A 37-year-old St. Joseph man will remain behind bars as he awaits further court hearings on a stealing charge.

Lucifer James Jones was charged for an incident March 25, in which the victim said he was held at gunpoint as the suspect allegedly stole items from the victim and a roommate. In a probable cause statement, a police detective said the victim identified Jones as one of two men who entered the home in the 1000 block of South 14th Street, displayed a firearm and stole property from two people living in the house.

During a preliminary hearing docket call Friday, Jones appeared with his attorney James Rynard, who asked that the judge set bail in the case. Associate Circuit Judge Keith Marquart noted an extensive list of crimes and arrests in the probable cause statement and denied bail.

Police said Jones has at least 30 priors arrests in St. Joseph including 17 for failure to appear. The statement says Jones is now under investigation for possible firearms and motor vehicle theft charges. The statement also lists “…an extensive criminal history that includes convictions for assault, criminal mischief, drugs, weapons violations, violation of an ex-parte order, non-support, assault, leaving the scene of an accident, DWI, stealing and resisting arrest.”

In the current case, Jones is charged with one class-d felony count of stealing. He waived his right to a preliminary hearing, and Judge Marquart bound him over for trial. Jones remains behind bars in the Buchanan County Jail awaiting his formal arraignment April 27 before Circuit Judge Daniel Kellogg.

The suspect in a standoff in east St. Joseph last month appeared in court Friday, but his request to set bail was denied.

Christopher Chappell was charged with second-degree burglary for allegedly entering the victim’s home in the 1000 block of Carol Drive without permission and holding her and police at bay for several hours. Court documents say she had taken out a protection order barring him from having contact with her.

In a probable cause affidavit, investigators say Chappell threatened the woman, saying he was going to “see bullets in her head.” She was able to send a text-911 message, but when police arrived her would not let her answer the door. She was eventually allowed to leave.

As we reported earlier, Chappell refused to come out of the house, the Special Response team was called in, and after several hours he was arrested.

Police said in court documents that the defendant has been arrested for domestic assault and failure to appear, and continues to pose a danger to the victim. During a preliminary hearing docket call on Friday, Judge Keith Marquart agreed, and refused to set bail in the case.

Chappell waived his right to a preliminary hearing. Judge Marquart scheduled the case for arraignment May 4 before Circuit Judge Daniel Kellogg.

A Plattsburg woman was seriously injured after the Missouri State Highway Patrol said she fell asleep at the wheel.

According to a crash report, Jacqueline Graham, 21 was driving a 2003 Pontiac Grand Am northbound on Route C about two miles south of Plattsburg shortly before 10 a.m. Friday when she feel asleep.  That’s when the patrol said her vehicle went off the east side of the road, returned to the road and then went off the other side and hit a tree.  Graham was taken by ambulance to Liberty Hospital for treatment of what was described as a serious injury.  She was reported to be wearing a seat belt.

A St. Joseph man appeared in court Friday on a charge of possession of child pornography.

As we reported, Anthony Snow was charged April 19 after authorities searched his home and found dozens of images on computer devices.

In a probable cause affidavit, Investigator Lonnie Bishop of the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office said their search turned up more than 80 images identified as child pornography.

During Snow’s first appearance on Friday, Associate Circuit Judge Keith Marquart scheduled a preliminary hearing May 12. He is free after posting with the court 10% of the $10,000 bail.

A Cosby woman was injured in a two vehicle crash Thursday evening on Cook Road.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, around 6:30 p.m., Dylan Rust, 19 of St. Joseph was driving a 2012 Honda Civic and failed to stop at a stop sign at the intersection of Route W and Cook Road. His vehicle hit the driver’s side of a 2006 Honda Civic driven by Sheryl Huss, 46 of Cosby. Huss was transported by Ambulance to Mosaic Life Care for treatment of what was described as a moderate injury.

Officers closed the intersection for around two hours while crews were on scene.

Midland Empire Resources for Independent Living, or MERIL, is facing potentially dramatic funding cuts in the current budget proposals in Jefferson City, not to mention the massive cuts being proposed at the federal level. MERIL held a gathering Thursday to get the word out.

CEO Rob Honan tells us some disabled people they serve could lose those services altogether.

Others could see them reduced, which would force them the make some difficult choices. “You may have to have a choice of getting out of bed, getting back into bed, taking a bath only once or twice a week,” Honan said. “So, these are very real considerations. Not only that, they impact the health of an individual.”

We met such an individual, Jaime Shelby, who suffers from cerebral policy and was injured in a serious traffic accident. Independent Living Specialist Jay Claywell says Jaime’s muscles are contracting because she spends so much time in a wheelchair. Clawell says if Jaime cuts back on bathing, she faces the possibility of other, more serious health problems, like infection and skin breakdown.

“If she’s not able to keep herself personally,hygienically, as clean as she wants to, then she’s dealing with potentially more daunting medical conditions, which she shouldn’t have to,” Claywell said.

Honan said a lot of MERIL’s participants might have to be institutionalized, rather than cared for in their homes, if the funding cuts being proposed are finally approved. He says that could ultimately prove more expensive.

“Keeping them at home, keeping their mental health in check, keeping their physical health in check is very important for us,” He said. “If they go without services their mental health is affected, as well as their physical health.”

“In the long run that could be more costly to the state.”

Claywell said losing MERIL services would dramatically raise the personal costs for participants like Jaime Shelby. “They allow her to remain in her home, as opposed to being hospitalized, as opposed to being institutionalized, or put into a rehab facility, and if you take that away from her, you basically destroy her existence as she knows it now,” he said.

“We have to be forward thinking,” he said. “And we have to see what the impact would be.”

“That’s why I asked my friend Jaime to be here so that visually she can make an impact, and with her story she can make an impact, and you can see, if you’re paying attention, whose lives you’re impacting.”

Honan acknowledges that state lawmakers are faced with some critical budget realities. “Every year we have to fight,” Honan said. “Unfortunately, the legislators go after folks that sometimes can’t get to Jefferson City and argue their position. So we try to work with the folks down there to represent them, and also take people down there as much as we can,” he said.

Honan is hoping people will contact their local legislators, who he said are for the most part sympathetic, and are looking at ways to try to fund the program. The budget is always tight here in Missouri every year, he said, and this year there is additional uncertainty with the potential loss of federal block grants.

“It’s been a very challenging year,” Honan said.

The current House and Senate budget proposals are scheduled to go to conference committee next week.