The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office is hoping you can help them investigate a vandalism case involving gun shots fired at the Southwest Livingston County R-1 School near Ludlow, Missouri.

Sheriff Steve Cox says they began investigating property damage at the school at 4944 Highway DD on December 8. Cox says their investigation showed a small caliber bullet had penetrated one pane of glass and fell to the bottom of the window without penetrating the second pane of glass. Further investigation showed a suspected small caliber bullet struck part of the front of the school.

“Nothing at this time suggests this crime took place at a time the school was occupied,” Cox says, “and there are no known threats which have been made. Preliminary investigation suggests the projectiles came from the highway to the south of the school.”

“Again, nothing in this investigation has yet suggested this was anything more than a night time property damage to the school. Should we obtain information or evidence which suggests differently we will certainly work with the school and make certain parents, staff and others are quickly notified of such.”

Investigators are reviewing video and continuing with the investigation in an attempt to determine who is responsible for this crime and deliver them to the Courts.

If you can help, call the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office at (660)646-0515 or you can call dispatchers at (660)646-2121. Tips may also be given to school officials.

AFL-CIO Community Service’s Adopt-A-Family program continues to seek volunteers to help provide a Christmas to area families and individuals who may not be able to afford one otherwise.

“Most of them try their best to manage their finances to make it day-to-day but to find extra dollars to purchase Christmas gifts is near impossible for them,” said Penny Adams, AFL-CIO Ex. Dir. “Many of them the only way they could do it is not pay their rent, or utilities…and then that gets them in a deeper hole than they’re already in.”

As of Tuesday only 357 families out of 861 had been adopted.

Adams said usually at this point in time around 50-percent of families have been adopted.

“I know right now a lot of people are doing their own shopping,” said Adams. “We’re hoping as soon as they’re done with their own Christmas they’re check their dollars and pennies and see if they have enough to spare.”

Adams said there are many families with many different stories in need of help this Christmas.

St. Joe’s Qcountry 92.7 is joining with the Adopt-A-Family program to ask the community’s support again this year.  Q-Country will be broadcasting stories of families signed up in the program Wednesday, Dec. 10 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“What we’ll do is review families that are in the books still to be adopted,” said Adams. “Whatever size of family they want.  What we’ll do is pull three or four or five of those families that meet their guidelines send them to them to review and then they get to chose who they want.”

Here are examples from past years of families that needed help.

St Joseph City Council member “Spanky” O’Dell was treated exactly the same way anyone else in similar circumstances is treated. The judge said so, the prosecutor said so, and his lawyer said so.

O’Dell on Tuesday pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor offense of operating a motor vehicle with an excessive blood alcohol level, and was sentenced to one year of probation. The charges stemmed from a traffic stop last month. About an hour after he was pulled over, O’Dell’s blood alcohol level was tested by police at .067%, well below the threshold for drunk driving.

But in court he admitted that at the time he was driving he was breaking the law. That’s part of what lawyers call the “factual basis” for a guilty plea.

“In order to plead guilty, both he and his attorney have to agree that at the time he was operating the motor vehicle, his blood alcohol contest was above .08%,” says Buchanan County Prosecuting Attorney Dwight Scroggins. “That’s what his lawyer told the judge, and that’s why the judge accepted his guilty plea.”

According to experts, alcohol dissipates from your body at a rate of about .015% per hour. This figure is accepted by the law enforcement and scientific communities alike.

Scroggins was asked to handle what was originally a municipal court charge against Mr O’Dell, because of the potential for conflict of interest.

“I agreed to do that,” Scroggins said. “If it’s something that needs to be charged, I’ll charge it, and if it’s not, I won’t. It’s that simple.”

“He was not treated any better because he’s a city council member,” Scroggins said, “and it would not be appropriate for him to be treated any worse because he is a city council member.”

Scroggins says Mr O’Dell was polite and cooperative with the officer who pulled him over. The prosecutor also agreed with defense lawyer Jim Nadolski, who said Mr O’Dell has never been in trouble with the law and had a “spotless” driving record prior to this case.

“Ninety-five percent of first offenders in non-aggravated alcohol offenses, who are polite and cooperative with law enforcement, will get an identical or nearly identical sentence,” Scroggins said.

St. Joseph Post’s Nadia Thacker reports. Newscast from 12/9/14

Missing 10-year-old girl found by SJPD Click here to read that story

St. Joseph City Councilman Spanky O’Dell pleads guilty to BAC.  Click here to read that story.

St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce touts unemployment numbers. Click here to read that story.

SJSD receives Audit findings. Click here to read that story.

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