A federal judge has issued a stay of execution in the case of a convicted southwest Missouri killer, who was scheduled to be executed Tuesday evening at the maximum-security prison in Bonne Terre. 64-year-old Walter Barton was convicted of first-degree murder for the 1991 killing of 81-year-old Gladys Kuehler. She managed a mobile home park […]
A southern Missouri high school teacher has been charged in federal court with the sexual exploitation of a minor after he blackmailed a 14-year-old victim in New Jersey to force her to send him sexually explicit photos and videos. Brandon Lane McCullough, 31, of Branson, Missouri, was charged in a criminal complaint filed in the […]
An Independence, Missouri, man who was arrested on Tuesday, the same day he shared pornographic images over the internet that he had just taken of a 5-year-old child victim, was charged in federal court. Justin Swift, 35, was charged in a two-count criminal complaint with producing child pornography and with distributing child pornography over the […]
The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office began a drug investigation in Wheeling that resulted in the execution of a search warrant of a home along with an arrest of a female suspect. The search warrant was executed around mid-afternoon in the 800 block of Route B at the north end of Wheeling. Sheriff Steve Cox reports […]
The Missouri Supreme Court has unanimously denied a request from a convicted murderer from southwest Missouri’s Ozark, clearing the way for his execution to take place next month in Bonne Terre. The Supreme Court has denied 64-year-old Walter Barton’s petition for a writ of habeas corpus. A writ of habeas corpus is essentially a court […]
The Missouri Supreme Court heard remote oral arguments on Wednesday in a high-profile case involving the Cole County circuit court’s 2018 decision to award more than $113 million in overtime pay for Missouri corrections officers. It’s a case that’s been working its way through the court system for eight years, and it’s a case that could […]
The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control have announced the arrest of David K. Winton, 57, of Jasper, Missouri, for promoting child pornography. The arrest was the result of an investigation conducted by members of the Division of Drug and Crime Control’s Digital Forensics Investigative Unit. The Patrol was assisted by […]
A total of 17 defendants, primarily from the Kansas City metropolitan area, have been indicted for their roles in a nearly $10 million conspiracy to distribute almost 1,000 kilograms of methamphetamine. Fahrudin F. Fejzic, also known as “Frank,” 48, Steven M. Lyons, also known as “Pops,” 60, Shelly Marie Exton, 38, Mary L. Corona, 38, […]
A Nixa, Missouri, man pleaded guilty in federal court for distributing methamphetamine he received in the mail from California. Jerry D. Thornton, 46, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Thornton admitted that he received multiple pounds of methamphetamine through the mail from […]
A Springfield, Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing heroin to distribute and illegally possessing 10 firearms. William C. Merriweather, 37, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 12 years in federal prison without parole. On Sept. 4, 2019, Merriweather pleaded guilty to one count of participating in a […]
Two southwest Missouri men have been charged in federal court for kidnapping a Webb City, Missouri, woman and threatening to kill her and her family unless she recanted her testimony in another criminal case. Jeffrey Marsh, 32, of Oronogo, and Zaqouri Traves Archer, 31, of Joplin, were charged together in a criminal complaint filed in […]
A Mexican national in Kansas City, Missouri, has been sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy to distribute marijuana, illegally possessing a firearm, and illegally entering the United States for the sixth time. Uriel L. Martinez, 24, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough on Wednesday, Feb. 26, to six […]
An Appleton City, Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court for sending images of child pornography to an undercover law enforcement officer. Anthony Dale Smith, 38, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 13 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Smith to 15 years of supervised release following […]
A Joplin, Missouri, man who was formerly a police officer was sentenced in federal court for receiving and distributing child pornography. Gary McKinney, 44, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to 15 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced McKinney to spend the rest of his life on supervised […]
A Diamond, Missouri, man was indicted by a federal grand jury for the sexual exploitation of a minor. Terry Lee Miksell, 63, was charged in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield. The indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Miksell on Jan. 28, 2020. Miksell is charged […]
An Altamont man accused of stealing dirt bikes in 2018 has been sentenced in Division One of Daviess County Circuit Court. The court revoked probation for Brandon Pooler on two felony counts of first degree tampering with a motor vehicle, and his previously imposed sentence of five years on each count in the Missouri Department […]
A former Cameron, Missouri, high school teacher was sentenced in federal court for secretly recording pornographic videos of three teenage victims in his bathroom. William Derek Williams, 40, of Cameron, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to 20 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Williams to 10 years […]
Eleven defendants have been indicted for their roles in a $1.7 million conspiracy to distribute 150 kilograms of methamphetamine and 10 kilograms of heroin, as well as illegally possessing numerous firearms. Kamel Mahgub Elburki, 31, Ashley Brooke Clevenger, 37, Edward Jason Alberty Jr., 23, Rachel Gale Simpson, 36, Daniel Jessie Ruiz, 35, and Matthew John […]
A Lee’s Summit, Missouri, man who illegally purchased 15 firearms pleaded guilty in federal court to illegally possessing firearms and to making a false statement on a federal form in order to purchase those firearms. Jay C. Miller, 28, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to one count of possessing firearms while […]
In an unprecedented move, Clay County staff failed to appear at 10 a.m. on Monday morning as required under a subpoena issued more than two weeks ago by State Auditor Nicole Galloway. The lawfully executed subpoena required records and testimony associated with a citizen-mandated audit of Clay County to be provided to the State Auditor’s […]
