A man was sentenced to life in prison for engaging in a child exploitation enterprise, creating child sexual abuse material (CSAM) of 20 victims whose ages ranged from infancy to nine years old, obtaining custody of a minor for purposes of producing CSAM, and possessing CSAM. Arlan Wesley Harrell, 27, of Hawthorne, California pleaded guilty […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that his Office has finalized opioid settlements with Johnson & Johnson and major opioid distributors McKesson, Cardinal Health, and AmerisourceBergen. The Attorney General was joined by families of victims of opioid overdose and representatives from treatment centers and nonprofits across the state. Combined, these settlements bring a total of […]
(Missouri Independent) – On the Friday before a drawn-out confirmation battle ended with his ouster from office, Missouri state Health Director Donald Kauerauf wrote an impassioned letter meant to convince conservative legislators who were on the fence about his appointment. The message: While he believed in vaccines and data and science, he didn’t believe in vaccine […]
United States District Court Judge Stephen R. Clark sentenced Andrew Hotchkiss to 27.5 years in federal prison to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release for the production of child pornography. Hotchkiss previously pleaded guilty in November 2021. Between the dates of March 1, 2019, and May 13, 2019, in St. Francois County, Missouri, […]
A federal jury convicted a Florida doctor in the Southern District of Florida for a health care fraud scheme that billed private health insurance companies approximately $110 million for addiction treatment services that were not medically necessary. This is the second trial conviction to arise out of the Justice Department’s Sober Homes Initiative. According to […]
A Brookfield man was sentenced to 14 years in the Department of Corrections in Linn County Circuit Court on February 8th on sex-related felony charges. A Linn County jury found Coyle guilty in November. The Linn County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office reports 44-year-old Rocky Coyle was sentenced to 10 years in the Department of Corrections on […]
A Missouri, man who is a registered sex offender was identified in two separate investigations and pleaded guilty in federal court to sending obscene materials to minors. Brent Deadmon, 45, of Raytown, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to one count of transferring obscene material to a minor. Deadmon, a registered sex offender, […]
(Missouri Independent) – Cannabis dispensaries throughout the country came one step closer to using banks the way many other businesses can when the U.S. House on Friday cleared a bill with sweeping changes to banking regulations. Colorado Democrat Ed Perlmutter and Ohio Republican Dave Joyce, co-sponsors of the legislation, said Friday their proposal would allow […]
The Grundy County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of a Trenton man on February 2, 2022, on a technical probation violation. Thirty-seven-year-old Cody Burchett’s alleged violation involved employment by reportedly failing to obtain employment, drugs by testing positive for methamphetamine, and reporting and directives for failing to report December 14th and failing to attend substance […]
The Humane Society of Missouri’s Animal Cruelty Task Force rescued 57 dogs, including Corgis, German Shepherds, Border Collies, and several other large and smaller breeds from a property in Newton County, Missouri. The rescued dogs are being transported to HSMO’s Macklind headquarters in St. Louis, where the animals will receive health evaluations and emergency veterinary […]
A Chesterfield, Missouri man is facing a slew of child rape charges after a 15-year-child was found with a dog collar strapped around her neck that the prosecutor says 38-year-old John Low put on her. The 15-year-old girl was reported missing from Manhattan, Kansas. The St. Louis Prosecuting Attorney’s Office says the man […]
U.S. Senator Hawley (R-Mo.) released the following statement on the upcoming Supreme Court vacancy, following reports that Justice Stephen Breyer will retire: “Moment of truth for Joe Biden. Will this deeply unpopular & divisive president finally reject the radical elements of his party and nominate someone who loves America and believes in the Constitution? Or […]
(Missouri Independent) – St. Louis hospitals straining to keep up with a record-breaking number of COVID-19 cases will get some relief in the form of a military medical team. A 40-member team will begin arriving at BJC-Christian Hospital in North St. Louis County on Wednesday, a news release from BJC HealthCare stated. The St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic […]
A man was sentenced to 15 years in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for possessing images of the sexual abuse of children. Ian Andrew Zearley, 40, of Louisa County, Virginia, pleaded guilty to possession of obscene visual representations of the sexual abuse of children in July 2021. According to court documents, Zearley […]
Multiple court cases were processed Thursday at the Grundy County Courthouse. Associate Judge Matthew Krohn of Mercer County presided on behalf of Presiding Judge Thomas Alley in Division One of Grundy County Circuit Court. Trenton resident Devin Aaron Pierce pleaded guilty to the delivery of a controlled substance or synthetic cannabinoid from October 20th of […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that Navient, one of the nation’s largest student loan servicers, entered into a civil settlement agreement with his office and 38 other states for abuses originating in predatory student loans. The agreement resulted in a $53 million settlement for Missourians: $2.5 million in restitution and $51 million in private […]
Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft identified several investment products and schemes that could potentially trap Missouri’s investors in 2022 and recommended steps investors can take to protect themselves from investment fraud. The list was developed by surveying members of the North American Securities Administrators Association, of which the Securities Division of the Secretary of State’s […]
A report of a baby being taken by medical helicopter to Children’s Mercy Hospital the night of January 10th with what were described as serious injuries led to the arrest of a 27-year-old woman. Online court information shows Jessica Nicole Gamble of Chillicothe has been charged with abuse or neglect of a child involving serious […]
A Spickard woman added to the Grundy County Sheriff’s Office’s Most Wanted last week turned herself into the authorities on January 10th. The sheriff’s office reports 30-year-old Avery Elizabeth Mock has been charged with three felony counts of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child creating substantial risk. Bond was set at $25,000 cash only, […]
A Trenton resident has been charged with four counts of felony failure to register as a sex offender. The Grundy County Sheriff’s Department reports 41-year-old Robert Eugene Ewing was arrested on December 15th. His bond is $5,000 cash only, and he is scheduled for the Associate Division of Grundy County Circuit Court on December 28th. […]
