East Central Reporter

Edgar County Judge Matthew Sullivan was arrested on August 16, 2025, in Coles County for charges including driving under the influence, improper lane usage, and illegal transportation of alcoholic liquor by a driver. According to police reports and video footage reviewed by Edgar County Watchdogs, Sullivan was unable to provide proof of insurance during the stop, but no charge related to that was filed.

The reporting on this incident was delayed due to difficulties obtaining public records from the City of Charleston. Under Illinois law, Freedom of Information Act requests for police reports and mug shots should be fulfilled within three days from the date of arrest. In this case, there were delays beyond that period. The delay in releasing video evidence was attributed to it being provided on a Blu-ray disk instead of a flash drive. As a result, only written police reports and selected observations from available video could be included at this time.

The name of a witness in the police report was redacted by Edgar County Watchdogs after noting that the city had not done so.

According to the reports, Judge Sullivan refused field sobriety tests citing pain from a hip replacement and also declined to take a breathalyzer test. Refusal to submit to such tests typically leads to an automatic suspension of driving privileges.

The reports indicate that during his interaction with officers, Sullivan referenced his position as a judge. During booking at the station he reportedly asked about what would be said at his Statutory Summary Suspension hearing:

“Sullivan inquired what I would be saying during the Statutory Summary Suspension hearing, since we never saw him driving. I advised him that he was observed driving on a public roadway, and a witness had called in the violations. Sullivan said the call could be “total BS.” I advised him that the individual who called stopped to provide her information and a statement of violations she observed. Sullivan said he would be looking forward to the hearing.”

Court records show several motions have been filed in connection with this case—including one seeking an out-of-circuit judge—and set September 30 at 9 am as the next hearing date.

Edgar County Watchdogs stated they will continue coverage as more information becomes available and once additional video can be processed for online publication.

Police reports are available for download or viewing via links provided by Edgar County Watchdogs.