A Missouri man who led law enforcement officers on a high-speed chase pleaded guilty in federal court to possessing methamphetamine to distribute. Heath E. Yarger, 49, of Republic, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. By pleading guilty, Yarger admitted that he […]
A southwest Missouri police chief says many rural law enforcement agencies often don’t have the resources, training, and experience found in bigger cities. A statewide task force is working to improve services for Missouri’s sexual assault survivors and to better respond to these cases. During a virtual taskforce hearing, Bolivar Police Chief Mark Webb says […]
(Missouri Independent) – Shawndra Taylor had just 12 hours notice when the first truck canceled. The truck contained food to help prepare the 3,000 meals served each day in her school district in Eldon — including items she needed to make dinner for students. Her supplier, Kohl Wholesale in Quincy, Illinois, was too short-staffed. Taylor, […]
(Missouri Independent) – School districts are not subject to the law Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt is using to challenge masks mandates in classrooms, attorneys for Columbia Public Schools wrote in a court filing seeking dismissal of a lawsuit initiated last month. The district also challenges Schmitt’s standing to file the lawsuit, argues that he is […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt gave an update on the SAFE Kit Initiative, reporting positive progress in clearing the backlog of untested sexual assault kits through the initiative. The Springfield Police Department also announced that they have completely cleared out their backlog, leaving zero untested sexual assault kits in their inventory. “As a husband, father, […]
(Missouri Independent) – Orders requiring school children to wear masks in class will be tested in court next week when a Boone County judge will be asked to decide if Attorney General Eric Schmitt can sue every district in the state in a single case. Circuit Judge Brouck Jacobs has set a hearing for 9 […]
A Missouri man who worked as a teacher in China was sentenced in federal court for sexually exploiting one of his former students by attempting to blackmail her into sending him pornographic images. Curtis J. Baldwin, 48, Springfield, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 41 years and eight months in federal […]
The North Mercer R-3 Board of Education September 8th determined the district will pay employees for all COVID-19 quarantine days that are linked to contact tracing through the school. Superintendent Dan Owens reports the district will also pay for 10 days of quarantine for all other reasons. An amendment was approved to the supplemental salary […]
(Missouri Independent) – If an LGBTQ history exhibit was removed from the Missouri Capitol because it didn’t get pre-approval from a specific board, then every exhibit on display that didn’t get approved must also be removed, House Minority Leader Crystal Quade argued in a letter to state officials on Wednesday. That would mean, she said, that […]
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 […]
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 […]
Seven people died in traffic crashes during the 2021 Labor Day holiday weekend. Last year, there were 18 fatalities. The 2021 counting period for the Labor Day holiday ran from 6 p.m., Friday, September 3, through 11:59 p.m., Monday, September 6. The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports the following enforcement activity during the 2021 Labor […]
On Friday evening, the Highway Patrol reports a Springfield, Illinois man sustained serious injuries when a semi-truck overturned one mile south of Omaha, Missouri. An ambulance took 72-year-old Russell Wake to the Northeast Regional Medical Center of Kirksville. The truck traveled north on Highway 149 before running off the right side of the road, overcorrecting, […]
Governor Mike Parson awarded Missouri Public Safety Medals to a total of 15 first responders and 7 civilians for heroic and life-saving actions during 2020. The awards are Missouri’s highest recognition for first responders acting during critical incidents. The civilians, who include a 12-year-old boy who performed a life-saving rescue at age 11, were honored […]
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 […]
The Daviess County Sheriff’s Office reports a Jamesport resident wanted by the sheriff’s office has been taken into custody and is currently being held in the Greene County Jail in Springfield, Missouri. Thirty-three-year-old Matthew Eason has been charged with the felonies of first-degree domestic assault involving serious physical injury and first-degree rape or attempted rape. […]
The owner of dozens of Mexican restaurants in several states, along with the company’s president, CFO, controller, and sales manager are among 19 defendants charged in a federal racketeering conspiracy to hire undocumented workers. Also among those charged are eight current or former managers of restaurants located in Butler, Springfield, Lebanon, West Plains, Willow Springs, […]
A former assistant principal at Nixa Junior High School in Nixa, Missouri, pleaded guilty in federal court to soliciting sexually explicit photos from a 13-year-old victim by posing online as a teen girl. Colby Fronterhouse, 41, of Springfield, Mo., pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to one count of receiving child […]
U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Missouri Acting State Director D Clark Thomas announced the agency is investing $5,178,191 to build infrastructure to expand the availability of higher-blend renewable biofuels by 235,810,915 million gallons annually in Missouri. “USDA Rural Development is committed to expanding the availability of higher-blend biofuels to all of rural Missouri,” Thomas […]
A Missouri, woman was sentenced in federal court for her role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and for illegally possessing firearms. Caci R. Clizer, 32, of St. Joseph, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to 15 years in federal prison without parole. On Oct. 16, 2020, Clizer pleaded guilty to one […]
