A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for using Snapchat to contact 12- and 13-year-old girls in Canada to induce them to engage in sexually explicit behavior. Michael David Miller, 40, of Springfield, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to 20 years in federal prison without parole. On June 2, 2020, […]
A Mexican national was sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing the firearm he used in a drive-by shooting. Javier Guerrero-Garcia, 23, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to eight years and six months in federal prison without parole. On June 29, 2020, Guerrero-Garcia pleaded guilty to being an illegal alien in possession […]
The Grundy County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of two Trenton residents on February 11th on probation violations. Thirty-two-year-old Domanic James Lee Ratkovich was arrested on a capias warrant. His original charge was felony possession of a controlled substance except 35 grams or less of marijuana or synthetic cannabinoid. His bond is $5,000 cash only. […]
Colonel Eric T. Olson, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, announces the following promotion effective March 1, 2021. Captain Scott A. Shipers, commanding officer of Troop A, Lee’s Summit, is being promoted to the rank of major. Major Shipers will transfer to General Headquarters, Jefferson City, where he will serve as the bureau commander […]
A jury trial has been reset for a Trenton man accused of wounding a Trenton Police officer in June 2019. Forty-year-old Jamey Aaron Griffin’s trial is now scheduled to be August 23rd through 27th. A pre-trial conference is set for July 1st. A trial was originally scheduled to be February 16th through 19th. Griffin has […]
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 Washington man pleaded guilty today to perpetrating a scheme to fraudulently obtain COVID-19 relief guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Nicholas L. McQuaid, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s […]
A jury trial is scheduled in Livingston County next month for a Trenton man accused of wounding Trenton Police Officer Jasmine Diab in June 2019. Forty-year-old Jamey Aaron Griffin’s trial is set to begin on February 16th. A pre-trial conference is scheduled for February 4th. Ninety jurors were to be ordered. Griffin has been charged […]
(Missouri Independent) – Khadijah Wilson had a bully during her junior year at Francis Howell North High School in St. Charles. She told her principal and teachers about the name-calling, and how the other girl constantly threatened to beat her up. But no one intervened. It went on for several months. “I reported it more […]
A Missouri, man has been sentenced in federal court for distributing methamphetamine and possessing a homemade firearm. Lyle Scott Jennings, 49, of Butler, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner on Tuesday, Jan. 12, to 10 years in federal prison without parole. On Feb. 10, 2020, Jennings pleaded guilty to participating in a […]
A former Harrison County Sheriff Deputy has been charged with two felony counts of tampering with physical evidence in a felony prosecution and misdemeanor tampering with a public record. Forty-three-year-old Kevin Lawson of Gilman City is scheduled for an initial appearance in court on February 3rd. A probable cause statement from Corporal Adam McAtee with […]
Governor Michael L. Parson was sworn in to a full term as 57th Governor of the State of Missouri at the 2021 Bicentennial Inauguration. Governor Parson’s career in public service began with six years in the United States Army and over 22 years in law enforcement, including serving as Sheriff of Polk County from 1993-2005. […]
The Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC) released new statewide employer survey results to correspond with its 2020 Missouri Economic & Workforce Report, which was published earlier this fall. The Economic & Workforce Report tracks the state’s economy and workforce by fiscal year (July 2019 – June 2020). The corresponding employer survey results focus […]
Attorney General William P. Barr announced the results of Operation Legend, which was first launched in Kansas City, Missouri, on July 8, 2020, and then expanded to Chicago and Albuquerque, New Mexico, on July 22, 2020; to Cleveland, Ohio, Detroit, Michigan, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 29, 2020; to St. Louis, Missouri, and Memphis, Tennessee, on August 6, […]
Nineteen defendants have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a $1.2 million insurance fraud conspiracy that involved false claims of injuries suffered in car accidents. Lawrence Courtney Lawhorn, 32, and Latoya Marie Brown, 35, who resided in Columbia and in the Kansas City area; Lauren Courtney Luque, 34, Michael Jadon […]
A judgment has been issued in Grundy County regarding a wrongful death suit stemming from a fatality accident on eastbound Highway 6 in June 2019. The Highway Patrol reported 38-year-old Eric Virtue of Jamesport was pronounced dead at the scene three miles west of Trenton when a pickup truck driven by Russel Louderback of Trenton […]
A Kenyan national pleaded guilty in federal court to her role in a marriage fraud conspiracy. Fidelina Mwelu Mutisya, 61, of Winchester, Ohio, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lajuana M. Counts to one count of criminal conspiracy. By pleading guilty, Mutisya admitted that she participated in a conspiracy to enter into fraudulent marriages for […]
Two area residents were arrested on November 12th on capias warrants. The Grundy County Sheriff’s Office reports 34-year-old Cindy Gearin of Trenton and 19-year-old David Clay Austin Travis of Spickard were brought to the Law Enforcement Center from the courtroom. Gearin’s warrant was for alleged failure to appear on felony altering lottery tickets. Court documents […]
A Missouri woman was sentenced in federal court for a Social Security and bankruptcy fraud scheme. Carol L. Dille, 68, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to two years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Dille to pay $76,601 in restitution. On Jan. 31, 2020, Dille pleaded […]
