Updated Wednesday, Jan. 11 at 11:51 a.m.
PARIS—After an alleged attempt to poison and kill her two-year-old son and her husband, Karlla Tresner was sentenced to 180 days in the Edgar County Jail and 30 months of probation. She entered a guilty plea to a single charge of aggravated battery, a Class 3 felony, on Dec. 17, 2024, as part of a negotiated plea deal. Two other charges, a Class X felony intent to kill or murder and an additional Class 3 felony aggravated battery charge, were dropped by the state as part of the deal.
The arrangement and subsequent sentencing sparked outrage on social media among residents who believe Tresner’s punishment doesn’t fit her purported crime. Several comments were directed at Edgar County State’s Attorney Philip Dobelstein. On Friday, Jan. 17, Dobelstein issued a statement to The Prairie Press regarding the case.
“Based on the nature of the offenses, I understand the outrage and anger regarding the negotiated plea in the criminal case involving Ms. Tresner,” Dobelstein said. “However, my analysis of the criminal case against Ms.Tresner revealed significant evidentiary hurdles which would have jeopardized the outcome of the case at trial.”
“With that in mind, securing a guilty verdict in the criminal case was necessary for working towards a resolution of other matters involving Ms. Tresner. As such, I stand by my decision to agree to the lesser charge of aggravated battery,” he said. “I appreciate the trust the people of Edgar County have placed in me as state’s attorney.”
The presence of “evidentiary hurdles” in the prosecution’s case against Tresner has been evident since her preliminary hearing and was recently corroborated by a deputy of the Edgar County Sheriff’s Department.
When Tresner appeared before Judge David Lewis on Monday, Nov. 18, a cross-examination of deputy Josh Bennett revealed that two critical pieces of physical evidence, a methamphetamine-laced donut and a syringe wound on the neck of Tresner’s husband, Richard Brandon Tresner, were never recovered from the scene or properly recorded.
In a statement during a Monday, Dec. 13 Edgar County Board study session, Bennett attributed the lack of physical evidence in several recent cases, including Karlla Tresner’s, to a lack of manpower.
Bennett explained the department currently has six full-time deputies (two work day shifts, four work night shifts) and three part-time deputies who work other full-time jobs. Two deputies are active during most evening and weekend shifts. During weekdays, only one deputy is normally on duty, with the chief deputy and sheriff available for backup assuming they are not bogged down by administrative tasks or investigations.
On a weekday, the lone deputy is responsible for covering every inch of Edgar County’s 624 square miles. Bennett was the only available deputy on Friday, Nov. 1, the day he responded to what was initially reported as a domestic dispute. Both the chief deputy and Edgar County Sheriff were responding to other calls (a stolen car and a hit-and-run, respectively).
After apprehending the suspect, later identified as Karlla Tresner, Bennett called for two ambulances to transport her and two victims to the hospital for a medical evaluation. It wasn’t until Bennett questioned Tresner and her husband “very deep into the call” that he learned the alleged crime was more than a domestic disturbance.
Karlla Tresner admitted to giving her son methamphetamine on a powdered donut and some purple pills officers could not identify, as well as injecting her husband with an unknown substance—she later recanted both statements. Tresner’s husband told Bennett he and his son had been locked in their bathroom by Tresner for eight hours without food or water.
A clearer picture of what may have happened in the Tresner home was starting to emerge, but the evidence needed to prove the prosecution’s story kept slipping away. While lab test results confirmed that methamphetamine and “some other kind of stimulant” were present in the child’s system, Edgar County public defender Nathanael Harsy argued that a positive test result did not meet the burden of proof for the prosecution’s claims.
“Understanding that one of the juveniles did test positive, there is a variety of possibilities when Ms. Tresner, as well as Richard (Brandon) Tresner, have acknowledged methamphetamine use in their home,” he explained during the preliminary hearing.
Bennett told board members he could not leave Karlla Tresner’s side for roughly four hours after arriving at the hospital because she was “combative and uncooperative,” making it impossible for him to leave and gather evidence. By the time qualified personnel could get to the scene, it was far too late.
“I believe one of the original persons in the complaint left (the hospital) and went to the scene,” Bennett told a Prairie Press reporter.
Ensuring a crime scene is secure and unaltered is critical to preserving evidence. If a third party arrives at a crime scene before law enforcement, it becomes nearly impossible to determine whether a piece of evidence was planted, altered or valid. It’s also possible for evidence to be removed entirely.
“When it’s possibly been compromised, it’s hard for a jury to use that (evidence) for somebody,” Bennett explained.
Staffing issues, which began roughly a year ago per Bennett, meant the scene couldn’t be secured in time.
“Due to lack of manpower … we could not secure the scene or collect any evidence at the scene to prosecute … which resulted in a plea deal with a lesser crime,” Bennett told board members Monday, Jan. 13.
Bennett also provided board members with several other examples of understaffing either interfering with a deputy’s duties or placing them in harm’s way.
Bennett also noted the Edgar County Sheriff’s Department has no full-time investigator on staff. While Bennett previously served as an investigator, he switched roles to fill empty shifts after one deputy resigned and an on-the-job injury sidelined another.
Since that time, several sexual assault cases have been turned over to Illinois State Police and several burglaries have not been properly investigated. Bennett reported both the state’s attorney and coroner previously stated there needs to be a full-time investigator on staff.
The understaffing problem is persisting, despite several attempts to bring more deputies to the Edgar County Sheriff’s Department. In 2024, the Edgar County Board approved salary increases to match neighboring agencies and a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was drafted to allow any deputies hired by the Edgar County Sheriff’s Department to receive longevity pay for previous experience from the moment they start.
Bennett implored board members to consider further action, like investing in improved benefits for deputies and their families such as cheaper health insurance, to attract more talent.
Dobelstein told a Prairie Press reporter “The county board is actively working towards solutions to solve the manpower issue,” a statement reflected by a sympathetic response from the board during the meeting.
“We’ll have a committee meeting and then at least discuss (that). No promises, but we will take your concerns to heart,” Edgar County Board Chairman Jeff Voigt said. “I think many of us are aware of the situation, and we’re just going to have to get creative somehow to figure out what we can do.”
While an answer to the problem is not readily apparent, the scope of the issue is. Staffing issues at the Edgar County Sheriff’s Department affect the safety of officers and citizens alike, per Bennett.
“Knowing the staffing levels and the situations we may be placed in by ourselves can significantly impact our ability to recruit new deputies to our team when needed … We do not have a large pool of candidates to pick from. There is no backup plan for how to handle staffing when people are unexpectedly out, or if they would retire,” he said, adding, “To help improve our deputies’ safety and to be able to effectively investigate crimes, we should hire a full-time investigator and staff the road with two full-time deputies at all times, without having to rely on our part-time (deputies).”