according to testimony.

Kipping also said that an ISP crime scene investigator inspected Herpstreith’s truck. They collected a “gelatinous material” from underneath as evidence, which was later tested and found to be body tissue matching Kradle.

However, Nack argued the evidence collected from his car “could’ve been picked up in the road” because Kipping said “based on the photos of the crime scene” there was “body debris in the road.”

Kipping also gave a detailed history of Herpstreith’s activities the night leading up to the discovery of Kradle - starting at 12 p.m. and drinking alcohol at several residences and three different bars.

Kipping said that during an interview with the ISP, one “witness said the defendant was carrying some type of bottle around” and identified that bottle to be a half gallon of tequila and a margarita mix.

About 2 a.m. July 28, Kipping testified, Herpstreith met up with the off duty Carroll County dispatcher and another coworker to “drive around.” That other coworker told the ISP in an interview that she observed Herpstreith and the Carroll County dispatcher “drinking in the car while driving,” according to Kipping’s testimony.

Nack said that witnesses “were unable to determine if he [Herpstreith] was intoxicated.”

Kipping testified that the first officer at the scene July 28 said “he was never close enough to determine if he was intoxicated,” but, he said, that officer’s initial report stated that he was closer to Herpstreith and later amended it to say they were further apart.

Kipping said “they were never able to find out how he [Kradle] got to the location” where he was found. He said that Kradle’s girlfriend told police they were at a party, Kradle lost his car keys and left the car at the party. When he was found, Kipping said, Kradle was “wearing nothing but blue swim trunks.”

The autopsy results showed Kradle had a blood alcohol content of .19 and THC was in his system. It also determined that Kradle was already on the ground when he was struck, Kipping said.

Kipping said that the off duty Carroll County dispatcher was interviewed twice and “never admits they struck the body.” Police were told that they would find a text from that dispatcher to Herpstreith about “getting on the same page,” but did not find one and that it appeared that several texts had been deleted from both of their phones.

At the scene that dispatcher “did not try to perform life saving measures,” Kipping said. “I don’t know why she didn’t.”

After questioning Kipping, Nack said, “I don’t believe probable cause has been established here, this was a drunken teenager lying down in the road. Frankly, to me, this sounds like a suicide.”

Herpstreith completely cooperated with law enforcement, he called it in and didn’t try to hide anything, he said.

“I believe” there is probable cause that “any number of offenses occurred this night,” Colburn argued and said Herpstreith “was at the car wash trying to get rid of evidence.”

Herpstreith’s next court appearance is scheduled at 3 p.m., Aug. 8.