A Union, Missouri, man who was scheduled to begin his criminal jury trial instead pleaded guilty in federal court to possessing six pounds of methamphetamine to distribute. Felix Franz Forjan, 71, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. According to the plea […]
Tag: defendant
Missouri Attorney General’s office secures conviction in 2015 assault case in Scott County Jail
On Friday, April 30, 2021, a jury convicted William Henry, AKA William Henry Applewhite III, of three counts of Assault on a Corrections Officer in the First Degree and three counts of Armed Criminal Action in the First Degree. The defendant was housed in the Scott County Jail awaiting trial on murder charges when the […]
Missouri hospitals lobby for changes to new Medicaid payment system
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri lawmakers must finish work on the fiscal 2022 budget by Friday. And while the biggest spending issue of the session, Medicaid expansion, is off the table, there are other big issues to resolve in the state-run health care program. One of the largest is whether to provide a cushion for hospitals that […]
Former Youth Director at Fort Leonard Wood pleads guilty to child sexual abuse
A soldier in the Army National Guard pleaded guilty in federal court to sexually abusing four minors over several years while he was the youth ministry director at Fort Leonard Wood U.S. Army Base. David J. McKay, 42, of Waynesville, Missouri, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to one count of transporting […]
Three from Georgia charged with hate crimes and attempted kidnapping in the death of Ahmaud Arbery
Three Georgia men were indicted by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of Georgia and charged with hate crimes and the attempted kidnapping of Ahmaud Arbery. The indictment also charges two of the men with separate counts of using firearms during that crime of violence. Travis McMichael, 35; Travis’s father, Gregory McMichael, 65; […]
Missouri man faces 14-years in prison after pleading guilty to armed robberies
A Missouri man pleaded guilty in federal court to the robberies (and attempted robberies) of five businesses. Joshua A. West, 28, Overland Park, Kansas, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to five counts of robbery and two counts of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime. By pleading guilty, West […]
Court news for the Associate Division of Grundy County Circuit Court, April 28, 2021
Two defendants were placed on probation following appearances Tuesday in the Associate Division of Grundy County Circuit Court. A resident of Galt, Brenda Sue Figg pled guilty to a charge of peace disturbance stemming from a February 27th incident. Imposition of sentence was suspended, and Figg was placed on two years probation. Figg is to […]
Missouri pharmacy owner and technician indicted on 34 counts related to Medicaid fraud, forgery and identity theft
Shane Becker, owner of the Old Town Pharmacy LLC, and Montserrat Ortega-Saucedo, a pharmacy technician at Old Town Pharmacy, were both indicted on 34 total counts in Cole County on Wednesday, April 21, 2021. A Cole County grand jury returned 26 counts of Violations Involving Health Care Payments (Class D Felony), 6 counts of Forgery […]
Missouri man sentenced to 25 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute more than 2,000 kilos of cocaine
A Missouri, man has been sentenced in federal court for his leadership role in a multi-million dollar conspiracy that distributed more than 2,000 kilograms of cocaine in the metropolitan area. “This heavily-armed drug dealer was still on court-supervised release for a prior federal drug-trafficking conviction while he was engaged in this drug trafficking conspiracy,” said […]
Founding member of the Oath Keepers pleads guilty to breaching Capitol on January 6
Jon Schaffer, 53, of Columbus, Indiana, admitted that he breached the Capitol on January 6, 2021, wearing a tactical vest and armed with bear repellent, and pleaded guilty to unlawfully entering the U.S. Capitol to obstruct Congress’ certification of the U.S. presidential election results. “On this 100th day since the horrific January 6 assault on […]
Division One of Grundy County Circuit Court news for April 16, 2021
Probation was revoked and a sentence imposed for one defendant, two others changed their pleas to guilty during Thursday’s session for Division One of the Grundy County Circuit Court. After Thomas Blake Dalton of Galt admitted to probation violations, Circuit Court Judge Thomas Alley sentenced Dalton to a previously imposed prison sentence. In November of […]
Wollard pleads “Not Guilty” to six counts of endangering the welfare of a child
A man charged with six counts of felony first degree endangering the welfare of a child, creating substantial risk, pleaded not guilty in Division One of Livingston County Circuit Court on April 8th. Twenty-one-year-old Cloyce Oliver Wollard waived formal arraignment, and his case was continued to May 6th for a plea or trial setting. Co-defendant […]
Co-defendant in illegal daycare case bound to Division One of Livingston County Circuit Court
A man accused of operating an illegal daycare out of a home in Chillicothe had his case certified to Division One of Livingston County Circuit Court on April 7th. Twenty-one-year-old Cloyce Oliver Wollard waived his right to a preliminary hearing. Arraignment is scheduled for April 8th. Wollard and co-defendant 24-year-old Jessica Maurine Busker of Chillicothe […]
Bill would add $1 billion to Missouri spending, revise Medicaid payment system
(Missouri Independent) – The biggest item in a $1 billion supplemental spending bill would set aside money for a new method of making Medicaid payments, but exactly how it would work or how much it would cost is unknown. The House Budget Committee on Tuesday held a public hearing on the bill that would also […]
Man and woman charged with attempting and conspiring to provide material support to ISIS
A New York man and Alabama woman were arrested at a seaport in Newark, New Jersey, on criminal charges related to their alleged attempt to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, the Islamic State of Iraq Al-Sham (ISIS). According to court documents, James Bradley, 20, of the Bronx, New York, and Arwa […]
Audio: Missouri could soon wipe out the debt it owes to counties for housing inmates
Missouri could soon wipe out the debt it owes to counties for housing inmates. State House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith says the House has passed a 34-point-one billion-dollar state operating budget that would get Missouri completely out of debt in county jail reimbursements. Missouri could be the only state in the nation that pays […]
Man pleads guilty to $244 million ghost-cattle scam
A Washington man pleaded guilty to defrauding Tyson Foods Inc. (Tyson) and another company (Company 1) out of more than $244 million by charging them under various agreements for the purported costs of purchasing and feeding hundreds of thousands of cattle that did not actually exist. According to court documents, Cody Allen Easterday, 49, of […]
Chillicothe woman accused of operating illegal daycare has bond amended to “own recognizance”
A Chillicothe woman accused of operating an illegal daycare out of a home had her bond amended in the Associate Division of Livingston County Circuit Court on March 29th. Online court information shows 24-year-old Jessica Maurine Busker’s bond was amended to own recognizance posting pending making bond in Greene and Warren counties. No bond was […]
Missouri woman sentenced to 16 years in prison without parole for distributing almost 7 pounds of heroin
A Missouri, woman has been sentenced in federal court for her role in leading a conspiracy to distribute large amounts of heroin in Greene County, Mo. Jasmine D. Steed, 34, of Springfield was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough on Thursday, March 25, to 16 years and eight months in federal prison without […]