- Details
- Written by: Kelly Jo Ross - Breese Journal Reporter
Mackenzie Stockard A Carlyle man was killed following a one-vehicle crash last Thursday, east of Clinton County.
According to Illinois State Police Troop 8, a preliminary investigation indicated that on Jan. 22 at approximately 1:34 a.m., a Volkswagon SUV was traveling eastbound on US-50, near Creek Road, left the roadway, and rolled over.
One occupant — Mackenzie G. Stockard, 33, of Carlyle — was confirmed deceased, and two other occupants were transported to a local hospital with injuries. Stockard was a passenger in the vehicle.
The road was closed for an extended period of time and reopened at approximately 7:10 a.m.
Clinton County Coroner Phillip Moss said Stockard was pronounced deceased at the scene at 3:35 a.m.
An autopsy has been performed on Stockard and results will be available at a later date.
The crash is still under investigation and there is no further information.
Memorial services were held Tuesday at Nordike Funeral Home in Carlyle.
Mackenzie is survived by his parents Tim and Suzanne Stockard of Carlyle; two brothers, Nicholas (Valerie) Stockard of Carlyle and Dustin (Jamie) Stockard of Licking, Missouri; two sisters, Kristin (Matt) Sullins of Licking, Missouri, and his Ava Stockard of Carlyle.
Also surviving are his "special siblings" — Andrea, Wyman, Emily, Abby, and Sam Sheets, all of Carlyle, his maternal grandparents, Murlen and Mary Garner of Keyesport, and his paternal grandmother, Patti Stockard of Springfield, Missouri.
Mack also leaves behind two uncles, Jason (Tracy) Garner of St. Louis and Joe Stockard of Houston, Missouri, and one aunt, Carol (Wayne) Lowrance of Springfield, Missouri. He also leaves three cousins, Paige (Jacob) Theising, and Grace and Jack Garner.
While Mack leaves behind countless family members, friends, coworkers and cohorts (far too innumerable to mention), his most cherished title was "Uncle Mack" used only by Caroline, Miles, and Hudson Stockard, all of Carlyle. Mackenzie spent most of his time creating, cooking, and baking with them, and will be sadly missed by them.
According to his obituary, "Mack" lived his life selflessly serving everyone around him constantly seeing to the needs of others. Those who know and loved Mackenzie can attest to his kindness, warmth, and cheerful acceptance of others.
Rod Kloeckner Clinton County law enforcement radar guns were locked and loaded in 2025.
Clinton County Circuit Clerk Rod Kloeckner reports his office filed 1,824 traffic tickets last year, the most in six years. Of those tickets, just over half (919) were of the speeding variety.
“Speeding tickets are perennially the most common traffic ticket officers write,” Kloeckner said. “Last year, however, the speeding charge dominated the traffic docket.”
Law enforcement issued 619 more traffic tickets in 2025 than it did in 2024, when 1,245 were issued. It was the most since 2019, when 2,159 tickets were written.
Traffic tickets emanate from the 10 local municipalities that have police departments in Clinton County — Carlyle, Breese, Trenton, Aviston, Germantown, New Baden, Albers, Beckemeyer, Centralia and Wamac — along with the Clinton County Sheriff’s Department, Illinois Department of Conservation and the Illinois State Police (ISP).
The Sheriff’s Department wrote the most speeding tickets with 248 followed by Trenton (211), Illinois State Police (195), Breese (128), Aviston (33), Centralia (27), New Baden (21), Carlyle (20), Germantown (18), Albers (16), Wamac (two).
One particular stretch of road was ripe for speeders. New U.S. Highway 50 — which bisects the county starting just outside Trenton and ending north of Carlyle where it intersects with Illinois Route 127 — was a point of emphasis for both the Sheriff’s Department and ISP.
“We received a ton of traffic tickets from drivers on new 50,” said Kloeckner, noting that recent fatalities and serious accidents on that highway may have prompted the additional attention from law enforcement. “Both the county and ISP stepped up their patrols there. Drivers who choose to speed there are doing so at their risk, not to mention risking the lives of others.”
