Traffic stop results in illegal immigrant bailout

By Paige Wright Shortly after 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, February 9, 2023, Menard County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a reported bailout approximately 4 miles north of Menard on U.S. Highway 83. A “bailout” begins when a driver—often a “coyote,” or human smuggler— is illegally transporting non-citizens across the Mexican border into the U.S. The vehicle may appe...