Nicholas Weist
A Joint Resolution in the Illinois House of Representatives was introduced today to name a portion of Illinois Route 150 after the late Knox County Sheriff’s Deputy Nicholas Weist.
If passed and signed into law it would designate the stretch of 150 that runs from Main Street in Galesburg to Alpha as the “Deputy Sheriff Nick Weist Memorial Highway.”
74th District State Rep. Dan Swanson and 36th District State Senator Neil Anderson are the resolution’s sponsors.
Weist was killed on April 29 of this year after he was struck by a car driven by a fleeing crime suspect.
Weist was 34 years old and was survived by a wife and two children.
Weist was the Knox County Trustee for the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Spoon River Valley Lodge 427 at the time of his death.
Rep. Swanson says, “We name things after heroes in this nation, and there’s no greater hero than Nick Weist, who died protecting his fellow citizens.”
Senator Anderson adds, “The Nick Weist Memorial Highway will be a constant reminder that there are still great people among us who lay down their lives for others.”
Knox County Sheriff David Clague says the loss of Weist “ devastated all of us who knew him but adds that “this designation will always remind us not only of his bravery and dedication, but also his sense of humor and love for his family.”
