A 54-year-old Plattsburg man is due in court next month to face charges having sex with a 16-year-old girl.
Randall Kelly is charged with Statutory Rape and Statutory Sodomy for a series of incidents between February 1st and March 4. According to court documents, the victim and the defendant had sexual intercourse after they had been “drinking a lot” and smoking marijuana at his house. She also told investigators that about a month ago, “Mr Kelly had her perform oral sex on his at his residence,” according to the court affidavit.
She told a detective that she did, “because she was scared,” but “only performed it for a minute and then asked to go home.”
Charges were filed March 9. Mr Kelley is being held under $35,000 bail awaiting a court appearance April 21.
Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt announced today the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear the state’s appeals of the Kansas Supreme Court’s decisions overturning the death sentences of Jonathan Carr, Reginald Carr and Sidney Gleason.
Sidney Gleason was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death for the 2004 shooting deaths of two individuals in Barton County. At the time of the murders, Gleason was on parole for a conviction of attempted voluntary manslaughter. In July 2014, the Kansas Supreme Court upheld Gleason’s convictions, but reversed his death sentence.
Jonathan and Reginald Carr were convicted following a December 2000 crime spree involving multiple murders and various sex crimes. They were convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death for the execution-style murder of four people in an east Wichita soccer field following a home invasion. In July 2014, the Kansas Supreme Court upheld one conviction of capital murder with respect to both Jonathan and Reginald, but reversed their death sentences.
“We have carefully analyzed the opinions of the Kansas Supreme Court and we do not believe they have correctly applied the U.S. Constitution,” Schmidt said. “I am encouraged the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review the cases.”
The St Joseph City Council will consider a pair of resolutions Monday night in an effort to lure a bacon producer that could bring more than 200 new full-time jobs in St Joe.
The city is among a handful being considered by Daily’s Premium Meats, a company owned in part by Triumph Foods.
Daily’s is also partially owned by Seaboard Corp. The firm is considering a production facility at 5501 Stockyards Expressway across from Triumph.
On Monday night, council members will consider issuing $15 million in Industrial Development Revenue Bonds to finance the project, and in another resolution will consider approving a tax abatement for the company through the St Joseph Enhanced Enterprise Zone Program. That resolution would abate 100% of the company’s taxes for the first five years, and 75% for the next five years.
The company markets bacon primarily to restaurants.
A man was hospitalized Sunday morning after losing control of his car and crashing into a house in Graham, Missouri.
According to a crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Patrick Hurst of Skidmore lost control of his Daewoo and crashed into the house at 312 East Broadway in Graham at 7:16am. His vehicle wound up in the rec room of the house.
A woman inside was startled, but was not hurt. Damage to the house was extensive. Mr Hurst, 20, was transported to St Francis Hospital with moderate injuries.
SPRINGFIELD (AP) – Authorities said a Springfield man was caught with meth after trying to steal a cart full of merchandise from a business.
The Springfield News-Leader reported 30-year-old Joe Walters is charged with felony stealing and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
According to a probable cause statement, Walters and another man were stopped as they were trying to leave Wal-Mart without paying for more than $1,300 worth of food and general merchandise. The other man fled, but Walters was detained.
Officers found two baggies of suspected meth and unused needles on Walters. Police said Walters told them he intended to deliver the meth to others and bring the money back to a different man.
It wasn’t immediately clear if Walters has an attorney
A suspect in an alleged home invasion attempt wound up in the hospital after the owner fought back.
Saint Joseph Police Sergeant James Tonn says the suspect carried a firearm as he entered the home in the 10-hundred block of Ridenbaugh at about 12:15 am Monday. The owner of the residence fought with the suspect and during the altercation the suspect’s gun went off. Tonn says the bullet hit a wall and caused no injuries.
When officers arrived the 22-year-old man quickly surrendered and was taken to Mosaic Life Care for treatment of minor injuries from the beating. He was released two hours later and was taken into custody for investigation.
Multiple sources report that Spence Jackson, the media relations director for the late state auditor Tom Schweich, was found dead in his apartment in Jefferson City on Sunday. It appears to have been a suicide.
Jackson was the communications director for the State Auditor’s Office, where he worked with Auditor Tom Schweich. Schweich committed suicide February 26 at his home in Clayton.
Friends and colleagues, including Jackson, said Schweich was angry about an alleged “whispering campaign” among other Republicans saying Schweich was Jewish, that Schweich believed was an effort to hurt him in the race for governor.
Jackson was one of those in the Republican party who accused Missouri GOP Chairman John Hancock of being behind that effort, and called for his resignation.
In addition to being on Schweich’s staff for nearly four years, Jackson was close to Schweich. More information about Jackson’s apparent death is anticipated later Monday morning.
Before taking the job working for Schweich in the auditor’s office in May, 2011, Jackson had worked as the communications director for the Missouri Department of Economic Development under then-governor Matt Blunt as well as the communications director for Blunt’s office in 2005 and much of 2006, and for Blunt’s campaign in 2004.
(UPDATE) Officials now say the young girl, and the suspect have been located. The Amber Alert has been cancelled. St Joseph police join investigators in Illinois in the search for a five-year-old girl who was taken during a home invasion late Sunday night.
An Amber Alert was issued by police in University Park Illinois for Samiah Lomax, 5, was taken from the home just after 11 p.m. by a man and a woman.
Police believe she was with Serena A. Johnson, 24. Police were also looking for Andre D. Johnson, 25.
They were last seen in South Holland, Illinois south of Chicago driving a 2013 4-door Black Toyota Camry with Indiana license plates WNR 206. Authorities say they might be heading to Atlanta, GA.
If you spot Samiah or the two suspects call 911. For more information you may also contact police in University Park, Illinois at (708)534-0911.
U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is not happy with the latest efforts in Congress to approve a budget, but for reasons that may surprise you.
The Missouri Democrat on Thursday questioned top military commanders on Congressional Republicans’ attempt to increase war funding rather than make the difficult choices to allow an increase in the base defense budget.
McCaskill, a senior member of the Armed Services Committee and a former Missouri State Auditor, addressed the Senate Republican budget released last week, which she says would do nothing to end the across-the-board spending cuts threatening military readiness.
McCaskill says “budget gimmicks” are being used in the current budget plan. “Rather than confront sequestration and be honest about the challenges we have in our base budget, that we’ve all given a lot of time in terms of rhetoric to—we are now going further down the road of using the Overseas Contingency Operation account as a slush fund,” McCaskill said. “It’s not good for fiscal accountability, it’s not good for restoring faith in the American people that we can face the tough decisions, and not retreat to rhetoric and gimmickry that is not really true.”
McCaskill asked both General Lloyd Austin of U.S. Central Command and General David Rodriguez of U.S. Africa Command whether the Army can “buy back force strength,” which is necessary to avoid deep force cuts at Fort Leonard Wood, and whether the Navy would address ship building shortfalls with the Overseas Contingency Operation funds included in the budget. Both said no.
McCaskill also questioned General Austin about a potential determination that the continued U.S. efforts in Afghanistan now may require a new contingency operation, and therefore a new body of oversight.
“I’m told there is an effort underway to name a new Inspector General instead of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, and I think if that determination is made, I want to make sure everybody understands that’s going to impose a lot of additional burdens in terms of oversight requirements on contracting…I don’t understand the value right now of changing IGs at this point when the projects are ongoing. If there is really a sincere attempt to replace him by labeling this a new contingency, somebody’s going to have some explaining to do to me, and to others on this committee on why that would be a good idea.”
“As we look at how to honestly confront sequestration, one of the ways is by being better stewards of the resources that we have allocated to these efforts.”
Last week, at an Armed Services Committee hearing on the Army and Air Force budget requests for 2016, McCaskill criticized the Republican budget, calling it a “fairytale” that would do nothing to reduce military spending cuts.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Three Missouri police agencies will restrict their use of tear gas and other chemical agents on crowds as part of a lawsuit settlement with six Ferguson protesters.
Court records show that U.S. District Judge Carol Jackson officially dismissed the lawsuit Thursday. But she’ll supervise the case through 2017 to ensure the agencies comply.
Protesters sued over the “unified command” that handled security at the protests sparked by the fatal police shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown in August. The command included the State Highway Patrol, St. Louis County police and St. Louis police.
Jackson issued a temporary restraining order in December requiring police to provide “reasonable” warning before using gas on a crowd.
