Jacksonville Seeks to Demolish Burned Apartment Building

City investigates owners who "vanished" after fire, aims to clear way for probation office to reopen

Mar. 11, 2026 at 9:55am

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The city of Jacksonville, Illinois is moving to demolish a fire-damaged apartment building at 340 W. State St. after the owners, Jay Bean LLC of Colorado, disappeared following the January fire. The building has been abandoned since the blaze, and the city has been unable to contact the owners about the $500,000 demolition cost or fines levied prior to the incident. Meanwhile, the Morgan County Probation Department, which shares a building next door, remains displaced and unable to return to their offices until the structure is demolished for safety reasons.

Why it matters

This case highlights the challenges cities face when dealing with absentee or unresponsive property owners, especially after a major incident like a fire. The city is forced to take on the financial burden of demolition, while local government services like the probation office remain disrupted. It also raises questions about oversight and accountability for building owners, and whether new policies are needed to prevent such situations.

The details

The abandoned apartment building at 342 W. State St. caught fire in January, leaving the structure heavily damaged. The city has been trying to contact the owners, Jay Bean LLC of Colorado, to discuss the demolition and fines levied in October 2025 for maintenance issues, but the company has not responded. Officials say the owners "just vanished the day after the fire." The city is now seeking a court order to allow the $500,000 demolition to proceed so that the neighboring probation office can safely reopen.

  • The fire at the apartment building occurred on January 15, 2026.
  • In October 2025, the city fined the building's owners $8,400 for maintenance issues.
  • The owners were scheduled to meet with the city on January 22, 2026 to discuss the fines, but did not show up.

The players

Jay Bean LLC

A Colorado-based company that owns the fire-damaged apartment building in Jacksonville.

Andy Ezard

The mayor of Jacksonville, Illinois.

Doug Thompson

The police chief of Jacksonville, Illinois.

Jeffrey Soltermann

The city attorney of Jacksonville, Illinois.

Tod Dillard

The director of the Morgan County Probation Department, which is located in the building next to the fire-damaged apartment.

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What they’re saying

“I know that there is investigating, and I'm very comfortable with what (Jacksonville Police) Chief (Doug) Thompson and his staff have told me about that investigation. So, there is something going, and that's where I'll leave it.”

— Andy Ezard, Mayor

“I mean, in order to protect everybody who's involved, we have to move forward with demolition, I think. I mean, one way or another, we have to at least get the authority to demolish, and then we'll come back to the council for ultimately approving and demolishing the building.”

— Jeffrey Soltermann, City Attorney

“We do service about 450 adult offenders, adult clients, another 50 or so juveniles, and we run multiple groups out of our office and, of course, now we're displaced.”

— Tod Dillard, Director, Morgan County Probation Department

What’s next

The city is seeking a court order to allow the $500,000 demolition of the fire-damaged apartment building to proceed, which would then enable the neighboring probation office to safely reopen.

The takeaway

This case highlights the challenges cities face when dealing with unresponsive property owners, especially after a major incident like a fire. The city is forced to take on the financial burden of demolition, while local government services remain disrupted, raising questions about oversight and accountability for building owners.