A Mercer County case has been dismissed by county prosecution for the Promise City, Iowa man accused of robbing a Princeton bank in May. A federal prosecutor took over the case for 67 year old Phillip Michael Blink, according to information provided by Mercer County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office Legal Assistant Hollie Ralston. Blink was indicted […]
Tag: FEDERAL
Audio: Missouri medical marijuana-related businesses recover money seized by government
A Missouri police chief once called asset forfeiture “pennies from heaven” It’s a rule that allows the government to seize the property of a person who has not even been charged with a crime. That includes an armored car carrying money from legal Missouri businesses. The federal government has agreed to return more […]
Leonardo DRS expands in West Plains creating more than 100 jobs
Leonardo DRS, a leading provider of defense products and technologies, has announced the start of the expansion of its manufacturing campus in West Plains. The company’s expansion is expected to create more than 100 jobs and was enabled in part by a cooperative effort to construct a new overpass that addresses concerns affecting logistics and […]
Kansas City man sentenced to 12 years in prison for meth trafficking and illegal firearm
A Kansas City, Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing a firearm and methamphetamine to distribute after trying to break into a car and a house. Joel L. Redman, 38, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 12 years and seven months in federal prison without parole. On Sept. 15, […]
Missouri man who was arrested after an armed standoff with police pleads guilty to marijuana trafficking
A Missouri man pleaded guilty in federal court to illegally possessing a firearm following a brief armed standoff with police officers. Jamahl D. Jones, 35, Kansas City, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to one count of possessing marijuana with the intent to distribute, one count of possessing a firearm in relation […]
Missouri woman sentenced 8 years in prison for meth trafficking
A Missouri woman was sentenced in federal court for methamphetamine trafficking after she received a large package of methamphetamine shipped from California to distribute locally. Cassiopeia Marie Blaise, 37, Columbia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to eight years in federal prison without parole. Blaise pleaded guilty on Aug. 31, 2021, to […]
Missouri Department of Conservation urges the public to leave wildlife wild
As many head outside to enjoy the longer days and warmer weather this spring, they may come across a variety of newborn animals. It may appear young creatures are abandoned, but that’s usually not the case. The Missouri Department of Conservation reminds Missourians that interfering with wildlife does more harm than good. MDC State Wildlife […]
Senate committee approves bill that could overturn Missouri Medicaid expansion
(Missouri Independent) – A constitutional amendment asking Missourians to let lawmakers decide year-to-year whether the state will offer Medicaid to working-age adults moved closer to passage on Wednesday. By an 8-5 vote, the Senate Appropriations Committee sent the House-passed proposal to the full Senate for debate. Only Sen. Lincoln Hough, R-Springfield, voted with Democrats to oppose the measure, which […]
Legislators weigh blocking COVID visitor restrictions at Missouri hospitals, nursing homes
(Missouri Independent) – State Rep. Ed Lewis had just hours to say goodbye. In March 2020, his 89-year-old mother had to go to the hospital after suffering from a fall. Lewis’ sister was their mother’s primary caregiver, but in the pandemic’s first days as hospitals restricted visitors, family members weren’t allowed to stay with her. Lewis […]
Missouri man sentenced to 30 years in prison for crack cocaine trafficking and an illegal Firearm
A Missouri man with an extensive history of violent crime was sentenced in federal court for trafficking crack cocaine and illegally possessing a firearm. Mitchell B. Byrd, 43, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 30 years in federal prison without parole. This sentence is an upward variance from the […]
Missouri man pleads guilty to $10 million conspiracy to distribute 1,000 kilos of meth
A Missouri, man pleaded guilty in federal court to his role in a nearly $10 million conspiracy to distribute almost 1,000 kilograms (2204 pounds) of methamphetamine. Michael B. Becher, 40, Raytown, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine from Sept. 1, 2018, to Nov. 5, 2019. […]
Three year prison sentence handed down in dogfighting case
A man was sentenced to three years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $1,000 fine for possession of an animal in an animal fighting venture. Clay Turner, 61, of Loranger, Louisiana pleaded guilty to possession of an animal for use in an animal fighting venture on June 30, 2021. According to court […]
Missouri man sentenced to 10 years in prison in connection with murder for hire case
A Missouri, man has been sentenced in federal court for attempting to hire an undercover law enforcement agent to murder the victim in a pending statutory sodomy case. Jon Mark Wilson, 58, of Sedalia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes on April 5, 2022, to 10 years in federal prison without parole. […]
Missouri man sentenced to 20 years in federal prison, without parole, for producing child pornography
A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for producing child pornography and distributing those images over the internet. Dennis Tyler Murray, 32, of Springfield, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 20 years in federal prison without parole. On Oct 25, 2021, Murray pleaded guilty to one count of using a […]
Former Missouri corrections officer sentenced to prison for smuggling contraband into jail
A former corrections officer at the Jackson County Detention Center was sentenced in federal court for taking bribes to smuggle illegal drugs to inmates of the facility. Daniel Coach, 27, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to one year and two months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Coach […]
Missouri man sentenced to 13 years in prison, without parole, for meth conspiracy
A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Darrell Lynn Ferguson, 57, of Springfield, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 13 years and one month in federal prison without parole. On Oct. 6, 2021, Ferguson pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy […]
Department of Justice rule cracks down untraceable firearms known as ‘ghost guns’
(Missouri Independent) – President Joe Biden Monday unveiled the Department of Justice’s plan to regulate untraceable firearms known as ghost guns, as well as announced his nominee to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The Department of Justice’s final rule bans the business of manufacturing ghost guns, such as “buy build shoot” kits […]
Democrats file suit to keep two-time Republican candidate off ballot for Missouri House seat
(Missouri Independent) – Democrats want to kick a candidate off the ballot in the race for a Kansas City-area Missouri House seat, claiming the Grandview man who filed in the 36th District contest is actually “a longtime Republican and vocal opponent of the Democratic Party.” John D. Boyd Jr. filed for the seat on Feb. […]
Advocates worried more rural kids may go hungry this summer
Federal waivers put in place at the height of the pandemic allowed federal child nutrition programs more flexibility in delivering meals to households because kids were not at school. Those waivers are set to expire in a few months, and in states like Arkansas, groups working to fight hunger warn that more children, especially in rural areas, […]
Hunger concerns spur calls for higher SNAP eligibility
Food insecurity is getting more attention these days, and some working families still have trouble meeting basic needs under mounting living expenses and aid eligibility being out of reach. A Minnesota plan aims to close the gap. Minnesota is one of the states not at the maximum eligibility level for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). […]