A Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy to distribute large amounts of methamphetamine. Richard G. Wacker, 61, of Springfield, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 20 years in federal prison without parole. On Jan. 10, 2020, Wacker pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy […]
A Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court for his role in a drug-trafficking conspiracy that distributed at least 12 pounds of methamphetamine in the Joplin area, as well as for illegally possessing numerous firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition. Mark E. Burdge, 50, of Joplin, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. […]
(Missouri Independent) – President Joe Biden on Tuesday urged the U.S. Senate to immediately pass legislation to close loopholes on background checks for guns and to ban assault weapons, following a mass shooting that killed 10 at a Colorado supermarket. “This should not be a partisan issue,” Biden said. “This is an American issue.” Biden’s […]
The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office and the Northwest Missouri Interagency Team Response Operation-Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Task Force are investigating an incident earlier this week. Sheriff Steve Cox reports Deputy Nicholas Leadbetter stopped a vehicle late at night on Highway 36 because it was being driven as if the driver was impaired […]
A Missouri, man pleaded guilty in federal court to illegally possessing a firearm following a brief armed standoff with police officers and a foot chase. Michael D. Moore, 31, of Kansas City pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Moore was arrested on Monday, […]
A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing several firearms, including the firearm used in a drive-by shooting. Eric L. Harper, 28, Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to five years and six months- in federal prison without parole. The sentence reflects an upward variance from the […]
Eight defendants have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a $4.1 million conspiracy to distribute more than 520 kilograms of methamphetamine. Tina Marie Bailey, 36, and Martin Lee Williams, 58, both of Kansas City, Mo.; Mark Williams Hildebrand II, 31, and Harry Richard Watson Jr., also known as “Ricky,” 35, […]
People with concealed carry permits could be allowed to take firearms into Missouri places like government buildings, polling places, churches, public hospitals, and public colleges. During a Missouri House committee hearing Monday, Representative Jered Taylor of Nixa says he is proposing eliminating some gun-free zones. Taylor says permit holders could help protect the […]
COVID-19 presented considerable challenges to Missouri schools, staff, and students in 2020, including closures, cancellations, remote learning, and more. The pandemic also presented challenges to schools and instructors teaching the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) hunter education courses. “Many schools were closed for much of the year, which reduced the number of kids who could […]
Legislation that would allow Missourians to carry a concealed gun inside churches and other places of worship without the minister’s consent has been approved by a Missouri House committee. House General Laws Committee chairman Curtis Trent announced Thursday afternoon’s close vote. The bill is sponsored by GOP State Representatives Ben Baker of Neosho […]
Prince Bixler, 41, of Lexington, Kentucky, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Robert E. Wier to 36 years in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release and ordered to pay $333,100 in restitution to three sex trafficking victims. In September 2020, a federal jury convicted Bixler of 15 federal felonies related to his […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that, to date, his Safer Streets Initiative, which was launched in early 2019, has resulted in 516 charges against 289 defendants across the state. Additionally, 356 firearms have been taken off the streets as a result of the initiative. “Since taking office, prosecuting violent crime in Missouri’s major […]
A gun law bill that passed the Missouri House Wednesday would punish a police department through civil lawsuits if an officer enforces federal gun laws. A twin of the bill is also moving through the Senate. The “Second Amendment Preservation Act,” sponsored by Rep. Jered Taylor, R-Nixa, is aimed at disregarding any federal firearms actions by the […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that his office, along with 22 other state Attorneys General, filed an amicus brief in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Corlett in the United States Supreme Court. The brief, led by Missouri and Arizona, argues that permitting law-abiding citizens to carry firearms in self-defense outside the […]
A Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court for distributing crack cocaine. Jeffery Wayne Taylor, 55, of Sedalia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 20 years in federal prison without parole. On July 6, 2020, Taylor was convicted at a bench trial of two counts of distributing crack cocaine and one […]
A Missouri, woman was sentenced in federal court for leading a conspiracy that distributed more than 15 kilograms of methamphetamine in a three-county area. Christina E. Gauger, 39, of Springfield, Missouri was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 17 years in federal prison without parole. Law enforcement officers seized a total of […]
A former Trenton policeman, facing a charge of statutory rape in the 2nd degree, appeared Tuesday in the Associate Division of the Grundy County Circuit Court. Michael Wilson executed a written waiver of a preliminary hearing and the case was bound over to the February 11th docket for Division one of Grundy County Circuit Court. […]
Seven alleged members of the violent Gangster Disciples gang, including top national and state leaders, are in custody after multiple arrests this morning for their alleged participation in a years-long interstate racketeering conspiracy involving multiple murders, drug trafficking, and other crimes. The case was unsealed today in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District […]
A former captain in the Kansas City, Missouri, Fire Department was sentenced in federal court for illegally selling dozens of firearms over a five-year period, and to selling firearms to convicted felons. James Samuels, 55, of Kansas City, Mo., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to six years in federal prison without […]
Two leaders of the national gang the Gangster Disciples were sentenced today for a racketeering conspiracy involving murder. Shauntay Craig, aka Shake, 42, of Birmingham, Alabama, was sentenced to 40 years in prison. Craig pleaded guilty in August 2019 to racketeering conspiracy involving murder and drug trafficking. Donald Glass, aka Smurf, 30, of Decatur, Georgia, […]
