By Bill Grimes
Effingham Daily News
EFFINGHAM — A group of students from several high schools in Effingham County visited a place on Thursday where they probably never want to return.
As part of the Effingham County Law Day observance, students from Dieterich, Teutopolis and Beecher City high schools visited a number of county facilities — including the jail.
Correctional Officer Steve Langhorst conducted the jail tour, which included trips to the booking area, as well as holding and isolation cells, and the kitchen, where upward of 45,000 meals are prepared each year.
“We serve three meals a day, including one hot meal catered from IGA,” Langhorst said. “We are required to serve our adult inmates about 2,500 calories a day, while juvenile inmates are required to receive about 3,000.”
Langhorst said inmates can do some creative things with the food they receive, including making a birthday cake out of honey buns they receive for breakfast each day.
For some students, the jail visit was a reality check.
“Seeing the cells the inmates are in made it more real,” said Dieterich High School senior Jodi Thoele. “And the courthouse is cool because it looks like a movie.”
Students began their day in a third-floor courtroom at the Effingham County Government Center courts building, where they listened to Resident Circuit Judge Kimberly Koester explain how the criminal justice system works. Koester outlined the duties of everybody involved with the system, including judges, prosecutors, public defenders, circuit clerk personnel, court security officers and probation personnel. In addition, Deputy Circuit Clerk Dixie Hartke explained the jury selection process.
“It’s important for you to get an idea of what we do here in the office,” Koester said, recalling that she had once participated in Law Day as an Effingham High School senior — “just a few short years ago.”
“I hope you enjoy your day and get an understanding of what goes on here,” the judge said.
From the courtroom, court security officer Wyatt Haythorne escorted the students to the secure elevator outside the courtroom, which took them below ground to the tunnel connecting the courts building with the jail.
Dieterich senior Mallorie Vahling said the courthouse and jail visit was definitely a useful learning experience.
“It was neat learning a lot of things about how the courthouse works,” Vahling said. “But it was a little intimidating too, the way everything is set up.”
Teutopolis senior Dustin Hartke said it was nice the students got a look behind the scenes.
“There’s a lot going on that nobody knows about,” Hartke said.
After the jail tour, students boarded a bus to the firing range at the old Illinois State Police headquarters south of Effingham, where they got to shoot the sort of weapons sheriff’s deputies use. After lunch at the Effingham Elks Lodge, students shadowed an office-holder before ending their day by meeting County Board members.
Participating students included Riley Pruemer, Mallorie Vahling, Courtney Flach, Alex Bohnhoff, Jodi Thoele, Devin Aherin and Brandon Kuhl, all from Dieterich; Gina Westendorf, Audra Breer, Braydan Bushue, Dustin Hartke and Lane Koester, all from Teutopolis; and Brady Randall, David Black and Alex Blair from Beecher City.
Participating office-holders included Sheriff Dave Mahon, Circuit Clerk John Niemerg, Supervisor of Assessments Pam Braun, County Clerk Kerry Hirtzel, State’s Attorney Bryan Kibler, Treasurer Steve Dasenbrock, Public Defender Scott Schmidt and Coroner Duane Guffey.