Three men from Florida have been accused of transporting hundreds of thousands of dollars in stolen property out of the St. Louis area. Benjamin Andres Ovalle-Taibo, now 31, Jonathan Vejar-Caro, 31, and Henry Jose Ferreira-Perez, 20, were each indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Nov. 1, 2023, on one count of transportation […]
Category: State News
Man sentenced to 12.5 years for firearm possession after 2023 shooting
U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Thursday sentenced a man arrested after a 2023 shooting to 12.5 years in prison. Robert Eutz III, 44, pleaded guilty in January to one felony count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted that officers from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department stopped his […]
Webb City woman receives 20-year federal sentence for kidnapping, murder
Amy Kay Thomas, 40, from Webb City, Missouri, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison without the possibility of parole. The sentencing was handed down by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool for her involvement in a conspiracy to commit kidnapping which led to a victim’s death, and for illegal possession of a firearm. […]
Moberly man injured after car strikes deer on Highway 63 near Renick
A collision involving a 2002 Chevrolet Cavalier and a deer caused moderate injuries to a Missouri man on Thursday evening. The accident occurred on Highway 63, approximately half a mile south of Renick. The driver of the Chevrolet, Brittany L. Crowley, 32, of Moberly, Missouri, was traveling north when her vehicle collided with a deer. […]
Juvenile driver hydroplanes, collides with Ford Mustang on Highway 24
A head-on collision involving a 2006 Buick Lucerne and a 2023 Ford Mustang Mach E occurred on Highway 24, approximately five miles south of Palmyra, at 5:33 p.m. on April 18, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The Buick, driven by a 16-year-old from Hannibal, Missouri, was traveling northbound when it hydroplaned and collided […]
Missouri State Fair livestock exhibitor camping reservations open May 1
Missouri State Fair livestock exhibitors interested in camping can begin to submit their camping reservations starting at 9 a.m. on May 1. Reservations can be made through an online portal or by submitting a downloadable and printable form, both of which are accessible on the Fair’s website. Exhibitors should opt for either the online reservation […]
Missouri FFA honors over 1,000 with state’s highest degrees
Missouri FFA members have converged in Columbia for the 96th Missouri FFA Convention, held at the Hearnes Center of MU. This year’s theme, “Open the Door,” emphasizes opportunities in agricultural education and leadership, drawing more than 8,000 students and guests. Keith Dietzschold, Missouri FFA Advisor and Chillicothe native highlighted the awards for outstanding FFA achievements. […]
Five new graduates join ranks of Missouri State Highway Patrol
Colonel Eric T. Olson, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, announced that five troopers graduated from the Patrol’s Accelerated Law Enforcement Academy today, April 17, 2024. The ceremony was held at 10 a.m. at the Patrol Academy’s gymnasium. The 119th Recruit Class reported to the Academy on January 2, 2024. The new troopers will […]
Missouri AG launches investigation into illicit vape and marijuana sales
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey launched an investigation into illicit vape and marijuana products to ensure compliance with Missouri law and protect Missouri consumers from potentially dangerous products. His office issued civil investigative demands—subpoena power reserved for the Attorney General’s Office—after receiving reports that distributors were potentially violating the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act (MMPA), which […]
Webster Groves man sentenced to 35 years in prison for sexually abusing two children
U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Wednesday sentenced a man who recorded his sexual abuse of one pre-teen girl and sexually abused two other children to 35 years in prison. Aaron Pratt, 38, of Webster Groves, Missouri, pleaded guilty in January to one count of production of child pornography and one count of receiving […]
St. Louis man pleads guilty to committing month-long robbery spree
A St. Louis man on Wednesday admitted to committing 12 robberies or attempted robberies that occurred in less than a month in 2021. James Mayes, 61, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to 10 counts of robbery, two counts of possession, brandishing, and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of […]
Illinois man indicted for sexual assault at St. Louis Gateway Arch National Park
A man from Fairview Heights, Illinois was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Wednesday and accused of committing a sexual assault in Gateway Arch National Park. Monte Derrell Boatman, 35, was indicted on one count of sexual abuse. The indictment accuses him of committing the forcible assault on park grounds on Dec. 6, […]
Missouri teen faces 17-year sentence for fatal cab driver robbery
U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Wednesday sentenced a man involved in the fatal shooting of a cab driver in Hazelwood, Missouri in 2022 to 17 years in prison. Coron Dees was one of two teens who robbed Dewight Price, 54, at gunpoint on April 24, 2022. Two other teens were also involved. All […]
KC man sentenced to 13-1/2 years in prison for meth conspiracy, illegal firearm
A Kansas City, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin and for illegally possessing a firearm. John A. Caylor, 55, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips on Tuesday, April 16, to 13 years and six months in federal prison without […]
Former KC man pleads guilty to attempting to produce child porn
A former Kansas City, Mo., man who moved to Mexico and lived under another name, pleaded guilty in federal court today to attempting to produce child pornography. Wyatt Christopher Maxwell, also known as “Louis Whitaker,” 24, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Roseann A. Ketchmark to one count of attempting to produce child pornography. Maxwell […]
FedEx truck and GMC Sierra crash on Maywood Road near Forest City
A traffic collision on Maywood Road about 1.5 miles north of Forest City, Missouri, resulted in injuries to two drivers on Tuesday, April 17, 2024. At approximately 12:17 p.m., a 2018 GMC FedEx truck, driven by 29-year-old Luz M. Silva of St. Joseph, Missouri, was involved in an accident with a 2015 GMC Sierra, driven […]
Missouri’s job market expands as unemployment holds at 3.3 percent
Missouri nonfarm payroll employment increased by 8,100 jobs in March 2024, and the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained at 3.3 percent. Private industry employment increased by 7,100 jobs, and government employment increased by 1,000 jobs. Over the year, there was an increase of 54,200 jobs from March 2023 to March 2024, and the unemployment rate […]
States race to restrict deepfake porn as it becomes easier to create
(Missouri Independent) – After a 2014 leak of hundreds of celebrities’ intimate photos, Uldouz Wallace learned that she was among the public figures whose images had been stolen and disseminated online. Wallace, an actress, writer, and social media influencer, found out the images were ones her ex had taken without her consent and had threatened […]
St. Louis County woman pleads guilty to $104K pandemic loan fraud
A woman from St. Louis County, Missouri, admitted on Tuesday to fraudulently obtaining five pandemic relief loans totaling $104,163. Camille N. Foster, 32, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to two counts of wire fraud. Between May 2020 and November 2021, she secured five Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans intended to aid small businesses during […]
St. Louis tax preparer faces indictment on 41 fraud charges
A St. Louis, Missouri-based tax preparer was arrested after being indicted and accused of fraudulently preparing 41 tax returns for clients. Shasherese M. Reed, 52, was indicted by a grand jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on April 10 on 41 counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false and fraudulent […]