A Buchanan County Circuit Court jury returned a guilty verdict against a 74-year-old man trying to entice sex with a 12-year-old boy at a public library.
James Hopkins was tried by a jury in the courtroom of Circuit Judge Daniel Kellogg on one count of sexual enticement of a child, which is an unclassified felony.
After a trial that began on Wednesday, the panel returned a guilty verdict Thursday, and recommended a prison sentence of 15 years.
As we reported, the Elwood, Kan. man was charged after an incident at the Carnegie Branch Library located at 316 Massachusetts in July of last year.
Online court records do not yet reflect a sentencing date.
Amid unusual security measures at the Buchanan County Courthouse, a teenager appeared before a judge on charges stemming from a quadruple-fatality accident on Riverside Road involving a stolen vehicle.
On Thursday morning, Prosecuting Attorney Dwight Scroggins filed two additional felony counts against Skylar Anthony Lucas-Cox. He now faces two counts of involuntary manslaughter, class-c felonies, and one count of 2nd degree assault, a class-d felony.
A court affidavit lists two victims by initials for each of the manslaughter charges.
The defendant was kept in a small interview room nearby under guard of multiple law officers until the scheduled docket call was completed.
Lucas-Cox was then led into the courtroom. About four dozen people were on hand in the courtroom of Associate Circuit Judge Rebecca Spencer, who explained the additional charges to the defendant. Lucas-Cox waived his right to a preliminary hearing on all counts.
Judge Spencer certified the case for Circuit Court and scheduled arraignment June 1 before Circuit Judge Daniel Kellogg.
Lucas-Cox remains in custody without bail.
Four teenagers died in the crash April 14 near on Riverside Road near Cook Road. Friends identified them as Karlo Ginn, Dayton Crockett, Dasean Darden and Javion Thompson. A fifth victim remains hospitalized for critical injuries, but Scroggins says he is improving and is expected to survive. Lucas-Cox was also seriously hurt in the crash as the driver of the other vehicle in the crash.
Court documents assert Lucas-Cox was driving recklessly in a stolen vehicle, and that after the crash he tested positive for cocaine, marijuana and benzodiazepines.
Four people have been charged with drug crimes in Andrew County after a trooper with the Missouri State Highway Patrol made a traffic stop earlier this week.
Donta Mosley, Kevin Phyfiher, Shonda Simmons, and Deja Parker are each charged with felonies for trafficking drugs, delivery of controlled substance, and possession of controlled substance. Mosley is also charged with felonies of unlawful possession of a firearm, and unlawful use of a weapon. Phyfiher is also charged with a felony of resisting/interfering with arrest. All of the defendants are listed as Chicago residents.
According to court documents, Monday shortly before 4:30 p.m. a trooper stopped a Dodge Grand Caravan with Virginia plates for speeding.
“After stopping the vehicle I contacted the driver who identified himself with an Illinois Driver License as Kevin Phyfiher,” said Sgt. L Allen with the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
While issuing the driver a ticket for speeding Sgt. Allen said he became suspicious of criminal activity and asked for identification from the the passengers inside and found out the passengers destinations differed from the driver’s.
“I asked for and was denied a consent to search the third party rental vehicle. While removing the occupants of the vehicle for a canine sniff, the occupant Mosley had a stolen 9mm Smith & Wesson pistol on his person,” Sgt. Allen said.
Allen said while searching the vehicle, Phyfher fled the scene. Court documents state two pounds of methamphetamine was found under a seat and marijuana was found in the cargo area.
All of the defendants are currently being held without bail in the Andrew County Jail. A case review has been scheduled for each for June 6.
A Buchanan County Circuit Court judge refused to set bail for a Chicago man accused of opening fire during a disturbance outside the home of his estranged spouse.
Martell Jenkins was arraigned Thursday by Judge Daniel Kellogg. A plea of not-guilty was entered on one count of unlawful possession of a firearm, a class-d felony.
Investigators said in court documents that a dozen rounds were fired during the incident in the 900 block of South 15th Street.
Police said they recovered 12 shell casings from the scene. A court affidavit says Jenkins was arrested soon thereafter and police recovered a semi-automatic pistol.
Jenkins claimed he was the victim in the case during an earlier court hearing, and that he has called the police “over a hundred times.” During that earlier hearing Associate Judge Keith Marquart refused to set bail for Jenkins, describing him as a flight risk and a danger to the community. (click here for more)
In Circuit Court Thursday, the defendant’s lawyer Rose Briscoe asked Judge Kellogg to set bail in the case but the judge refused. Jenkins remains behind bars in the Buchanan County Jail awaiting his next court appearance May 18.
Ohio St. suspicious death investigation. File photo
(Update Thursday) – Buchanan County Prosecuting Attorney Dwight Scroggins has confirmed the woman charged in connection with the shooting death of a man earlier this year in St. Joseph was the victim’s wife.
The prosecutor’s office on Wednesday, announced Angela Mason, 47 was charged with a class-C felony of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of 50-year-old Jeffery Mason.
According to court documents, on March 3 Angela said she and Jeffery were arguing and during the argument the weapon discharged. A bullet hit Jeffery in the middle of his chest; he was pronounced dead by EMS responders a short time later.
Probable Cause Document for Angela Mason
“Approximately 0611 hrs. according to witness and officer statements, officers were dispatched to 413 Ohio Street in reference to a disturbance,” said Detective Greg Ogdahl with the St. Joseph Police Department. “Officers observed a handgun on the dresser.”
If convicted the charge carries a range of punishment from three years to a maximum of 10 years in prison.
Correction: A warrant for Angela’s arrest has been issued with a $25,000 bond. A court date has not yet been set.
Officials are investigating a report of improvised explosive devices having been detonated on or near an unimproved portion of a road in Livingston County,
Sheriff Steve Cox said early Wednesday evening the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office and the Missouri State Fire Marshall’s Office began investigating the report on a portion of Liv 510 in the northwest part of the county.
“The reporting party described driving down the roadway and passing what was described as a trip wire placed across the roadway,” Cox said. “Upon driving over or through this there was some type of explosion near the vehicle. The driver continued on and saw a similar set up down the roadway and turned around instead of getting any closer and reported a second explosion near the vehicle.”
Cox said little to no damage was found to the vehicle. They did not find any other devices in the area. He said the devices were found in a part of the county that receives an extremely low amount of traffic.
“This investigation continues with assistance from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Missouri State Highway Patrol Bomb Unit, NITRO-ATF Task Force, and the FBI,” Cox said.
Today will be cloudy with the chance for scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms this morning and again this afternoon south of Interstate 70. Temperatures will be cooler today in the mid to upper 60s. Highs on Friday will be in the lower 70s but will rise into the lower 80s by Sunday. Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service:
Today: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly between noon and 3 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 70. Northeast wind 9 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear, with a low around 50. North wind 6 to 8 mph.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 72. North northeast wind 6 to 9 mph.
Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 50. North northeast wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 79. Light south southwest wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 57.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 83.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 65.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 85.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 66.
Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 83.
Tuesday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 64. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Michael GalindoDamon Fitzgerald
Nebraska prison officials have announced the cause of death of two inmates who were killed at the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution in March.
Officials list the manner of death as “homicide.”
The Nebraska Department of Correctional Services received confirmation Wednesday on the official causes of death for Michael Galindo and Damon Fitzgerald. As we reported, Galindo and Fitzgerald were found deceased following a disturbance at the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution on March 2, 2017.
Galindo’s death certificate lists “inhalation of combustion products” with contributing causes of “multiple sharp and blunt force injuries.” He was serving 12 to 21 years on robbery and other charges.
Fitzgerald’s death certificate lists “multiple sharp and blunt force injuries to head and torso” with contributing factors of “thermal injury and external compression of neck structures.” Fitzgerald was sentenced to hundreds of years in prison for crimes including sexual assault.
NDCS Director Scott R. Frakes extended his sympathy to the families affected by this tragedy. “This loss of life reminds us of the dangerousness of prison and the enormous responsibility we have to keep people safe,” he said.
The criminal investigation into the deaths of Galindo and Fitzgerald is ongoing.
The riot in March involved about 40 inmates who refused to return to their cells, and is similar to a much larger one back in May of 2015, in which inmates murdered two sex offenders and caused millions of dollars in damage at the southeastern Nebraska facility. Some lawmakers in Nebraska accuse corrections officials of trying to downplay the incidents leading up to the inmates’ deaths. The department has been dealt several years of controversy, including a computer glitch that allowed violent offenders to be paroled early, union demands for better pay and shorter hours, and a string of inmate deaths and assaults dating back at least four years.
Two inmates were killed in a May 2015 riot that caused millions of dollars in damage and demands for upgrades and better staffing.
“A change of culture is the goal,” Dr. Robert Newhart said, “so the same thing that happened three or four years ago to get us in this mess won’t happen again.”
And thus began the public process of getting the St. Joseph School District back on a firm financial footing.
A friendly crowd of about 50 people joined Superintendant Newhart and other district staff members for the first town hall meeting in the district’s “1Vision – Many Voices – Our Future” initiative. A task force begins meeting next week, and, armed in part with information collected from the public in these town hall meetings, they hope to present the school board with a new plan.
Newhart kicked off the meeting with a video presentation, then a power-point slideshow, all pointing to the increasingly dire economic straits the district finds itself in after letting the 63-cent operating levy expire two years ago. In the aftermath of the stipend and nepotism scandal, the district decided not to put the levy before voters when its sunset clause kicked in.
Now that decision is forcing their hand. One slide presented to the crowd told the story well. Projections show that the district’s fund balances, if not addressed, will fall into the “distressed category” in about two years, and by the year 2020, the district would run the risk of being taken over by the state.
“We can’t let that happen,” Newhart said.
Newhart was joined on the stage at the meeting room at the East Hills Library by Dr. Marlie Williams, his Assistant Superintendent of Academic & Education Services, and by Wes Metz, the district’s director of finance. The trio fielded questions ranging from right-to-work to bathroom breaks during lunchtime, from serving students “prison food” to getting a school zone at a facility on a state highway. Many just wanted to know what’s coming, and others asked what we could expect if we don’t raise more revenue.
“There has to be a revenue source,” he said, pointing out that about 80% of the district’s budget goes to staff salaries and benefits. He said that’s a fairly typical ratio. But if cuts are to be made, Metz said that’s the first place they’ll look. Metz and Newhart laid out a list of efforts they’ve already made to cut costs, from installing new energy-efficient lighting, to reducing staff through attrition.
When confronted with what one person described as “the elephant in the room,” two school board members still on the bench since the problems started , Newhart first applauded both for their efforts in what he called a thankless job, and then pointed out that by the time any new revenue source is approved by voters and the funds come in, neither would still be members of the board.
“Much of what happened was due to information they never had,” Newhart said.
Dr. Newhart said as of right now he’s not proposing anything, letting the task force gather information and make a recommendation. If a tax measure is to be put to the voters in November, they would have to present it to the County Clerk’s Office by August 29. The district’s options include a new operating levy, a so-called Prop C sales tax exemption, a debt-service levy, or possibly a combination of those. Newhart says he’s recommending against the debt service idea, but he said “we’ve got to do something, we have to be proactive.”
“You dont’ want to get to the cliff, fall over, and hav to make rash, harsh decisions at a later date,” he said. “Let’s be proactive now and get this plan put together.”
The task force begins meeting next week. You can take part. Find the replay form and more information on the district’s Web site.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol announced it was reversing a practice established and continued under past administrations that permitted a Patrol representative to sit on the board of directors of a vendor that uses technology to allow truckers to bypass highway weigh stations in Missouri.
The Patrol decision came after an internal review of its practice and the Patrol immediately withdrew its representative from the HELP, Inc. board of directors.
Department of Public Safety Director Drew Juden released the following statement on the Patrol’s actions:
“I commend Colonel Sandra Karsten and the Highway Patrol for ending the years-long practice of having a Patrol representative serve on the board of directors of a vendor. Even the perception of a conflict of interest can diminish the public trust. We should not simply accept the policies and practices of past administrations because they were considered standard operating procedure. The Department of Public Safety and its divisions will aim for the highest standards.”
The Patrol has provided all information from its internal review to Attorney General Josh Hawley’s Office. The Patrol said it would fully cooperate with the Attorney General and his team in their review of this matter. Colonel Karsten ordered the internal review of the Patrol’s involvement with the HELP, Inc. Board of Directors after taking office earlier this year.
The Patrol’s review uncovered concerns with actions during the prior administration by individuals no longer employed by the Patrol.
