(Missouri Independent) – With the end of the legislative session only weeks away, and organizers of an initiative petition campaign sounding the alarm about an even more pressing deadline, dueling efforts to legalize marijuana in Missouri face uncertain fates. In the legislature, GOP state Rep. Ron Hicks is sponsoring a bill to legalize possession and use […]
A Missouri police chief once called asset forfeiture “pennies from heaven” It’s a rule that allows the government to seize the property of a person who has not even been charged with a crime. That includes an armored car carrying money from legal Missouri businesses. The federal government has agreed to return more […]
The Highway Patrol reports the arrest of multiple individuals in area counties on April 15th. Twenty-one-year-old Anguelica Franco of Kansas City and 26-year-old Matthew Menchaca of Hammond, Indiana were arrested in Linn County in the morning. Each was accused of possession of fewer than 10 grams of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and speeding. Both […]
A Missouri man pleaded guilty in federal court to illegally possessing a firearm following a brief armed standoff with police officers. Jamahl D. Jones, 35, Kansas City, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to one count of possessing marijuana with the intent to distribute, one count of possessing a firearm in relation […]
A Missouri man with an extensive history of violent crime was sentenced in federal court for trafficking crack cocaine and illegally possessing a firearm. Mitchell B. Byrd, 43, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 30 years in federal prison without parole. This sentence is an upward variance from the […]
The Grundy County Sheriff’s Department reports the arrest of a Trenton resident on April 12th after an alleged incident on April 11th. Thirty-five-year-old Patrick Michael Graves has been charged with felony possession of a controlled substance as well as the misdemeanors of possession of marijuana or synthetic cannabinoid of 11 to 35 grams, unlawful possession […]
Four defendants waived preliminary hearings Tuesday in the Associate Division of Grundy County Circuit Court. Each had their cases bound over to the Division One court docket on Thursday. Jennifer Dee Tunnell of Trenton is charged with felony possession of a controlled substance/synthetic cannabinoid as of March 13th. Domanic James Lee Ratkovich of Trenton is […]
A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Darrell Lynn Ferguson, 57, of Springfield, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 13 years and one month in federal prison without parole. On Oct. 6, 2021, Ferguson pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy […]
A Milan resident has been arrested following the execution of a search warrant at an apartment in the 500 block of Southeast State Street in Milan. According to Milan Police Chief Gail Hayes, Michael Barraza was taken into custody Sunday night after officers recovered about one pound of marijuana, drug paraphernalia, two firearms, and several […]
The Highway Patrol reports the arrest of two Milan residents in Sullivan County on Friday night, April 8. Nineteen-year-old John Delacruz and 19-year-old Jose Lopez-Ramirez were both accused of possession of fewer than 10 grams of marijuana, possession of liquor by a minor, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, and minor visibly intoxicated. Delacruz was also […]
The Caldwell County Sheriff’s Department reports a man was taken into custody after a short pursuit on April 5th as a result of the discovery of an illegal homegrown marijuana operation Forty-two-year-old Jamal Ghazai of Lathrop has been charged with felonies of possession of a controlled substance and manufacture of 35 grams or less of […]
Missourians are setting medical marijuana buying records with sales that could top 300 million dollars this year. The Missouri Medical Cannabis Trade Association – or MOCAAN – says patients bought more than thirty million dollars’ worth ($30.71M) of medical marijuana in March alone, which is right at a million dollars a day. The […]
The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports the arrest of a Milan resident on multiple allegations Monday night in Sullivan County. The patrol has accused 51-year-old Jeremy Weaver of felony unlawful possession of a firearm, felony possession of a controlled substance – methamphetamine, and a felony offense of no driver’s license. Weaver also is accused of […]
(Missouri Independent) – The U.S. House passed legislation Friday to legalize marijuana nationally, but its future is much less clear in the Senate. The House voted 220-204 to approve the measure, which would fix the split between federal law and 19 states where recreational marijuana is legal. Three Republicans joined all but two Democrats in approving the measure. […]
The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports the arrest of a Frankfort, Indiana resident, Twenty-nine-year-old Maranda Rice was arrested Sunday morning in Ray County and accused of felony possession of the controlled substance THC, misdemeanor possession of marijuana, and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. Rice was transported to the Ray County Jail.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports that a Marceline resident was arrested early Saturday. Forty-eight-year-old Chad Schick was accused of felony driving while intoxicated/persistent offender and driving while revoked. A Cameron resident, the 44-year-old Amanda Miller, was arrested late Saturday night in Livingston County and accused of driving while intoxicated/prior offender, speeding 103 miles an […]
The Grundy County Sheriff’s Department reports one Trenton man was arrested and another turned himself in on March 30th. Both were charged with felony possession of a controlled substance. Thirty-five-year-old Jessie Lee Ingraham was already in custody when he was arrested. Thirty-three-year-old Domanic James Lee Ratkovich turned himself in. Bond was set at $10,000 cash […]
A Missouri man who sold an assault rifle and methamphetamine to an undercover federal agent has been sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and for illegally possessing firearms. Jacob Michael Richardson, 34, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips on Tuesday, March 29, […]
The Missouri Legislature is considering whether to legalize the adult use of marijuana. This comes less than four years after nearly seven out of ten voters approved a constitutional amendment allowing for the use of medical marijuana. The 2022 “Cannabis Freedom Act”, sponsored by Republican State Representative Ron Hicks would authorize the recreational use, taxation, […]
A man who led police officers on a high-speed chase in a stolen car driving the wrong way on Interstate 70 was charged in federal court with illegally possessing several firearms and more than two kilograms of methamphetamine. Davon R. Williams, 28, was charged in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in […]
