United States District Court Judge Matthew T. Schelp accepted a plea of guilty from Demeria Thomas, age 38, for deprivation of rights under color of law related to her knowingly allowing inmates to assault another inmate while in his cell at the St. Louis City Justice Center. A grand jury in the Eastern District of […]
(Missouri Independent) – Cannabis dispensaries throughout the country came one step closer to using banks the way many other businesses can when the U.S. House on Friday cleared a bill with sweeping changes to banking regulations. Colorado Democrat Ed Perlmutter and Ohio Republican Dave Joyce, co-sponsors of the legislation, said Friday their proposal would allow […]
Governor Mike Parson announced four judicial appointments to the 3rd, 11th, and 20th Judicial Circuits. Anthony Horvath, of Linn, was appointed as Associate Circuit Judge for Putnam County in the 3rd Judicial Circuit. Mr. Horvath currently serves as the Deputy Judge Advocate General for the Missouri National Guard. He earned a Bachelor of Science in justice systems from […]
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland this week demanding answers on the Department of Justice’s decision to pursue a lenient sentence for a BLM rioter because of what he was protesting. Last year, Montez Terriel Lee, Jr. broke into the Max It Pawn Shop in Minneapolis, Minn., and poured fire accelerant throughout the store. […]
(Missouri Independent) – With the retirement of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer by this summer, President Joe Biden has said he will fulfill a campaign promise of appointing a Black woman to an open seat on the highest court in the land. A top contender, who was even vetted by the Obama administration in 2016 as […]
U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer is retiring from the high court. His retirement won’t change the make-up of the six to three divide between conservative and liberal justices. Missouri U.S. Senator Roy Blunt weighs in on President Biden’s plan to nominate a Black woman to the bench. U.S. Supreme Court Associate […]
Seven Rogersville, Missouri, and Springfield, Mo., residents have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a conspiracy to transport thousands of stolen catalytic converters across state lines as part of a multi-million-dollar business. “A scourge of catalytic converter thefts on a breathtaking scale had a significant impact on the Springfield community […]
U.S. Senator Hawley (R-Mo.) released the following statement on the upcoming Supreme Court vacancy, following reports that Justice Stephen Breyer will retire: “Moment of truth for Joe Biden. Will this deeply unpopular & divisive president finally reject the radical elements of his party and nominate someone who loves America and believes in the Constitution? Or […]
(Missouri Independent) – U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is planning to announce his retirement in the coming days, according to multiple press reports Wednesday. The decision by the 83-year-old justice, who was nominated by President Bill Clinton in 1994, would give President Joe Biden his first chance to nominate a member of the Supreme […]
(Missouri Independent) – The push to legalize recreational marijuana use in Missouri is coming from multiple directions, with a handful of proposed initiative petitions and at least one bill, and potentially more, backed by Republican lawmakers. Each hopes to place the issue on the 2022 ballot for voter approval. And each proposal also includes a […]
Captain Erik A. Gottman, commanding officer of Troop B, Macon, announces the following promotions and transfer effective February 1, 2022. Corporal Terrance B. Ritter will be promoted to sergeant and designated the zone supervisor of Zone 2, serving the citizens of Macon and Shelby counties. Ritter was appointed to the Patrol on January 7, 2007. […]
A man was sentenced to 15 years in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for possessing images of the sexual abuse of children. Ian Andrew Zearley, 40, of Louisa County, Virginia, pleaded guilty to possession of obscene visual representations of the sexual abuse of children in July 2021. According to court documents, Zearley […]
Carla D. Combs, a former utility clerk for the city of Forsyth, has been charged with one felony count of stealing by the Taney County Prosecuting Attorney for allegedly misappropriating $2,000 in utility deposits from the city. An audit in 2021 by State Auditor Nicole Galloway uncovered that the money was missing between May 2019 and November 2019. […]
(Missouri Independent) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday dealt a blow to the Biden administration’s fight against the pandemic, blocking a federal mandate that workers be vaccinated or regularly tested for COVID-19 — though the court allowed a separate rule requiring vaccinations for some health care workers. The two rulings represented a split victory for Republican attorneys general […]
A drug trafficker and money launderer for the Sinaloa Cartel was sentenced yesterday to 188 months in prison for supervising the smuggling of multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin from Mexico into the United States and the smuggling of drug proceeds from the United States to Mexico. Roberto Gallegos-Lechuga, 39, of Sinaloa, Mexico, was […]
(Missouri Independent) – The U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority appeared unconvinced Friday of the Biden administration’s authority to impose a vaccine-or-test mandate on private businesses, casting doubt on a key piece of the White House COVID-19 response. The justices seemed potentially more comfortable with another Biden administration rule to fight the virus that requires certain […]
North Central Missouri College Criminal Justice Instructor Jenna Vandel spoke at the Trenton Rotary Club meeting on January 6th. She told about her experiences working in the state prison system before becoming a teacher. Vandel was a drug counselor and worked with individuals who were getting ready to be released from the system. She helped […]
Captain Clark N. Stratton, commanding officer Troop H, in St. Joseph announced the following promotion effective January 1, 2022. Sergeant Michael P. Quilty, Troop H, has been promoted to the rank of lieutenant and remains assigned to Troop H, St. Joseph, Missouri. Quilty was appointed to the Patrol on January 1, 1997, as a member […]
A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for his role in a $1 million conspiracy to steal more than 1,400 cell phones in dozens of commercial burglaries across several states, as well as for obstruction of justice. Bryan C. Kirkendoll II, also known as “B Boy” and “Blockboy,” 32, of Kansas City, was sentenced […]
(Missouri Independent) – A company denied licenses to grow medical marijuana in Missouri urged the state Supreme Court Tuesday to compel regulators to provide application info that the health department has argued it’s constitutionally obligated to protect. At issue is the Department of Health and Senior Services’ refusal to turn over applications of successful license […]
