(Missouri Independent) – Inmates at St. Louis’ primary jail filed a federal class-action lawsuit Tuesday accusing guards of torture with mace and depriving them of water for days. The inmates are represented by a team of attorneys from the MacArthur Justice Center, ArchCity Defenders, the SLU Law Legal Clinics, and Rights Behind Bars. “They spray chemical agents […]
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Missouri Attorney General files suit against Missouri School Boards Association for alleged Sunshine Law violations
To kick off Sunshine Week, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed suit against the Missouri School Boards Association for alleged violations of the Sunshine Law. The Missouri Attorney General’s Office previously requested records from the Missouri School Boards Association (MSBA) related to their role in the October 4, 2021 memo from the Biden Administration and […]
Trenton City Council repeals breed-specific dog ban after overriding Mayor’s veto
It took two votes before the Trenton City Council approved an ordinance to repeal the ban on specific breeds of dogs, including pit bulls and pit bull mix. The council adopted budgets for the city of Trenton and Trenton Municipal Utilities for the next fiscal year, and the council, in effect, took no action on […]
Judges release new boundaries for Missouri Senate districts
(Missouri Independent) – A panel of Missouri judges tasked with redrawing 34 state Senate districts released a tentative plan Monday, part of a once-in-a-decade process that reconfigures political boundaries following the U.S. Census. The new map, drawn by the Judicial Redistricting Commission after a citizen commission failed to reach consensus, will be formally submitted to […]
Federal correctional officer charged, former prison nurse pleads guilty in bribery and contraband smuggling schemes
A former nurse at Leavenworth Detention Center has pleaded guilty to conspiring to smuggle contraband into the prison, and a federal grand jury in the District of Kansas has returned an indictment charging a former correctional officer with a similar scheme. According to court documents, Jeane Arnette, 61, of Leavenworth, Kansas, previously worked at […]
Arkansas man sentenced to 18 years in a Missouri prison for intent to engage in sexual conduct with a minor
An Arkansas man was sentenced to 18 years in prison for traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor. On August 12, 2021, Jerrell West, 32, of Forrest City, Arkansas was found guilty by jury trial in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. He was sentenced by […]
Ethics panel dismisses complaint alleging Greitens funneled money into Senate campaign
(Missouri Independent) – The Missouri Ethics Commission has dismissed a complaint against former Gov. Eric Greitens accusing him of illegally using leftover money from his gubernatorial campaign committee to subsidize his quest for U.S. Senate. The complaint, filed in October by Campaign Legal Center, alleged Greitens used money from his state account to pay his eventual […]
Planned Parenthood sues Missouri social services agency over restricted Medicaid funds
(Missouri Independent) – Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit Thursday against Missouri’s Department of Social Services, alleging the agency unlawfully plans to restrict Medicaid payments to the provider. A March 4 notice sent to Planned Parenthood of St. Louis Region cites a supplemental budget bill lawmakers passed last month that bars abortion providers or their affiliates from being […]
Congress reaches deal on massive spending package with billions for COVID aid, Ukraine
(Missouri Independent) – Democrats and Republicans forged an agreement early Wednesday on a spending package that will fund the government for the next eight months, as well as provide billions in emergency funding for COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine. The announcement means Congress should be able to avert a government shutdown when a spending […]
Missouri fines CAFO, owned by Smithfield Foods, $18,000 for polluting streams with 300,000 gallons of waste
(Missouri Independent) – Regulators ordered an industrial hog farm in northern Missouri to pay more than $18,000 for spilling 300,000 gallons of manure into miles of nearby streams. An advocate for environmentally responsible agriculture called that “pathetic,” noting the fine amounted to less than $0.04 per gallon of waste spilled. “You’re talking about a multi-billion […]
Missouri man sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for producing child pornography
United States District Court Judge Henry E. Autrey sentenced Scott Reinhardt II, age 36, to 25 years in federal prison to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release for the production of child pornography. Reinhardt previously pleaded guilty in December 2021. According to the plea agreement, between the dates of February 1, 2020, and […]
Trenton Board of Education approves 2022-2023 salary schedule which sets base pay at $36,000
The Trenton R-9 Board of Education on March 8th approved, on a vote of five to one, salary schedules for the 2022-2023 school year. Approval was given after hearing a proposal from Charley Crimi with the Salary and Welfare Committee and a recommendation from Superintendent Mike Stegman. The certified salary schedule for next school year […]
Missouri man sentenced to 17 years in prison for trafficking crack cocaine
A Missouri, man who twice fled from police officers was sentenced in federal court for possessing crack cocaine to distribute. Eldon M. Cox, 38, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 17 years in federal prison without parole. Cox was sentenced as a career offender due to his prior felony […]
Missouri man sentenced to seven years in prison for robbing family at gunpoint
A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for robbing a family at gunpoint in their home. Cameron E. Scott, 20, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to seven years and three months in federal prison without parole. On June 2, 2021, Scott pleaded guilty to one count of robbery […]
Details released regarding closure of Green Hill’s Women’s Shelter
More information has been released about the Trenton Green Hills Women’s Shelter’s restructuring. Executive Director Lisa Dicks reports one reason for restructuring is because when the shelter moved from the “typical-style residential home” into the new structure, the service delivery model stayed the same. She says that as time passed, needs have changed. Other things […]
Charges filed against two individuals following law enforcement pursuits in Livingston and Caldwell counties
Charges have been filed following separate law enforcement pursuits Sunday in Livingston and Caldwell counties. Thirty-seven-year-old Truitt Matthew Caudill of rural Chillicothe has been charged with resisting or interfering with an arrest for a felony and with felony drug possession. No bond was allowed pending his appearance in Livingston county circuit court. Truitt was taken […]
Missouri State Highway Patrol announces retirement of Sergeant Christopher Cerroni
Captain Erik A. Gottman, commanding officer of Troop B, Macon, announces that effective April 1, 2022, Sergeant Christopher L. Cerroni will retire with over 29 years of dedicated service. Cerroni was appointed to the Patrol on January 1, 1993, as a member of the 65th Recruit Class. After graduating from the Patrol Academy, he was […]