A former paraprofessional at Blue Springs High School was sentenced in federal court for producing and distributing child pornography. Steven B. Allen, 46, of Independence, Missouri, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 22 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Allen to spend the rest of his life on […]
Tag: role
Audio: Meet Missouri’s 2022 Teacher of the Year, James Young
James Young, a Musical Theatre, Vocal Music, and Guitar teacher at the Johnson-Wabash 6th Grade Center in the Ferguson-Florissant School District, was selected by a committee of his peers and education partners across the state as the 2022 Missouri Teacher of the Year. He becomes the 53rd Missouri Teacher of the Year since the program’s inception […]
Missouri man pleads guilty to $335 million fraud scheme and $615,000 tax violations
A Missouri, man who was charged in two federal cases pleaded guilty in federal court to his role in a $335 million scheme to defraud federal programs that award contracts to firms owned by minorities, veterans, and service-disabled veterans, and in a separate case to filing false tax returns that cheated the government out of […]
Tricia Burkhardt announced as Executive Director of Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation
The Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation Board of Directors unanimously approved the appointment of Tricia Burkhardt as the executive director of the nonprofit devoted to advancing the conservation and appreciation of Missouri’s natural resources, including fish, forest, and wildlife. Burkhardt replaces Kevin Roper, who retired June 30, 2021, after serving as executive director for five years. […]
Mississippi man sentenced to seven years in prison for smuggling meth and heroin aboard train in Missouri
A Mississippi man was sentenced in federal court for transporting more than five pounds of methamphetamine and nearly three pounds of heroin through Kansas City, Missouri, en route to St. Louis, Mo. Willie Lewis Braison, 48, of Jonesboro, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to seven years and three months in federal […]
Audio: Missouri Farm Bureau President Garrett Hawkins addresses members at annual meeting in Trenton
Grundy County Farm Bureau members heard Missouri Farm Bureau President Garrett Hawkins addressed multiple topics at the county organization’s annual meeting in Trenton on September 9, 2021. One of the topics was climate change. Hawkins said he is tired of people “pointing fingers” at farmers and ranchers and saying they are the problem. […]
Missouri woman sentenced to 15 years in prison without parole for meth conspiracy
A Missouri woman was sentenced in federal court for her role in a conspiracy to distribute large amounts of methamphetamine. Cassidy R. Clayton, 25, of Springfield, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 15 years in federal prison without parole. On Oct. 31, 2019, Clayton pleaded guilty to participating in the drug-trafficking […]
New York man sentenced to 13 years in prison for sending child pornography to a man in Liberty, Missouri
A New York man was sentenced in federal court for sending images and videos of child pornography to a Liberty, Missouri man who in turn used them to harass the child victim. Joseph J. Balio, 36, of Utica, N.Y., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 13 years and nine months in federal […]
Missouri woman pleads guilty to sex trafficking a child, faces 15 years in prison
A Missouri woman pleaded guilty in federal court to her role in the sex trafficking of a child. Danna Marie Rodriguez, 36, of Springfield, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to one count of the sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of the sex trafficking of a minor. By […]
November trial set for lawsuit challenging $1.4 billion Missouri prison health care contract
(Missouri Independent) – A trial will be held in early November to determine whether a subsidiary of St. Louis-based Centene will take over the contract for prison health care in the Missouri Department of Corrections. In a hearing Thursday, Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green set Nov. 3 as the first day in the trial where current […]
Roadblocks facing Kevin Strickland’s innocence claim is nothing new for Missouri
(Missouri Independent) – Kevin Strickland was hopeful Thursday was going to be his first step towards freedom after 40 years in prison. A new law that went into effect on Aug. 28 gave Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker a legal avenue to free Strickland, who she says is innocent and wrongly incarcerated. But opposition […]
Livingston County Sheriff reports on incidents and arrests
Livingston County Sheriff Steve Cox has released information on recent incidents involving the sheriff’s office. Cox reports the sheriff’s office assisted a conservation agent at the Grand River Access in Chillicothe on August 28th. A Polo man allegedly attempted to flee from officers, and investigation led to the arrest of that man. Online court information […]
House reconciliation package would provide path to citizenship for millions
(Missouri Independent) – A provision tucked in the $3.5 trillion reconciliation package would direct Congress to chart a path for citizenship for millions of undocumented people. If passed, the House provision would provide a pathway to citizenship for those in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, often referred to as Dreamers, farmworker workers; those […]
Two from Missouri plead guilty to meth trafficking
Two Missouri residents have pleaded guilty in federal court to methamphetamine trafficking after they received a large package of methamphetamine shipped from California to distribute locally. Bryan Patton Tullous, 39, of Columbia, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Willie J. Epps, Jr., to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Co-defendant Cassiopeia Marie Blaise, 36, […]
Missouri man sentenced to 15 years in prison without parole for meth trafficking and illegal firearm
A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and illegally possessing a firearm. Maxwell L. Fleming, 25, of Springfield, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 15 years in federal prison without parole. On April 7, 2021, Fleming pleaded guilty to one count […]
1967 Camaro demolished in crash at Highway 36 drag strip
A St. Joseph man received serious injuries in a rollover accident Wednesday night at the Highway36 drag strip one mile north of Osborn. The 1967 Chevrolet Camaro was driven by 49-year-old Michael Coon, who was taken by ambulance to Cameron Regional Medical Center. Coon was eastbound on the private roadway when he apparently lost control; […]
Wright Memorial Hospital’s Senior Life Solutions speaks about the importance of talking about suicide
September is National Suicide Prevention and Awareness month. Wright Memorial Hospital’s Senior Life Solutions program is working to raise awareness and educate the community on the risk factors and warning signs of suicide. Talk of suicide should never be dismissed. If you, or someone you know, are thinking of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention […]
Missouri man pleads guilty to marijuana grow operation and dozens of illegal firearms
A Missouri man pleaded guilty in federal court to growing marijuana and illegally possessing dozens of firearms. Darrin Dale Smithee, 55, of Auxvasse, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Willie J. Epps Jr. to one count of manufacturing marijuana and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. On Sept. 21, 2018, […]