Probation Officer Ernest C. Wehr

Ernest C. Wehr

Probation Officer Ernest Wehr was shot and killed while driving a probationer to a work site at a farm off Route 30 in Cherry Hill.

The subject had complained about his current employer so he was assigned to a new work location. As Officer Wehr turned off Route 30 onto the farm's driveway the man pulled out a .38 caliber revolver and shot him in the head without warning. The subject then drove the vehicle across the street where he hid Officer Wehr's body in shrubbery on the estate of Illinois State Senator Richard Barr.

The man fled in Officer Wehr's car but was arrested the following day. He confessed to having planned to murder Officer Wehr to steal the car.

Officer Wehr was a U.S. Army veteran of WWI and a recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross for bravery in combat in Cantigny, France. He had served with the Will County Probation Department for approximately one year and was survived by his wife. He is buried at Elmhurst Cemetery in Joliet, Illinois.