Media Article – Macoupin County, Illinois # 1
Tuesday, April 9, 1991
Sounds of bumps in night at Staunton Lake
Alton Telegraph
by Mary Brase, Telegraph staff writer
MACOUPIN COUNTY – A foul smelling creature, that witnesses said may have been Bigfoot, apparently slipped away from Staunton Reservoir without a trace.
Cheryl Kampmann and Eric Schlechte reported hearing what may have been a large creature running up a hill on the south side of the lake about 1:30 a.m. Monday.
“We were sitting out near the beach when we heard the shuffle of leaves and three loud thumps,” Schlechte said.
It sounded like the creature was pulling up trees causing a lot of damage, the two said.
Schlechte said there was a “terrible rotten fish smell mixed with the odor of algae when the pond turns over.
“It’s hard to describe, but it’s pretty potent.”
Later Monday morning, as deputies with flashlights combed the area, Kampmann said she heard a growl and a roar from across the lake.
“At first I thought someone was fooling with a public address system, but the sound wasn’t near the cars, and the car doors were not open”
Schlechte added “It sounded like a cross between a lion and a grizzly, and lasted  three or four seconds.”
The Telegraph – John Badman
Eric Schlechte and his girlfriend, Cherly Kampmann, both 21, sit on a pier at Staunton Reservoir; where they say they heard something moving through the tree line early Monday morning.
Schlechte and his girlfriend, both 21, come to the lake often, usually during the daytime to catch crappie and bass. They said they have never encountered anything like Monday morning’s episode.
Neither have police and sheriff’s deputies, who found no evidence of a foul odor or even one footprint, authorities said.
“We didn’t really see anything because it was so dark and cloudy, but we heard it on the side of the hill. We first thought someone, was goofing off,” Schlechte said.
“Police advised us to clear out and we did. ” he said, but the two can’t help believing there may be something to the Bigfoot legend.
“It could be,” Schlechte said, looking across the water to the curve of inlets surrounded by trees.
“Well, if you find him, let me know,” Staunton Police Chief Larry Grabruck said, “But calm him down first.”
Macoupin County authorities said the spring sighting may be related to a recent Bigfoot documentary on television.
“I think my kid was watching the movie on cable last week, ” Grabruck added.
