A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for attempting to meet a law enforcement officer, posing online as a 14-year-old girl, for illegal sexual activity. Darren Wade Lasley, 33, Columbia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 10 years in federal prison without parole. On Aug. 18, 2021, Lasley was found […]
A Missouri, man who contacted hundreds of children through a teen dating website was indicted by a federal grand jury on child sexual exploitation charges. Kody Ryan Kelso, 30, Springfield, was charged in a five-count superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Mo. The superseding indictment replaces the original indictment that was […]
The Laredo R-7 Board of Education on December 13th approved Missouri United School Insurance Council insurance renewal. Secretary Robin Griswold reports there is $4 million worth of coverage for a premium of $13,096 for the year. The policy covers property, general liability, buses, school board liability, compensation, bond, cyber, and pollution liability. The board approved […]
State Auditor Nicole Galloway released the report of her regularly scheduled audit of Lawrence County, located in southwest Missouri. The report, which gives a rating of “fair,” is the first audit of the county since a 2016 audit gave the county a rating of “poor” – the lowest possible – and the subsequent 2017 follow-up report Auditors […]
A former employee of a Missouri school district was sentenced in federal court with soliciting children to send him sexually explicit photos and videos through Snapchat and Instagram. Cody Ashton Ary, 31, of West Plains, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to 17 years in federal prison without parole. The court also […]
Cyber Monday could, and will likely be the biggest one yet. With the ease of clicking the buy button along with the continuing pandemic, it all could combine to form a perfect storm of buying on the internet. In a year that saw more online shopping, Cyber Monday outperformed Black Friday in 2020. […]
A former Missouri, middle school teacher was sentenced in federal court for charges related to enticing one of her students to engage in illicit sex. Amanda Ruth Schweitzer, 42, of Joplin, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 20 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Schweitzer to 15 years of […]
A Missouri, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for the sexual exploitation of three child victims. Jake Ethan Patterson, 26, Rogersville, was charged in a four-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Mo., on Wednesday, November 17. The federal indictment replaces a criminal complaint that was filed against Patterson […]
(Missouri Independent) – Nearly a month after a reporter identified a security flaw in a state website that exposed teachers’ social security numbers, the state announced Wednesday it was offering a year of credit monitoring services to hundreds of thousands of teachers whose personal information was put at risk According to the Department of Elementary […]
A registered sex offender from Kansas City, Kansas, was sentenced in federal court for crossing state lines to engage in illicit sexual activity with a 14-year-old Missouri victim he met on Facebook. Montoryon Harris, 45, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to 21 years and eight months in federal prison without parole. […]
A Missouri sex offender was sentenced in federal court for receiving and distributing child pornography. David Lee Wilson, 38, of West Plains, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 15 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Wilson to a lifetime of supervised release following incarceration. On Aug. 5, […]
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri Gov. Mike Parson once again on Sunday took aim at a reporter who notified the state of a security flaw in one of its websites, questioning the journalist’s motives and noting he’d support the prosecution of any state employee found to have assisted the reporter. In a TV interview with Scott Faughn, […]
A Missouri man who downloaded thousands of images and videos of child pornography was sentenced in federal court. Nicholas Goins, 36, of Springfield, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 15 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Goins to spend the rest of his life on supervised release […]
(Missouri Independent) – A cybersecurity expert targeted for investigation by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson is demanding a public apology and payment for his costs for legal help and damage to his reputation. Shaji Khan, an associate professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and the director of its Cybersecurity Institute made the demand in a letter sent […]
Local government agencies in Missouri can avoid common mistakes and take several steps to safeguard electronic data from hacking, theft, and other disruptions, State Auditor Nicole Galloway said. The Auditor today released her annual summary of the most common cybersecurity risks found by her audits of local governments and courts, along with recommendations those agencies […]
(Missouri Independent) – A day after Missouri Gov. Mike Parson garnered national criticism for his push to prosecute a newspaper reporter who discovered a security flaw in a state website, a Democratic lawmaker is urging the governor to appoint members of a cybersecurity commission created by a bill he signed in July. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch informed […]
A Missouri, man pleaded guilty in federal court to receiving and distributing hundreds of images and videos of child pornography. Chandler Durham, 31, of Springfield, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to one count of receiving and distributing child pornography. On Feb. 5, 2020, a detective with the Southwest Missouri Cyber […]
Missouri State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick announced that should proposals pass requiring financial institutions to turn over private citizens’ personal bank account information to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) if they exceed $600 of inflows or outflows from the account, he will not comply. “As Treasurer, I have an obligation to the nearly 200,000 MOST 529 and MO ABLE […]
State Auditor Nicole Galloway released today her regularly scheduled audit of Schuyler County, located in northern Missouri. Schuyler County received an overall rating of “good” in the audit, which matches the “good” rating received by the county in a 2015 audit. “My audit recommended several areas for improvement that county government officials have shown a willingness […]
Governor Mike Parson announced the state of Missouri has approved more than $1.8 million in grant assistance to 19 agencies across the state to investigate and prosecute crimes that victimized children. “Criminals who victimize children must be investigated, prosecuted, and brought to justice, no matter when they commit these heinous crimes,” Governor Parson said. “The […]
