The Grundy County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of two individuals on June 10 and another individual being remanded to the custody of the sheriff. Twenty-six-year-old Samantha Katherine Persell of Kirksville has been charged with the felonies of possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, amphetamine or methamphetamine, and misdemeanor driving while […]
The governor will sign prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) legislation into law Monday (today) in Jefferson City, making Missouri the 50th and final state to have the PDMP program. Governor Mike Parson (R) plans to sign bipartisan PDMP legislation from State Sen. Holly Rehder (R-Scott City) and State Rep. Travis Smith (R-Dora) Monday afternoon, on the Missouri Capitol lawn […]
A Missouri man who shot a law enforcement officer before shooting himself was sentenced in federal court for drug trafficking and illegally discharging a firearm in Joplin, Mo. E.F. Fitchpatrick, Jr., 47, of St. Louis, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 25 years in federal prison without parole. The court sentenced […]
A bill awaiting action by Governor Parson would crackdown on drivers with a commercial vehicle license who are convicted of human trafficking. State Representative Becky Ruth of eastern Missouri’s Festus sponsored the bill. She says drivers with a CDL license are often involved in sex trafficking. The bill also penalizes people with a […]
A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in leading a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in southwestern Missouri. Nathen D. Libertus, 31, of Stella, Missouri, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 21 years in federal prison without parole. On May 20, 2020, Libertus pleaded guilty to participating […]
Two persons were arrested last night in Harrison County on multiple allegations, including possession of drugs. Thirty-four-year-old Anthony Marshall of Kansas City and 31-year-old Michelle Brown of Belton were taken on 24-hour hold to the Harrison County Law Enforcement Center in Bethany. Marshall has been accused of felony possession of cocaine and marijuana, plus unlawful […]
Another session of the Missouri Legislature has come and gone. Of the 1,559 House bills and 689 Senate bills filed this time around, 69 bills will make it to Gov. Mike Parson’s desk. Here are some key bills left up to the governor to sign or veto: Missouri lawmakers vote to pump up […]
A North Carolina man pleaded guilty to a bribery and smuggling scheme. He abused his position as a prison official to funnel drugs and other contraband into Caledonia Correctional Institution. According to court documents, Ollie Rose III, 62, of Pleasant Hill, worked as a case manager at Caledonia Correctional Institution, a state prison in Halifax […]
An attempt to renew a law essential to financing Missouri’s Medicaid program drew fire late Monday from a state Senator who wants to bar Planned Parenthood from participating in the program and an anti-abortion group seeking to block access to contraceptives. A renewal of the taxes that provide more than $2 billion annually for Medicaid was added […]
A Brookfield man accused of leading law enforcement on a pursuit starting in Linn County and ending at Marshall in February 2020 was sentenced in Linn County on May 5, 2021. Matthew Guilford was sentenced to 15 years with the Missouri Division of Adult Institutions on a case involving felony charges of trafficking drugs—second degree […]
Two men traveling through Kansas City, Missouri, were charged in federal court for possessing nearly 24 pounds of heroin aboard a bus en route from California to New York. Darwin G. Morales-Sagastume, 23, and Cristian J. Lopez-Catalan, 28, were charged in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., with […]
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 […]
A Missouri man has pleaded guilty in federal court to multiple charges of illegally possessing firearms, including stolen firearms, and drug trafficking. Brandon L. Hill, 33, of Independence, Missouri, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays on Thursday, April 29, to three counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm, two counts […]
DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day collected 839,543 pounds (419.7 tons) of unused, expired, and unwanted medications across the country. Americans once again showed their dedication toward helping prevent addiction and potential overdose by removing prescription pills from their homes. The April event included 4,425 community partners at 5,060 collection sites throughout the country. “DEA’s […]
A Coffey man faces multiple charges after a Missouri Department of Social Services Children’s Division investigation at a residence in Coffey on April 28th. Forty-five-year-old David Jonathan Girsch has been charged in Daviess County with the felonies of possession of a controlled substance, two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm, and two counts of […]
A California man was charged in federal court with transporting more than four kilograms of fentanyl from Los Angeles, California, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, aboard a bus that stopped at a Kansas City, Missouri station. Miguel Angel Duran, 28, was charged with one count of possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute in a criminal complaint […]
The Drug Enforcement Administration announced a new initiative, Project Wave Breaker, to disrupt the flow of deadly fentanyl into the United States. Project Wave Breaker will direct interdiction, enforcement, and outreach efforts to high-impact areas to disrupt the flow of fentanyl in and around the United States. The initiative will also employ analytical intelligence assets […]
The highway patrol reports a Cameron resident, 39-year old Kenneth Regina, was arrested Saturday morning in DeKalb County and accused of leaving the scene of a vehicle crash, possession of methamphetamine, tampering with physical evidence for a felony, driving while intoxicated/drugs, possession of fewer than ten grams of marijuana, and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. […]
The Justice Department announced that the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) has released approximately $58 million in three grant solicitations that will advance community policing, help combat the dual scourges of opioid and methamphetamine use, and promote the health and safety of our nation’s law enforcement officers. “The grant solicitations announced will […]
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 […]
