Post Staff – Page 546 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Missouri admits NCAA violations, vacates 2013-14 season

Posted on January 13, 2016January 14, 2016

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Admitting it found NCAA violations in its men’s basketball program dating to 2011, Missouri on Wednesday banned itself from the postseason this year and said it is vacating all 23 wins from the 2013-14 season.

The NCAA is still investigating and Missouri said it was working with the organization in hopes of limiting the punishment to its self-imposed sanctions.

Missouri was 23-12 in 2013-14, Frank Haith’s final season before leaving for Tulsa. The Tigers won just nine games last season under new coach Kim Anderson, who did not immediately comment on the findings.

Besides the postseason ban, the school has stripped itself of one scholarship this season and a second scholarship no later than the 2017-18 season, plus has restricted recruiting through 2016-17.

(The following is the release from the university)
For the past nineteen months, the University of Missouri has worked collaboratively with the NCAA enforcement staff to review potential violations in its men’s basketball program. In December 2013, the NCAA enforcement staff received information regarding potential violations involving a then men’s basketball student-athlete. A verbal notice of inquiry was provided to the institution on April 14, 2014.

Through the collaborative investigation, it has become evident violations of NCAA bylaws occurred dating back to 2011. There are four levels of violations in the NCAA enforcement process, ranging from Level I and Level II, considered major infractions, to Level III and Level IV, which are secondary in nature. The violations based on supporting evidence which both the university and the NCAA agree occurred, include:

Level I – A donor (Representative #1) to MU Athletics provided impermissible benefits to three men’s basketball student-athletes and one prospective men’s basketball student-athlete from 2013-2014. The impermissible benefits included compensating student-athletes for work-not-performed at a business through a summer internship program. Through the internship program, the donor also provided other impermissible inducements and extra benefits including housing, cash in the amount of $520, local transportation, iPads, meals and arranged for the use of a local gym for the student-athletes, all in violation of NCAA bylaws.
Level II – A second donor (Representative #2) was discovered to have provided impermissible benefits to 11 student-athletes and three members of one student-athlete’s family from 2011-2014. The benefits included providing student-athletes with a “friends & family” reduced rate at a hotel as well as meals and a ride on a recreational boat. A Missouri men’s basketball student-manager also provided transportation for multiple student-athletes to the hotel from the Missouri campus, all in violation of NCAA bylaws.
Level II – Because the University of Missouri did not fully vet the summer internship employment opportunity and follow-up to request documentation at the conclusion of the 2013 and 2014 internships with Representative #1, the institution was cited with a failure to adequately monitor the internship program.
Level III – A former associate head men’s basketball coach assisted in the relocation of a prospective student-athlete by providing the phone number of the prospect’s mother to a donor (Representative #2) to arrange for rental housing. The family paid a market rate for the rental. However, the actions of the former associate head coach are in violation of NCAA bylaws.
Level III – Representative #1 had multiple impermissible recruiting contacts with a prospective student-athlete and paid for a meal for a non-scholastic coach, in violation of NCAA bylaws.

Once NCAA violations were substantiated in this process, the university took action to hold student-athletes, staff and donors who were involved accountable. Those actions are:

Restitution and withholding from competition for impermissible benefits received by student-athletes was imposed as necessary.
The former associate head men’s basketball coach was prohibited from off-campus recruiting for a period of three months while the review process was underway.
The university permanently disassociated Representative #1, prohibiting him from receiving tickets, making donations or otherwise representing the university.
The university disassociated Representative #2 for a period of two years, prohibiting him from receiving tickets, making donations or otherwise representing the university.
The university vacated all wins from the 2013-14 season.
The university will pay the NCAA a fine in the prescribed amount of $5,000.
The university self-imposed the loss of one men’s basketball scholarship in 2015-16 and an additional scholarship loss to be incurred no later than the 2017-18 season.
The university placed restrictions on the recruiting activities of the men’s basketball staff during the years of 2014-15 through 2016-17.
The university imposed a one-year postseason ban for the 2015-16 men’s basketball season, which prohibits the team from participating in the 2016 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament, and any other postseason competition sanctioned by the NCAA. As such, the university will not receive any revenues from the 2016 SEC or NCAA men’s basketball tournaments.

The university retained the services of Mike Glazier of Bond, Schoeneck & King Attorneys to assist with the matter and is now working with the NCAA enforcement staff to process this case through Summary Disposition. The Summary Disposition process does not involve a formal in-person hearing. For an institution to avail itself of the process, it must qualify by: (1) reaching agreement with the enforcement staff on the material facts and the violations, and (2) the staff must stipulate to the Committee on Infractions that the University fully cooperated. Once the collaborative Summary Disposition Report has been prepared, it will be submitted to the Committee on Infractions for review. The Committee then will consider the facts and the violations agreed upon by the enforcement staff and the University. If the facts and the violations are accepted, the Committee then will consider self-imposed penalties submitted by the University. The Committee may accept those penalties or may determine additional penalties are warranted. If the Committee proposes additional penalties, the University may request a hearing on penalties only, or may elect to accept the additional penalties. The timeline for these steps will be determined by the Committee.

First appearance for sex-assault suspect

Posted on January 13, 2016January 14, 2016

A preliminary hearing is scheduled later this month for a 37-year-old St Joseph man accused of having sex with a girl under the age of 12.

Gordon Mack Stone II had his first appearance Tuesday on one count of 1st degree statutory rape. Associate Judge Keith Marquart scheduled a status hearing January 22 to ensure that Mr Stone has legal representation. Judge Marquart scheduled a preliminary hearing January 29.

According to court documents filed in the case, Mr Stone was responsible for the child’s care at the time of the alleged sexual assault. Investigators say he had sexual intercourse with the child victim multiple times over the course of several months through October of last year.

Mr Stone is being held in the Buchanan County Jail, unable to post $25,000 bail.

St. Joseph man sentenced in summer shooting incident

Posted on January 12, 2016

A St. Joseph man has been sentenced to serve 20-years behind bars after shooting and seriously injuring another St. Joseph man.

Michael Dennis, 24 was sentenced in Buchanan County Court Monday. Dennis pleaded guilty on Nov. 20 to felony first degree assault stemming from an incident that took place in July 2015.

As we previously reported, court documents alleged he shot a man twice in the 100 block of south 19th St. Police said the 22-year-old male victim was taken to Mosaic Life Care for treatment of serious injuries from being shot.

St. Joseph recruiter receives Air Force Commendation

Posted on January 12, 2016

Tech. Sgt. Jason D. Jones receives the Air Force Commendation Medal by Col. Ralph Schwader at Rosecrans Air National Guard Base in St. joseph, Mo., on Jan. 10, 2016. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Michael Crane) Courtesy 139th AW

ROSECRANS AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Mo. — Tech. Sgt. Jason Jones, a recruiter assigned to the 139th Airlift Wing in St. Joseph, Mo., was the top production recruiter in the Missouri Air National Guard for 2015.

Jones enlisted 36 new Airmen last year which was 103% of his assigned goal. For his efforts, Col. Ralph Schwader, commander of the 139th Airlift Wing, presented the Air Force Commendation Medal to Jones during January drill.

Jones was able to recruit in ‘hard to fill’ or ‘critical career fields’ as designated by the National Guard Bureau.

Jones also reached out to events such as the Kansas City Gay Pride Parade in which had an attendance of 25,000 people, the Downtown Kansas City Air Show that held over 20,000 people, and the Tarkio Fly-In that had 1,000 people.

Program to provide Macaroni Grill gift card refunds

Posted on January 12, 2016

Jefferson City, Mo. – Attorney General Chris Koster announced Tuesday that his office reached an agreement with Romano’s Macaroni Grill, which will allow consumers who purchased gift cards from any Macaroni Grill location in Missouri during 2014 to receive a refund of any balance remaining on the card. About 500 Missouri consumers are still holding Macaroni Grill gift cards.

The Attorney General’s Office began looking into the matter at the end of 2014 when Macaroni Grill announced that it was immediately closing all of its Missouri locations, and consumers began to complain that they had recently purchased gift cards believing that they could redeem them at a local restaurant.

Consumers can take advantage of the program by contacting the Attorney General’s Office by one of the means listed below and providing the gift card number from the back of an eligible card. Eligible cards include gift cards purchased at a Missouri location of Romano’s Macaroni Grill during the 2014 calendar year. Cards that are redeemable at several different restaurants are not eligible for this program but can still be redeemed at the other restaurants listed on the card or at Romano’s Macaroni Grill locations outside Missouri. To report a gift card, consumers may fill out the online form at https://ago.mo.gov/divisions/consumer/macaroni-grill or may call (800) 392-8222. Consumers will need to provide the account number on the back of the card. Questions can be directed to the number listed above, or can be emailed to Macaronigrillclaims@ago.mo.gov.

All claims must be received by 5:00 pm on May 11, 2016.

Cold today but temperatures rising into Thursday

Posted on January 12, 2016

Cold weather returns today with highs in the teens and 20s. This cold will be short-lived however, with temperatures rising into the 50s by Thursday.

Today
Sunny, with a high near 22. Wind chill values between zero and 10. Northwest wind 6 to 11 mph.

Tonight
Partly cloudy, with a low around 20. West northwest wind 5 to 8 mph becoming south after midnight.

Wednesday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 43. Southwest wind 8 to 10 mph.

Wednesday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 28. South southwest wind 7 to 9 mph.

Thursday
Sunny, with a high near 50. South southwest wind 9 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph.

Thursday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 29.

Friday
A chance of rain and snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 34. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Friday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 18.

Saturday
Partly sunny, with a high near 23.

Saturday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 9.

Sunday
Sunny, with a high near 22.

Sunday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 9.

M.L.King Day
Partly sunny, with a high near 20.

Platte County warns of stranger danger

Posted on January 12, 2016

The Platte County Sheriff’s Office has increased its neighborhood patrols in southern rural Platte County due to suspicious activity reported by an area resident over the weekend.

The office said around 10:30 Saturday morning January 9, 2016, Platte Count Deputies responded to the area around the 6600 block of Nevada after a resident of the Thousand Oaks Subdivision reported that her ten-year old son had been approached by an male party driving a red mid-sized four-door sedan. The unknown subject drove up to the ten -year old, rolled down the vehicle window, and told the ten-year old to, “jump in”. The ten-year old ran to his residence and notified his parent immediately of what had happened. The subject was described as a white male in his 40’s with no facial hair and short brown hair. Anyone with information regarding this incident may contact the Platte County Sheriff’s Office at 816-858-3521.

Sheriff Owen is reminding residents of Platte County to talk to their children about what to do if their child is approached by a stranger. A plan to go to a safe place where the child can be with a known/trusted adult is recommended.

Investigation underway into Old Market Explosion & Fire in Omaha

Posted on January 12, 2016

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha officials say it’s miraculous that no one was killed in the explosion and fire in the Old Market area over the weekend.

Omaha Fire Chief Bernie Kanger says Monday it appears the fire was accidental, but it will take time to determine what caused the natural gas leak that fueled the fire.

City officials said it could take several weeks to determine whether the building that housed M’s Pub and several apartments on the upper floors can be salvaged.

The four-story brick building is currently encased in ice from the water firefighters sprayed on the structure after the explosion was reported Saturday.

Mayor Jean Stothert says the building’s owners want to rebuild, but structural engineers haven’t had a chance to evaluate it yet.

128 year sentence for prison escapee who shot at officers in northwest Missouri

Posted on January 11, 2016

A man who escaped from prison and then shot at multiple law enforcement officers during a high-speed chase through northwest Missouri has been sentenced to 128 years in prison.

Scott A. Gilbert, 52, received the sentence from Platte County Judge Ann Hansbrough on January 8 after being found guilty of ten felonies in a November 2015 jury trial.

Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd said, “Thank goodness no police officers were injured in apprehending this dangerous escaped inmate. Anyone who would shoot at law enforcement officers and put countless people in harm’s way deserves a long prison sentence, and that’s exactly what this defendant will serve.”

Evidence at trial showed that Gilbert was traveling in a stolen black 1997 GMC pickup truck that left the McDonald’s in Platte City at about 10:00 am on May 10, 2013. Earlier that morning, Gilbert had escaped from the Lansing, KS Correctional Facility, allegedly with another inmate who was driving the truck.

The officer attempted to pull over the vehicle, but it refused to stop. Instead, the vehicle led several law enforcement officers on a pursuit heading northbound on 1-29 with speeds exceeding 120 miles per hour.

The chase later traveled through several rural highways in Platte County. During the pursuit, Gilbert fired a shotgun multiple times and struck the vehicles of four different law enforcement officers.

Gilbert and the other inmate eventually made it to rural Clinton County, where they entered and barricaded themselves in an unoccupied residence. Officers from multiple departments, including a tactical team, surrounded the house, and the pair eventually surrendered.

At sentencing, dozens of law enforcement agents attended as a show of solidarity and support for their fellow officers.

Prior to committing his 10 felonies in Platte County, Gilbert had been convicted of 52 felony offenses in Kansas. Prosecutors argued that Gilbert should be sentenced to 62 years on each of four armed criminal action charges—one year for each of his felony convictions.

Zahnd said, “This defendant has the longest rap sheet of any person I have prosecuted during by 13 years in office. Our goal was to make sure the felonies he committed in Platte County were his last—by making sure he spent the rest of his life in prison.”

Hansbrough imposed 25 year sentences on each count of assault of a law enforcement officer and 7 years on each armed criminal action count. The Court ordered all of those sentences to run consecutively, for a total of 128 years. The Court also sentenced Gilbert to six years in prison for tampering with a motor vehicle and seven years in prison for resisting arrest. She ordered those sentences to running concurrently with his other sentences.

The other inmate remains in custody, and his case is scheduled for a jury trial in June 2016.

Drivers save money as gas drops to lowest levels in a decade

Posted on January 11, 2016

Gas prices continue to drop to multi-year lows, with Monday’s average price of $1.97 per gallon representing the cheapest average price at the pump since March 23, 2009.

According to AAA, gas prices have fallen for 55 of the past 66 days for a total savings of 26 cents per gallon and should remain relatively low because there is more than enough oil and gasoline around the world to meet demand. AAA said drivers are saving three cents per gallon on the week, five cents per gallon on the month and 17 cents per gallon versus this same date last year.

Missouri’s ($1.65) and Oklahoma’s ($1.70) are the nation’s least expensive markets for retail gasoline.

Kansas City was $1.67, 4 cents cheaper than a week ago. St. Joseph came in with an average of $1.67 a gallon, 5 cents lower than last week. That’s also $2.27 lower than St. Joseph’s highest recorded average price for regular unleaded which came in at $3.96 a gallon on May 21, of 2013.