A suspect fleeing from a traffic stop in Dekalb County took a state trooper on quite a ride Saturday. The pursuit was called off when the suspect ran a stop sign as he entered St. Joseph.

Sgt. Jake Angle with the Missouri State Highway Patrol said the incident started at about 6:30 p.m. at U.S. Highway 36 near Taylor Road, when a trooper spotted a speeding motorist who also committed a lane-change violation.

The trooper gave chase, but Angle said the motorist refused to pull over. The white passenger vehicle raced eastbound on the highway, but then turned around and headed west into Buchanan County. He then turned south onto Route C, then westbound on Saxon Road, and then north on Riverside Road in St. Joseph.

At Pickett Road, the motorist ran a stop sign turning left. Angle said a patrol lieutenant called off the pursuit, likely for public safety reasons, when the fleeing motorist ran the stop sign. There were no injuries or crashes reported as a result of the pursuit.

Angle said they do not have a very good description of the vehicle or the driver.

A second incident in St. Joseph involved a high-speed pursuit as well. That motorist was pursued off I-229 onto St. Joseph Ave. St. Joseph police say the motorist may have been driving a stolen vehicle. The driver was arrested near St. Joe Ave. and Highland Road at about 2:30 a.m. Sunday. (click here for more)

A St. Joseph man accused of shooting at two men trying to recover a stolen vehicle is now charged as a prior offender, and faces enhanced penalties if convicted.

Zacharay Bixby is charged with unlawful use of a weapon, a class-b felony, but prosecutors upped the stakes on Friday, filing an amended complaint accusing him of being a prior offender.

According to court documents, Bixby was spotted at a business on King Hill Ave. by two people who said they knew the vehicle he was driving was stolen. As we reported, the witnesses pursued the vehicle to the 9000 block of U.S. Highway 59 on April 8. Bixby allegedly pulled the vehicle over, got out and fired several shots at the witnesses. One shot hit the hood of the witnesses’ vehicle.

He then allegedly fled on foot to a nearby house, where investigators said he threatened the homeowner and took a pickup truck. That vehicle got stuck in the mud in a nearby field and Bixby was arrested.

According to the amended complaint, Bixby has a prior felony conviction in 2012 on a charge of possession of a controlled substance .

During a court hearing on Friday, Bixby’s attorney waived the defendant’s right to a preliminary hearing. Associate Judge Keith Marquart bound Bixby over for trial in Circuit Court. He is being held without bail pending his circuit court arraignment May 15 before Circuit Judge Patrick Robb.

Bixby is also charged in Clay County with trying to run down a uniformed police officer after an alleged shoplifting incident at a store in Gladstone, Mo. As we reported, he is charged with a class-a felony of robbery, plus armed criminal action, in Clay County.

A 25-year-old St. Joseph man was surprised to learn he was charged with a felony for allegedly stealing sandwiches from a local grocery store.

As it turns out, Brent Rhyne was charged with a felony because of three prior convictions on stealing charges.

The caption for the offense reads: “Stealing – 4th Or Subsequent Stealing Offense Within 10 Years.”  The offense is a class-e felony, and if convicted, Rhyne faces up to a maximum prison term of four years.

Prosecutors assert that Rhyne was convicted of stealing twice in St. Joseph Municipal Court, and once in Buchanan County Circuit Court, for incidents that occured in 2013. The probable cause affidavit also notes at least one arrest for burglary and “a past history of resisting arrest.”

Online court records also show that in March of 2014, Rhyne was sentenced to the Dept. of Corrections for a four-year term after violating his probation in a vehicle tampering case. Circuit Judge Daniel Kellogg revoked his probation after the State Board of Probation and Parole notified him that “…defendant admitted to injecting meth daily since his release from jail,” according to online court records.

On Friday, Rhyne made his initial court appearance via video before Associate Circuit Judge Keith Marquart. Before the proceedings could get underway, Rhyne asked the judge if it’s true that “there’s a felony involved.”

Judge Marquart explained the charge, and listed the prior offenses. He then entered a not-guilty plea on Rhyne’s behalf, and scheduled the case for the preliminary hearing docket May 19. Rhyne is represented by a public defender.

HAYS-Eagle Communications, Inc. announces the election of Travis Kohlrus to the company’s board of directors.

Kohlrus has been General Manager of Eagle’s Broadband division since January 2012 and has worked in the telecommunications and customer service industry for over 20 years.

“Travis’ considerable experience combined with his knowledge of the broadband industry will benefit the board greatly as we continue the growth and expansion of our employee-owned company,” said Eagle Communications president Gary Shorman.

“We are excited to have him further involved in our corporate governance.”

Prior to joining Eagle Communications in 2003, Kohlrus spent seven years working for Sykes Enterprises Inc. as a Senior Client Services Manager.  He directed customer service and support for many Fortune 500 companies, managed over $10 million in annual revenue, and over 300 customer service agents.

Kohlrus is the current president of the Ellis Alliance and the Ellis Industrial Development Corporation boards.  He is a graduate of both Leadership Hays and Leadership Kansas.

He has served as chair of the Hays Area Chamber of Commerce and is a founding advisory council member of the Hays Area Young Professionals.

Kohlrus volunteered time as a big brother for the local Big Brother and Big Sisters chapter for 11 years.

He previously served as former Campaign Chair and President of the United Way of Ellis County and is also active in Gideon’s International.

He currently serves on the board of the Nebraska Cable Communications Association.

Travis and his wife Susie have two children Tanner, 12 and MaKenzie, 9.

In addition to Kohlrus, the board elected Ken Braun elected as Director Emeritus and Eagle Communications President Gary Shorman was appointed Vice Chairman.

Eagle Communications, Inc. is a Kansas-based Broadband Services and Media Company with more than 285 Employee-Owners. The company operates 28 radio stations in Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri, as well as cable TV systems in 59 Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado communities. The company also offers e-business solutions, web hosting, telephone service, high-speed internet, and wireless internet in most service areas.

A St. Joseph man remains behind bars after his first court appearance on allegations he fled from Drug Strike Force investigators in a reckless manner, hitting at least two vehicles in the process and injuring one of the investigators.

Lance Pollard is charged with resisting arrest by fleeing. Because the incident allegedly involved the creation of subsstantial risk of serous physical injury, the charge is a class-e felony.

In court documents, investigators say Pollard, 26, refused to pull over when Strike Force officers tried to stop his vehicle on March 30 for what is described as part of an ongoing drug investigation. Buchanan County Sheriff’s Deputy and Strike Force Member Billy Paul Miller says in a court affidavit that Pollard’s vehicle struck the Strike Force vehicle during Pollard’s alleged attempt to flee.

The affidavit goes on to assert that the crash injured one of the investigators, who required medical attention, and that Pollard’s vehicle hit other vehicles in a nearby parking lot.

Buchanan County Associate Circuit Judge Keith Marquart read the charges to Pollard during an initial court appearance via video from the county jail Friday. Pollard said he would apply for a public defender. He remains in custody, unable to post a $25,000 hybrid bond requiring a $5,000 cash deposit. At the request of the prosecutor, the judge added a condition of bail that he have no contact with an apparent witness in the case.

Judge Marquart scheduled the case for the preliminary hearing docket call May 19.

A St. Joseph man made his first court appearance Friday on a charge of possession of child pornography filed a year after his home was searched.

Todd Harris is charged with one class-c felony count of possession of child pornography. Buchanan County Sheriff’s Investigator Lonnie Bishop said in court documents that his team executed a search warrant at the defendant’s home in April of last year. According to the court affidavit, they found more than 20 images identified as child pornography depicting underage boys.

Associate Circuit Judge Keith Marquart read the charge to Harris during the defendant’s first appearance Friday via video conferencing. Harris is behind held in the Buchanan County Jail, unable to post a $10,000 hybrid bond requiring a $500 deposit.

Judge Marquart scheduled the case for the preliminary hearing docket on May 19. Harris has applied for a public defender.