A St. Joseph man will remain in custody awaiting court proceedings on charges stemming from police pursuit and standoff last week.

Jeffrey Parham appeared in court via video conferencing on one count of 2nd-degree assault and and one count of tampering with a motor vehicle. Authorities say Parham stole a pickup truck on July 28. In a court filing, Det. Frank Till of the St. Joseph Police Department said officers found the defendant and the truck near 18th and Howard Streets on July 31.

Till said an officer on a motorcycle was hit by the truck as the defendant fled. A pursuit ensued that ended near 11th and Monterey, where the truck was abandoned and the suspect went barricaded himself inside a nearby home.

Officers with automatic weapons and a bull horn surrounded the house.  After about two hours he surrendered peacefully.

Associate Circuit Judge Keith Marquart on Friday scheduled the case for the preliminary hearing docket August 18 at 11:00 a.m. Parham will apply for a public defender. He is being held without bail in the Buchanan County Jail.

As we reported, family members of the owner of the truck spotted it outside a repair shop and called police.

According to court documents, officers were called to the area of 1700 Howard to the report that the stolen truck was parked there.  Det. Till said that as officers approached the vehicle, the defendant jumped in the truck and sped toward the officer.

“The officer laid down his motorcycle to avoid taking a direct hit,” Till said in the affidavit, but he said the officer was hit by the truck.

The court statement notes an extensive criminal history, and says Parham just completed a sentence prison sentence in June, and will be facing a return to prison on those charges.

A campaign to try to brand St. Joseph as a city, “Made with Uncommon Character” launched Friday.

According to the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce, the new community brand has been nearly two years in the making. The campaign theme was formed by a group of 12 St. Joseph creative residents in June of 2016. The group contained writers, graphic artists, web designers, a photographer, videographer and a musician. Their talents and backgrounds varied, but they had one thing in common, they were all St. Joseph residents.

Kristi Bailey who leads St. Joseph Community Branding LLC said “Made with Uncommon Character” summarizes St. Joseph. This city of more than 76,000 residents has an abundance of character, in its architecture, its residents and in its amenities. She said, St. Joseph is uncommon — from its pioneering and rebellious history, to its entrepreneurial spirit of yesterday and today.

“St. Joseph has much to be proud of,” Bailey said. “Our city has such talented residents, there was no reason to look elsewhere or hire a marketing firm from another city. Who else knows our community better than St. Joseph natives, or transplants who have moved here? No one else should tell our story. And when it came time to spend money with vendors, it was very important to the group to keep the business all local.”

All are invited to see campaign materials at www.uncommoncharacter.com and follow its social media channels on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Residents are encouraged to participate in the campaign by suggesting people, places or things to be featured as “Made with Uncommon Character” and to use #uncommoncharacter on social media. A chance to place submissions is on the website.

Two men are accused of robbing a woman in Faucett at gun point and then leading police on a multi-county chase.

Robert Mura, 23 and Daniel Aldridge, 32 were each charged Sunday in Buchanan County with a felony of first-degree robbery.

According to court documents, Saturday shortly before 2 a.m. in the 1300 block of Grand DD the pair is accused confronting a woman with a weapon.

“Mr. Mura forced the victim into his car while Mr. Aldridge placed what he said was a gun against her neck and threatened to shoot her if she did not give them her money and car keys,” said Sgt. Daniel Hill with the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Department. “Mura then took the victim’s keys and removed the victim’s wallet from victim’s car without her consent and retained possession of it which included jewelry, cash and checks.”

After releasing the victim, Hill said the pair fled the scene and were later taken into custody in Kansas City, Kan. after a multi-county chase.

“During the pursuit the suspects threw items from the vehicle that were later recovered belonging to the victim,” Hill said.

Court documents state both defendants have a lengthy criminal history. Mura was booked into the Buchanan County Jail Wednesday. He’s currently being held on $75,000 bail. An arraignment for Mura is set for Aug. 8 in Buchanan County. According to the Wyandotte County Detention Center inmate roaster, Aldridge is currently being held after his arrest on July 27th. A court date is not yet listed for Aldridge in Buchanan County.

A Nebraska man was injured Wednesday in one-vehicle crash in Atchison County, Missouri.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, 51-year-old Jeffrey Osentowski of Omaha was driving northbound on I-29 around 4 p.m. when the crash took place. The patrol said Osentowski’s vehicle went off the east side of the road, hit several small tress and a ditch before coming to rest off the east side of the roadway on its wheels.

Osentowski was taken by ambulance to the Fairfax Community Hospital for treatment of what was described as a moderate injury. He was reported to be wearing a seat belt.