A 12-state human trafficking operation led by the Missouri Attorney General’s Office and the Missouri State Highway Patrol has led to 102 arrests and the rescue of 47 victims and sex workers including 2 minor victims. Operation United Front entailed simultaneous state-level human trafficking operations throughout the night on Thursday and into the early morning […]
(Missouri Independent) – Attorneys who successfully sued to force Missouri to enact voter-approved Medicaid expansion argued in a letter to state officials Thursday that delays in implementation violate not only the court order but also federal law. The plaintiffs’ attorneys, Chuck Hatfield and Lowell Pearson joined with Joel Ferber, director of advocacy for Legal Services […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt joined a 20-state coalition led by West Virginia and Arizona in arguing against the Biden administration’s proposed regulation of firearm parts. In addition to joining the coalition’s comment letter, the Missouri Attorney General’s Office filed a separate, but similar, comment letter. The coalition’s comment letter can be found at this […]
A Missouri, man has pleaded guilty in federal court to illegally possessing the firearm he used when he was shot in a rolling gun battle. Odell J. Jackson, 31, of Kansas City, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner on Thursday, Aug. 19, to one count of being a felon in possession of […]
The abbreviated descriptions below are intended to make the public aware of some of the new legislation enacted by the Missouri General Assembly, which is related to crime and motor vehicles. The listed legislation has been signed into law. Unless otherwise noted, these laws will go into effect on August 28, 2021. SB 26 PROVISIONS […]
A Missouri man was convicted at trial by a federal jury of illegally possessing a firearm. James Johnson, 75, a resident of Jackson County, was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Johnson was in possession of a Ruger .22-caliber semi-automatic handgun on Nov. 28, 2019. Law enforcement officers confronted Johnson […]
The Missouri Department of Transportation is accepting proposals until the end of this year for the reuse of the Pony Truss, Warren alternating vertical bridge on Livingston County Route C over Shoal Creek, currently located 1.4 miles northwest of Dawn. The Shoal Creek Bridge is a 1933, rigid-connected, 178-foot long bridge with a 100-foot Warren […]
In light of the massive surge of illegal border crossings reported last week, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), joined by Senators Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), and Rand Paul (R-Ky.), sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas requesting critical information on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s record of apprehensions during the Biden Administration. Interior […]
A Missouri man has pleaded guilty in federal court to illegally possessing the firearm he accidentally fired in a fatal shooting at the Kansas City Zoo. Anthony R. Meneses, 28, of Kansas City, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays on Monday, Aug. 9, to being a felon in possession of a firearm. According […]
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 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 […]
(Missouri Independent) – Eight months after her son was born, Webster Groves High School teacher Jaime Adamski broke down in tears at her doctor’s office. Her breast milk had declined significantly since she had gone back to work. “I was depressed, angry, frustrated,” she said. “I felt like I was not a good enough mother […]
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri must expand Medicaid to 275,000 eligible people who were expecting coverage under a constitutional amendment that took effect July 1, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled Thursday. In a unanimous opinion, the court overturned a trial court ruling that the amendment, passed in August 2020 was unconstitutional because it may increase the state’s cost for […]
State Auditor Nicole Galloway released her second report on unemployment benefits received by Missourians through COVID-19 response funding from the federal government. The report shows that, through April 2021, more than 600,000 Missouri citizens received more than $4.9 billion in benefits made available under several programs. Several federal laws enacted and executive actions taken in […]
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri Gov. Mike Parson vetoed legislation Friday that would have lifted a prohibition on licensed medical marijuana companies deducting business expenses on their taxes. In his letter vetoing the measure, Parson didn’t mention the medical marijuana provisions. He said his decision to reject the bill came down to a section lawmakers included that […]
A Louisiana man pleaded guilty to possession of an animal for use in an animal fighting venture. According to court documents, beginning as early as June 22, 2017, Clay Turner, 61, of Loranger, possessed and trained dogs for the purpose of having them participate in animal fighting ventures. On telephone calls obtained via court-authorized wiretaps, […]
A Missouri man pleaded guilty in federal court today to illegally possessing two firearms that he stole from a car and attempted to sell outside a nearby hotel. Edward J. Kelly Jr., 39, of Independence, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to one count of being a felon in possession of firearms. […]
Ahead of President Biden’s Wednesday address on the spiking crime throughout America, Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) rolled out his own legislative agenda to hire 100,000 new police officers, boost police morale, and keep American families safe. As violent crime continues to plague the country, communities and law enforcement officers are under siege. Homicides are dramatically increasing across American cities, and violent […]
A Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm. Kenneth E. Barbee Jr., 34, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 10 years in federal prison without parole. On Sept. 23, 2020, Barbee was found guilty at trial of being a felon in possession of […]
A Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court for drug trafficking and illegally possessing firearms that were linked to several shootings. Marck E. Fristoe, 28, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 15 years in federal prison without parole. On Sept. 9, 2020, Fristoe pleaded guilty to one count of […]
