1. Motel 6 Standoff shuts down highway
Oct. 14, 2015 an 11-hour standoff took place in St. Joseph at the Motel Six after police said 44-year-old Roderick Ellis kidnapped a woman and forced her at gunpoint to drive to the motel and shot her in the arm when she cried for help. The standoff prompted evacuations and lockdowns around the area as well as business and highway closures.
2. Increase in violent crimes in St. Joseph and Buchanan County
In 2015 there were eight murders in the city and another four in the county. That’s up almost three times from 2014.
3. Turmoil continues in the St. Joseph School District
In 2015, the St. Joseph School Board hired Dr. Robert Newhart as its new Superintendent
“Dr. Newhart has proven he can make tough decisions and has tackled extremely difficult projects since July,” stated board president Brad Haggard on Nov. 17. “He continues to work through the 22- point board priority checklist, streamline the district finances, align the business office and human resources office with updated policies and procedures, all while getting to know our students and staff. It hasn’t been easy and we recognize our district needs his strong leadership at this critical time.”
Newhart was hired during the middle of an ongoing FBI Investigation into the district. On Dec. 11 a seventh grand jury subpoena was received by the district to produce documents for review.
4. Playground Assault draws national attention
In Oct., a 12-year-old girl was charged with a class D felony for assault on school property. The charge is in connection with an assault that allegedly took place at Hosea Elementary School and gained national attention after the video footage went viral on social media.
The video depicts a young girl repeatedly punching and kicking another girl, and dragging her by the hair some 30 feet or more across the asphalt pavement.
5. St. Joseph business owner pleads guilty to misdemeanor after bar assault
Kendall Randolph pleaded guilty in Nov. to two misdemeanors for third degree assault. The charges stem from an incident outside the Brown Bear on St Joseph Avenue. In sworn court documents, Detective Frank Till with the St. Joseph Police Department cites witness statements asserting Mr Randolph grabbed the victim by the throat and slammed him against the side of a building. In the second count, the affidavit asserts that Mr Randolph “intentionally drove approximately 6-8 feet toward the victim in an attempt to strike the victim with his vehicle.”
The charges stem from an argument outside the Brown Bear Tavern at 2028 St. Joseph Avenue on the night of September 23. After the argument, police went to Mr Randolph’s home, but were held at bay for hours when he refused to come out. He later surrendered and was taken into custody.
Video footage of the incident outside of the bar circulated online and drew a lot of public outcry for the misdemeanor charges.