Resident tells council of flooded street and alleges repeated harassment by officer

Pinckneyville — At the May 27 meeting of the Pinckneyville City Council, resident Marshall J. Sowder raised code‑enforcement and conduct concerns, reporting a collapsed pipe that partially floods a public roadway and alleging repeated harassment by a police officer and a neighbor.

"The pipe has collapsed in front of 212 N. Locust and causes the road to partially flood," Sowder told the council, and he said Police Officer Alspach has repeatedly confronted him and his mother about tall grass, cars in the yard and children’s toys. David Carson, a neighbor present, told the council a red car had been parked in place for months and that he sometimes must mow around vehicles parked in front of his home.

Police Chief Kenneth Kelley responded that complaints about a police officer should be directed to him and said Officer Alspach had spoken with Sowder's mother on May 14 as a follow‑up. Commissioner Kevin B. Hicks noted that many complaints the council receives concern Sowder’s mother's property and described seeing auto parts scattered on the lot before the meeting; Sowder told the council he was working on the car.

The council did not take formal action on the public comment during the meeting. Police Chief Kelley’s statement indicates the department had initiated follow‑up; the minutes do not record any disciplinary steps or open investigations. Residents seeking action on code enforcement or officer conduct are advised to file complaints through the channels identified by the police chief (as noted in the minutes).