A 23-year-old Staunton police officer and Marine Corps veteran died Saturday afternoon when a car entered Illinois Route 100 from Mill Street and collided with his motorcycle. Officer Ethan Hoese was off duty and traveling westbound when the crash happened, leaving behind a fiancée, an 11-month-old daughter, his parents, brothers and a wide circle of family and friends.
Dispatchers were called to the crash, according to RiverBender.com. Grafton Police requested the coroner just four minutes later, at 3:23 p.m., and the Jersey County Coroner's Office responded to the scene, according to the Alton Telegraph. Jersey County Sheriff Nick Manns identified Hoese as the motorcyclist and said the driver of the car, a 64-year-old, pulled onto Route 100 from Mill Street without seeing the approaching motorcycle.
A Marine Veteran Turned Small-Town Officer
Hoese had worked for the Staunton Police Department for two years at the time of his death, per the Telegraph's reporting. He was originally from Litchfield, Illinois. He served as a Marine before joining local law enforcement, the same RiverBender report notes.
The Staunton City Council approved a $13,480 payment to Southwestern Illinois College during its May 28, 2024 meeting to cover police academy training for Hoese and fellow newly hired officer Xavier Zaragoza, according to official city meeting minutes. The department has described Hoese as a valued member of the agency and changed its social media profile photos in his memory this week.
Investigators Examine Right-of-Way at Crash Site
The crash remained under investigation, the same RiverBender account states. Whether any citations or charges will follow the driver remains an open question.
Failure to yield is among the common causes of motorcycle crashes, according to Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. The supplied source reports that 119 motorcyclists were killed and that they accounted for 11.5% of Illinois traffic fatalities in its most recent year. It also states that motorcycles represent about 3% of registered vehicles nationally.
Community and Law Enforcement Mourn Officer Hoese
Jersey County Coroner Kevin Ayres said the community mourned the loss of an officer, adding that the loss of a law enforcement officer is felt throughout the law enforcement family and every community they served. Ayres extended condolences to Hoese's family, friends, fellow officers and the department, and asked the community to keep his loved ones and fellow officers in their thoughts and prayers. He also said, “We'll take it from here.”
The Illinois Chapter of Concerns of Police Survivors issued a statement extending condolences to Hoese's family, friends and the Staunton Police Department, reflecting statewide law enforcement support following his death. As of Tuesday morning, funeral arrangements and memorial information had not been made publicly available.
