We don’t want you in our town. That’s the general sentiment over the recent goings on at the former Enfield Rehabilitation property. A video shared on an Enfield community chat facebook page on July 2nd only fueled speculation as to what was happening there. In the video, a handful of officials, including at least one that appears to be wearing a law enforcement uniform can be seen milling about and at least three unmarked vehicles are on the property. The real estate transfer paperwork was filed May 15th and shows the new owner as Saiyd Joyce of Wheeling, Illinois.
Locals have been guessing and rumors have swirled that an agreement between the buyer and the Department of Corrections would turn the facility into one that houses convicted individuals. That’s left the community including local leaders wondering, if true, what kinds of criminals would be housed there. WROY/WRUL News reached out to Mr. Joyce Monday and he indicated we could maybe catch up on Thursday.
IDOC issued the following statement following our inquiry:
The Illinois Department of Corrections is exploring property within the city of Enfield to house and host programming for individuals on Mandatory Supervised Release. The Department is in the very early stages of this process and has no final plans related to any property or its specific usage. The Department is committed to ensuring the safety of the community and its population.
In an interview with Tom Miller on Herrin based Newsradio WJPF radio, State Representative Dave Severin says he, State Senator Terri Bryant, and Representative Patrick Windhorst were contacted by White County Sheriff Jordan Weiss over the matter. He says the concern was that the agreement would potentially bring inmates into the community, that it would be unmanned with no security or guards and it would “decimate a little community that’s safe”. Furthermore, he says while they’re trying to get answers, a report he’s seen indicates it would cost a million dollars to retrofit that facility.
David South, who sits on the White County Board and represents the Enfield area tells WROY/WRUL News he’s working to destroy the idea and that he’s been in touch with Representatives Windhorst and Severin as well as Senator Bryant. “In my opinion, the last thing Enfield and White County needs is 43 parolees and sex offenders dropped off in town unsupervised and without any village law enforcement. I’ll continue to pursue any avenue to stop this from our local community!”
Jim Bolin, who sits on the Enfield Village Board says “We have not been approached by the person or persons who purchased the property and have not been informed officially of the intended purpose of the property. We too have heard rumors but have not been informed of any intent. To my knowledge the mayor has no other information either.”