JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) – The Jasper County Sheriff’s Department says a 66-year-old Joplin man died after he was shot by sheriff’s deputies who were serving civil court papers.
The department says in a news release Wednesday that Louis Miller died at a hospital shortly after being shot Tuesday afternoon.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol is investigating the shooting.
The Joplin Globe reports the sheriff’s office says when deputies arrived, Miller came to the door carrying a knife. Sheriff’s Sgt. Tim Williams says when backup officers arrived at the home, Miller rushed at the officers with the knife and was shot. No officers were injured.
The names of the officers involved have not been released.
Kansas Sec. of State Kobach at meeting of President Donald Trump’s commission on election fraud
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is disbanding his controversial voter fraud commission amid infighting, lawsuits and state officials’ refusal to cooperate.
Trump convened the commission to investigate the 2016 presidential election, after alleging repeatedly and without evidence that voting fraud cost him the popular vote. Trump won the Electoral College.
The White House blamed the decision to end the panel on more than a dozen states that have refused to comply with the commission’s demand for reams of personal voter data, including names, partial Social Security numbers, voting histories and party affiliations.
“Rather than engage in endless legal battles at taxpayer expense, today President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order to dissolve the Commission, and he has asked the Department of Homeland Security to review its initial findings and determine next courses of action,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement Wednesday.
Critics saw the commission as part of a conservative campaign to make it harder for poor people and minority voters to access the ballot box, and to justify Trump’s claims of voter fraud.
Trump has repeatedly alleged, without evidence, that 3 million to 5 million people voted illegally in the 2016 election, delivering the popular vote to his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. Clinton received more than 2.8 million more votes than Trump nationwide.
While there have been isolated cases of voter fraud in the U.S., past studies have found it to be exceptionally rare.
Critics also viewed the commission as part of an attempt to distract from the ongoing investigations into Russian election meddling and potential collusion between Moscow and Trump campaign aides. The intelligence community concluded that the Russian government mounted a campaign to help Trump win, hacking email accounts and spreading false stories.
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, a conservative Republican and the commission’s vice chairman, characterized the decision to dissolve the bipartisan group as a “tactical change” and argued DHS can pursue an investigation of election fraud more quickly and efficiently.
“The Democrats, both on and off the commission, made very clear that they were not interested in determining the scope and extent of voter fraud and, indeed, they were trying to stop the commission in its tracks,” Kobach said. “The Democrats lost their opportunity, lost their seat at the table, by stonewalling.”
Kobach, a vocal supporter of tough voter ID laws, alleged Democrats wanted no investigation. “Their motto is, ‘Nothing to see here,'” he said.
One of the members of the commission, Democratic Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap, sued the commission in federal court, alleging it had violated federal law by refusing to provide him documents available to other members, among other charges.
Dunlap on Wednesday said Kobach and his allies “were the ones that were stonewalling,” saying they had “very definite ideas of what they wanted this commission to come up with.”
Three Democratic senators — Michael Bennet of Colorado, Cory Booker of New Jersey and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota — had also asked the U.S. Government Accountability Office to investigate the commission, which it agreed to do in October.
Kobach said he intends to work closely with DHS and the White House and expects the bulk of the DHS investigation to be done by midsummer.
More than a dozen states, as well as the District of Columbia, had rebuffed the commission’s request for voter data, citing privacy concerns and a fear that complying would legitimize the idea that voter fraud is widespread.
While there have been isolated cases of people voting illegally, and many voter rolls contain outdated data, there is no evidence voter fraud is a widespread problem in the United States or has affected election results.
A study by a Loyola Law School professor found that out of 1 billion votes cast in all American elections between 2000 and 2014, there were only 31 known cases of impersonation fraud.
During the commission’s first meeting, Trump had questioned the motives of states that refused to comply with the commission’s request, suggesting they had something to hide.
Voter advocacy groups and Democrats applauded Wednesday’s decision.
“It is no surprise that a commission founded on a lie of widespread voter fraud proved to be a fraud itself,” said California Secretary of State Alex Padilla, a Democrat, who had refused to comply with the commission’s request for voter data. “No taxpayer dollars should have been wasted on Mr. Trump’s voter suppression crusade.”
Dale Ho, director of the American Civil Liberties Union Voting Rights Project, accused the commission of engaging in “a wild-goose chase for voter fraud, demonizing the very American voters whom we should all be helping to participate — with the not-so-secret goal of making voting harder with unnecessary barriers.
“President Trump has tried and failed to spread his own fake news about voter fraud,” Ho said.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Efforts to pick Missouri’s next top education official after a controversial toss-up in leadership have ground to a halt.
A technical move by Republican Gov. Eric Greitens on Wednesday means there’s no longer enough voting members on the State Board of Education to pick a new commissioner.
That’s because Greitens repealed and resubmitted his board appointees after the start of the 2018 legislative session Wednesday. Appointees named during session cannot serve until they’re confirmed by the Senate.
Greitens has worked for months to appoint members to the board and get former Commissioner Margie Vandeven fired. Greitens’ appointees succeeded in ousting her last year.
Two Republican senators now say they’ll block the appointees’ confirmations, and Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard indicated he’s unsure if he’ll even give them a hearing.
GALENA, Mo. (AP) – A Reeds Springs man who prosecutors say had sexual contact with at least eight young children during more than 20 years was sentenced to life in prison.
Ozarks First reports 74-year-old Gary Pickron was sentenced Wednesday for statutory sodomy, child molestation and sexual misconduct with a child.
Pickron was charged in 2015 after two girls, ages 4 and 5, told a relative he had sexually abused them for several weeks.
Prosecutor Matt Selby says after those charges were filed, more victims came forward. Selby says some of the crimes dated back to 1995.
Pickron has consistently denied that he committed any crimes.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Court records say a Kansas City man stole a Jeep with a toddler inside before driving up to an officer about an hour later, admitting to the theft and asking for directions.
Prosecutors announced Tuesday that 37-year-old Kenneth Alexander is charged with child kidnapping and motor vehicle theft. It wasn’t known if he had an attorney. Bond is set at $75,000.
The Jeep was stolen after a mother left her four children in it Sunday while she went inside a store. Surveillance shows a man force three children from the vehicle before speeding away with a 20-month-old inside.
Police say Alexander was apparently under the influence of drugs when he was arrested in nearby Belton. Alexander told police the boy, who wasn’t harmed, was his stepson and named “Johnny Cash.”
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Tracking statistics from the moving company United Van Lines indicate that Americans are still heading west, while parts of the Northeast and Midwest are losing people.
When looking at the percentage of people moving, Kansas ranks among the worst in the nation.
“Interestingly enough, these retirees are leaving at such a fast pace that the movement of millennials to urban areas in the Midwest and Northeast is being overshadowed,” Michael Stoll, economist, professor and chair of the Department of Public Policy at the University of California, Los Angeles said.
The suburban St. Louis-based moving company on Tuesday released its 41st annual National Movers Study, which tracks customers’ state-to-state migration patterns.
Three of the top four destination states are in the West: Oregon, Idaho and Nevada. The outlier is Vermont, a Northeast state that had the highest percentage of inbound migration in 2017. About 68 percent of state-to-state moves in Vermont were inbound last year.
FRANKLIN COUNTY — A Kansas man died in an accident just before 9a.m. Wednesday in Franklin County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2005 Kenworth semi driven by Duayne Scott Powell, 58, Waverly, was northbound on Interstate 35 near the intersection of Shawnee Road and Vermont Road.
The truck drifted off roadway and into a field
Powell was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Frontier Forensics. He was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
First responders on the scene of December 20, car fire-photo courtesy WIBW TV
SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a car fire and have released the identity of the body found in the vehicle.
Just after 2.a.m. on December 20, Topeka Fire and Police personnel were dispatched to the area of SE 15th and SE Hudson for a report of a vehicle on fire, according to Lt. Colleen Stuart.
While extinguishing the fire, crews noticed a person was inside the vehicle. The individual inside was found deceased.
On Wednesday, arson investigators ruled the vehicle fire incendiary in nature, intentionally set. The Shawnee County Coroners’ office has ruled the death a homicide.
The victim has been positively identified as Arnulfo Garcia, 30, of Lawrence.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to call the Topeka Police Department Detectives at 368-9400.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) – Prosecutors are seeking a life sentence without the possibility of parole for a southwest Missouri teenager accused of killing an elderly woman.
The Springfield News-Leader reports that 17-year-old Trystan Westrip is charged as an adult with first-degree murder and attempted arson in the October 2016 stabbing death of 80-year-old Mary Shisler.
A probable cause statement says Westrip told deputies he killed Shisler and showed them where he left Shisler’s body. Investigators allege he also said he tried to burn down the woman’s home.
Greene County prosecutors filed a notice on Dec. 19 indicating they will seek a true life sentence. Prosecutors must prove at least one aggravating factor when pursuing such a sentence.
A phone message left by The Associated Press for Westrip’s public defender wasn’t immediately returned Wednesday.
Maryville, Mo. – Gov. Eric Greitens has announced his appointments to the Northwest Missouri State University Board of Regents.
The appointments of Jason A. Klindt, of Kansas City; George R. Speckman, of St. Joseph; and Roxanna R. Swaney, of Liberty; as well as Student Regent Janay N. Orange which the governor’s office announced Dec. 22, must be confirmed by the Missouri Senate before they can become official.
If confirmed, Klindt, a Republican, fills the Board seat of Gene “Francis” Dorrel, a Republican of Maryville. Dorrel’s term expired Jan. 1, 2017, but he continued to serve as the University awaited new appointments. Klindt’s Board term will end Jan. 1, 2023.
Speckman, an Independent, fills the Board seat of Jerry Genochio, a Democrat from Kansas City. Genochio was appointed to the Board in 2016 by former Gov. Jay Nixon, but was not confirmed by the Senate before a Jan. 31, 2017, deadline. As a result, Greitens withdrew Genochio’s appointment so he could remain eligible to serve on the Board. Speckman’s Board term also will end Jan. 1, 2023.
Swaney, a Republican, and Orange, the non-voting student member, are regaining their previous appointments to the Board. They also were part of the 2016 appointments by Nixon and had their names withdrawn last January so they could remain eligible to serve. Expiration dates for their new terms have not yet been determined.
Klindt, who earned a bachelor’s degree in public relations at Northwest in 1999 and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University in 2002, is senior manager of customer intelligence at KCP&L, where he has been employed since 2014. His professional experience also includes 10 years as a communications director in the U.S. Congress.
Speckman, a 1989 graduate of Northwest, operates Touchdown Publications, which owns, operates and publishes the Savannah Reporter, a weekly newspaper in Savannah, and The St. Joseph Daily Courier, a daily legal publication in St. Joseph. He also owns and operates Pinnacle Valuation Services, a real estate valuation company serving the Kansas City and St. Joseph areas. He formerly worked in city management and served as city administrator for the cities of Savannah, Plattsburg and Maysville.
A 1984 graduate of Northwest, Swaney has worked for CenturyLink since 1999, serving in multiple positions within the company, including her current role as lead sourcing analyst. She is past president of the ArtsTech Board, a past president of the Institute for Supply Management-Kansas City and the former president of the Clay County Parks and Recreation Board.
Orange, a graduate of Oak Park High School in Kansas City, is a senior public relations major with a minor in criminal justice. She is active at the University in the Northwest Dance Company; the Student Activities Council; the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; and the TRIO mentoring program.
Northwest’s nine-member Board of Regents is responsible for sound resource management of the University and determining general, educational and financial policies.
According to state statutes, six of the Board’s members must live in the University’s 19-county district. They must include one member living in Nodaway County and two living outside the district but no more than two voting members residing in the same county. One member must be a non-voting student representative.
Dr. Patrick B. Harr (R), of Maryville, serves as Board chair. Dr. Marilou Joyner (D), of Kansas City; John W. Richmond (D), of Albany; and Richard N. Smith (R), of Coffey; round out the Board, which has one open seat remaining.
