Immunity sought for dispatcher in teen death

Prosecutors filed a motion on Monday seeking immunity for former Carroll County dispatcher Amy Hubble. The request allows her to testify against a former sheriff’s deputy charged in the 2024 death of an 18-year-old Mount Carroll resident. Hubble and the defendant were off duty when they discovered the body on Route 78.

The motion was filed by Derek Dion, a special prosecutor with the Illinois Appellate Prosecutor’s Office. Dion asked the court to grant Hubble immunity for her trial testimony and for any pretrial conferences with prosecutors. This protection would shield her from criminal prosecution based on information derived from her testimony, though she would still face penalties for perjury if she lied under oath.

Matthew Herpstreith, 46, of Savanna, faces multiple charges related to the death of Jackson Kradle. He was charged on March 24, 2025, with reckless homicide, a Class 3 felony. Additional charges include reckless conduct and obstructing justice, both Class 4 felonies. He also faces a Class A misdemeanor for attempting to obstruct justice by destroying evidence and a petty offense for failing to reduce speed.

Kradle’s body was found at 3:30 a.m. on July 28, 2024, less than a mile north of Mount Carroll. A forensic pathologist ruled the cause of death was blunt force trauma from a vehicle pedestrian crash. Hubble and Herpstreith called the nonemergency dispatch line to report the finding. No charges have been filed against Hubble.

Prosecutors allege Herpstreith struck and killed Kradle after consuming several alcoholic beverages. They claim he then tried to remove evidence from his vehicle and provided a false written account to the sheriff. Special investigator Matthew Kipping testified that video footage captured Herpstreith at a car wash 30 minutes after the body was found. He was driving the same vehicle involved in the crash.

Kipping stated that investigators collected gelatinous material from the truck’s undercarriage. Laboratory tests identified the tissue as belonging to Kradle. Hubble previously invoked her Fifth Amendment right to remain silent during a coroner’s inquiry in January 2025. Prosecutors argue she would likely do the same at trial without immunity.

The next hearing is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Thursday via video call. A final pretrial hearing is set for Nov. 6 at 2 p.m. Jury selection is expected to begin on Nov. 9, and the trial is set to start on Nov. 16.