A Missouri man has been sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing methamphetamine and a firearm. Charles D. Kessler, 41, of Ava, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips on July 29, 2021, to 10 years in federal prison without parole. On July 2, 2020, Kessler pleaded guilty to one count of possessing […]
A vehicle allegedly traveling 105 miles per hour on Highway 36 in Livingston County around noon August 5 resulted in the arrest of an Illinois man. Livingston County Sheriff Steve Cox reports 39-year-old Scott Ryan Ottersen of Plainfield, Illinois, was arrested for excessive speed in a 65 miles per hour zone. Ottersen posted bond at […]
Four alleged members of La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) have been charged in a federal superseding indictment with a racketeering conspiracy involving multiple murders, kidnappings, and burglaries, as well as drug trafficking. The individuals charged in the superseding indictment are: Luis Reynaldo Reyes-Castillo, 27, aka Molesto; David Arturo Perez-Manchame, 22, aka Herbi, aka Walter Melendez; Joel […]
A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing a firearm after leading police officers on a high-speed chase. Raymond L. Pierce, 23, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 10 years in federal prison without parole. On Feb. 10, 2021, Pierce pleaded guilty to one count of […]
A Missouri man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for the armed robbery of a Dollar General store in Jefferson City, Mo. Tyler Steven Mitchell Williams, 24, of Holts Summit, was charged in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Jefferson City on Tuesday, Aug. 3. The federal indictment alleges […]
A Milan man charged with first-degree murder after his wife was found dead in May entered a plea of not guilty in Division One of Sullivan County Circuit Court on August 4. Twenty-one-year-old Edward James Elijah “Eli” Withey waived formal arraignment. The case was passed to September 8 for a status review. Withey was also […]
Missouri has a new unit of four-legged officers with badges who are in the field protecting the state’s wildlife, fish, and forest land. The Missouri Department of Conservation has launched a unit made up of five handlers and canines. Agent Alan Lamb and his partner, a Pointer named Tex, patrol southeast Missouri’s Madison County. He […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt today filed a lawsuit to halt the recently imposed mask mandate in Kansas City. The suit, which was filed this afternoon in Jackson County, argues that the mask mandate imposed is unreasonable, unconstitutional, and arbitrary, and capricious. The suit names Mayor Quinton Lucas, the Kansas City, Missouri Health Department, and […]
A Powersville man faces felony charges of abuse or neglect of a child and first-degree burglary after he allegedly entered a Unionville residence uninvited to take his two minor children in May. Forty-year-old Anthony Brandon Pearson has also been charged with two misdemeanor counts of violation of an order of protection for an adult and […]
Six southwest Missouri residents have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a kidnapping conspiracy that resulted in the death of the victim. Freddie Lewis Tilton, also known as “Ol’ Boy,” 48, and Carla Jo Ward, 47, both of Joplin, Mo.; Amy Kay Thomas, 38, of Webb City, Mo.; James B. […]
The Clinton County Sheriff’s Department has provided some details on a law enforcement pursuit in which one person was arrested, but the driver was able to elude authorities. A deputy observed a vehicle speeding northbound on Interstate 35 at an alleged 102 miles an hour. He was able to get the driver of the car […]
A Coffey man has been charged with felony failure to register as a sex offender after law enforcement responded to a report of a stolen four-wheeler earlier this month. Thirty-one-year-old Brandon Tyler May has also been charged with felony sex offender physically present or loitering within 500 feet of a park with a playground, pool, […]
(Missouri Independent) – A bipartisan group of U.S. senators say they have worked through the sticking points on a major infrastructure package, and the Senate agreed on a procedural vote on Wednesday night to advance to debate on the proposal. That announcement came a week after Republicans blocked a test vote on the deal, with GOP […]
A federal grand jury in Nashville, Tennessee, has returned a 60-count indictment charging nine members of La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) with a racketeering conspiracy spanning more than seven years. Those charged in the second superseding indictment are Carlos Ochoa-Martinez, 31, aka “El Serio;” Jason Sandoval, 35, aka “Bin Laden;” Jorge Flores, 29, aka “Peluche;” Kevin […]
A Noel, Missouri, man has been arrested in the Republic of Guatemala and returned to the United States to face a federal indictment for kidnapping the 4-year-old daughter of a woman whose body was discovered in a suitcase last year. Mahamud Tooxoow Mahamed, 39, a Somali national, was charged in an indictment returned on Aug. […]
Two St. Joseph, Missouri, men have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute heroin and for illegally possessing firearms. Roderick A. Hughes, 48, and Franklin T. Hicks Jr., also known as “Frankie,” 40, were charged in a seven-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury […]
A new state task force is seeking comments and suggestions from the public on how to strengthen protections and services for Missouri sexual assault victims. Comments and suggestions are being gathered through an online survey at this link. The survey closes on September 30, 2021. The Missouri Rights of Victims of Sexual Assault Task Force […]
Colonel Eric T. Olson, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, announces that 29 troopers graduated from the Patrol’s Law Enforcement Academy on Friday, July 23, 2021. The ceremony began at 9 a.m. and took place on the South Lawn of the Missouri State Capitol. The public was invited to attend the event or watch […]
A preliminary hearing was held in the Associate Division of Sullivan County Circuit Court on July 22 for a Milan man charged with first-degree murder after his wife was found dead in May. Twenty-one-year-old Edward James Elijah “Eli” Withey had his case bound over to Division One of Circuit Court and is to appear for […]
Seventeen more individuals have been charged in connection with a fraudulent scheme to obtain approximately $11.1 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and to use those funds to purchase luxury vehicles, jewelry, and other personal items. According to court documents and statements made in court, between May and August 2020, the defendants submitted or […]
