Another session of the Missouri Legislature has come and gone. Of the 1,559 House bills and 689 Senate bills filed this time around, 69 bills will make it to Gov. Mike Parson’s desk. Here are some key bills left up to the governor to sign or veto: Missouri lawmakers vote to pump up […]
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Two suspects detained, 9 victims rescued, during human trafficking operation at Holiday Inn East Hotel in Columbia
The Columbia Police Department, Boone County Sheriff’s Office, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Missouri Attorney General’s Office, and a multitude of other local, state, and federal agencies conducted a successful joint human trafficking operation at the Holiday Inn East hotel in Columbia, Missouri on Friday night. The joint operation, organized by the Columbia Police Department, the […]
Coalition of Attorneys General urge Zuckerberg to halt plans for kids’ Instagram
Tennessee’s attorney general is part of a group that wants Facebook to stop its plans to create a kids’ version of Instagram. The group contends using social media can be detrimental to children’s health and well-being, and that kids aren’t equipped to navigate the challenges. Tennessee AG Herbert Slatery signed the letter, along with more than […]
Missouri leads 22 state coalition defending Arkansas’ down syndrome abortion law
A coalition of 22 states, led by Missouri and Attorney General, Eric Schmitt, filed an amicus brief in support of an Arkansas law that would prohibit abortions solely based on a prenatal Down Syndrome diagnosis. Leslie Rutledge v. Little Rock Planning Services and can be found at this link. “Those with Down Syndrome bring […]
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission files suit against Hiland Dairy Foods for disability discrimination
Hiland Dairy Foods, a Missouri-based producer and distributor of dairy products, violated federal law when it refused to hire a man to work in its Norman, Okla. plant because he was vision-impaired, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission charged in a lawsuit filed. According to the suit, Hiland interviewed the man, toured the plant with […]
Prison official pleads guilty to accepting bribes to smuggle contraband to inmates
A North Carolina man pleaded guilty to a bribery and smuggling scheme. He abused his position as a prison official to funnel drugs and other contraband into Caledonia Correctional Institution. According to court documents, Ollie Rose III, 62, of Pleasant Hill, worked as a case manager at Caledonia Correctional Institution, a state prison in Halifax […]
Associate Division of Grundy County Circuit Court news for Tuesday, May 11, 2021
Preliminary hearings were waived on Tuesday, May 11, by at least three defendants in the Associate Division of Grundy County Circuit Court. Keith Edward Larson of Bethany is charged with felony stealing of a vehicle. He was bound over to the Division One session on Thursday, May 13, 2021. Trenton resident Tracie Leigh Todd is […]
Annualization of salaries within the school district tops discussion at Trenton R-9 Board of Education meeting
The Trenton R-9 Board of Education on Tuesday, May 11, discussed non-certified payroll annualization with district Bookkeeper Mona Loyd and Administrative Assistant Susan Leeper. Loyd started by saying she had been willing to try annualization at the time the board originally voted to implement it for non-certified staff. She did not have the forethought to […]
Parson vows to veto crime bill if it includes penalties for lying under oath to Missouri legislature
(Missouri Independent) – The fate of a wide-ranging crime bill was called into question on Tuesday over a provision that would stiffen penalties for lying under oath to the legislature or obstructing a legislative investigation. During a conference committee on Tuesday morning convened to work out differences on Senate Bill 53, House members said the bill […]
Missouri Attorney General files lawsuit against St. Louis County executive over COVID-19 restrictions
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a lawsuit against St. Louis County Executive Sam Page, Dr. Faisal Khan, and the St. Louis County Department of Public Health for the arbitrary, capricious, and unreasonable application of COVID-19 restrictions in St. Louis County. Specifically, the suit takes issue with the restrictions on religious institutions, masking requirements for […]
Former Missouri corrections officer sentenced to 12 years in prison without parole for transporting child pornography
A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for transporting child pornography over the internet. Kevin Michael Downey, 35, of Fulton was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 12 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Downey to pay a total of $30,000 in restitution to 10 of his victims. […]
Missouri contractor charged with fraud in Jackson and Clay counties
The Missouri Attorney General’s office has filed charges in Jackson and Clay Counties against Kristofer Bain, 40, for allegedly defrauding consumers in connection with his business, Telos Contracting LLC. According to the allegations, Bain promised to renovate a consumer’s home in Jackson County in exchange for large advance payments. After taking several payments from the […]
Nation pays tribute to service and sacrifice of law enforcement officers during National Police Week, May 9 through May 15, 2021
The service and sacrifice of federal, state, and local law enforcement are recognized during National Police Week. This year, the week is observed from Sunday, May 9 through Saturday, May 15, 2021. Acting U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore said, “National Police Week provides an opportunity to express our gratitude and to honor the memories of law […]
Missouri man sentenced to 12 years in prison without parole for transporting a minor for illegal sexual activity
A Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court for transporting a Kansas minor across state lines to engage in criminal sexual activity. Nathan Roger Belcher, 31, of Carl Junction, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 12 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Belcher to serve 20 years on […]
Missouri man sentenced to 12 years in prison without parole for distributing more than 13 kilograms of meth
A Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy to distribute large quantities of methamphetamine in southwest Missouri. Stephan D. Samons, 31, of Camdenton, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 12 years in federal prison without parole. On Aug. 28, 2019, Samons pleaded guilty to participating in […]
Central Missouri man pleads guilty to $500,000 CARES Act fraud
A Missouri man pleaded guilty in federal court to fraudulently obtaining more than $500,000 in Paycheck Protection Program loans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Brian Ruth, Sr., 44, of Deepwater, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to federal information […]
Brookfield man sentenced to 15-year prison term in Linn County court
A Brookfield man accused of leading law enforcement on a pursuit starting in Linn County and ending at Marshall in February 2020 was sentenced in Linn County on May 5, 2021. Matthew Guilford was sentenced to 15 years with the Missouri Division of Adult Institutions on a case involving felony charges of trafficking drugs—second degree […]
Trenton man facing charges after alleged DWI incident on Highway 6
A Trenton man faces multiple charges after an alleged incident on Highway 6 in Grundy County on May 4th. The Grundy County Sheriff’s Office reports 40-year-old Cole Wright was arrested May 5 and has been charged with the felonies of aggravated driving while intoxicated, aggravated, driving while revoked/suspended, and resisting/interfering with an arrest for a […]
Audio: Missouri Legislature’s state budget negotiators recommend the hiring of 53 public defenders
The Missouri Legislature’s state budget negotiators are recommending the hiring of 53 attorneys for the state Public Defender System. During negotiations, Senate Minority Floor Leader John Rizzo of Independence says his wife corrects some cases handled at the local level by overworked attorneys. The system has nearly 400 lawyers handling about 90,000 cases […]