A body was found in a burning truck this morning in Platte City in a rash of car fires.

Platte City first responders were dispatched at 6:50 am to a car fire at 1881 Wilkerson Drive, and to another fire at 2128 Catie Lane at 7:04 am.

Platte City Police Chief Carl Mitchell says in a press release an unidentified male body was found inside a burning truck at 2113 Wilkerson drive.

Police now say nine vehicles sustained fire damage in the same Platte City subdivision.  Several agencies are assisting in the investigation.

 

A St Joseph man is in custody and one suspect is still at-large after a pursuit that began in Northwest Missouri yesterday.

37 year-old Sean Schmidt of St Joseph was taken into custody in Fremont County Iowa.

Fremont County Sheriffs Deputy Randy Chapman says Schmidt was hiding in tall switch grass for more than four hours near where the vehicle involved in the pursuit was found crashed and on fire.

Chapman says Schmidt will face multiple charges, including unauthorized transportation of anhydrous ammonia, possession of a controlled substance and theft.

Thursdays pursuit started in Missouri when officers were trying to stop a vehicle stolen earlier in the day in Burlington Junction. The suspects drove into Iowa and at one point, a Fremont County deputy tried to shoot the tires of the vehicle out when the suspects drove towards the deputy.

Officers lost track of the vehicle, which was later found crashed and on fire near Highway 275 Between Hamburg and Sydney Iowa without the suspects.

The name of the second suspect, who is still at-large, has not been released.

Authorities are still trying to track down at least one suspect who fled on foot after a high speed chase in Northwest Missouri and Southwest Iowa.

The Nodaway County Sheriff’s office reported the chase began this morning after a white Hyundai Santa Fe from Burlington Junction in Nodaway County was reported stolen.  Officers tracked the SUV via GPS and tried to stop the vehicle when the suspect fled into Fremont county Iowa.

An Iowa law enforcement officer fired shots at the suspect at one point during the chase.  Officers lost track of the vehicle, which was later found crashed and on fire near 

Highway 275 Between Hamburg and Sydney Iowa without the suspect.  At last word, the search is ongoing.

The publisher of the Regular Joe newspaper will lead this years Mardi Gras Parade in St Joseph.

Jay Kerner was announced today as the Grand Marshal of St Joseph’s Mardi Gras Parade.

St Joe’s 10th Mardi Gras parade is scheduled February 18.

The parade is co-sponsored by the St Joseph Downtown Association, K-JO 105.5 and Q Country 92.7.

Organizers stress this is an adult-oriented event, and all participants must be at least 18 years old to participate in the parade.

This year’s parade will follow the original route, from the Holiday Inn at Third and Felix to Coleman Hawkins Park.

Line-up for floats will begin at 6 p.m., with the parade following at 8 p.m.

 

Missouri Western announced Wednesday the next Vice President for University Advancement.

Jonathan Yordy, who currently serves as the director of major gifts at Lewis University in Illinois, will replace Dan Nicoson who will retire June 30^th.

Yordy has been with Lewis University since 2008. He led a successful $31 million fund-raising campaign, grew a donation program and oversaw a two year increase of 41 percent in gifts to the university.

He will oversee Westerns Advancement activities including development, alumni services and public relations. Yordy will also serve as the MWSU Foundation Executive Director.

 

 

 

An area in North St. Joseph was blocked off this afternoon after street crews found what appeared to resemble a pipe bomb.

Police blocked off an area near Blackwell Road and Savannah Road, and the Kansas City Police Department Bomb Squad detonated the device.

St Joseph Police Captain Kevin Castle says it was a piece of PVC pipe with some sort of explosive inside.

“Sometimes they’re legitimate devices and sometimes they’re not.  We treat them all like they are until we find out differently, and this one I’m glad we did because it was an actual device,” Castle said.

“If it were to explode and you were near it, it could injure or kill”

Castle says federal agents were on hand to collect forensic evidence after the device was blown up, in an effort to track its origin.

 

 

A local school is one of 200 in the Midwest receiving a SMART Board from Hy-Vee.

Store officials announced this week Coleman Elementary scored the highest average in the region to earn the $1,500 SMART Board from Hy-Vee’s SMART Points program.

The program, which ran from October first to December 30^th, allowed shoppers of Procter and Gamble and Sara Lee products to earn points designated to a school of the shoppers choice.

In addition, second-grader Ashlyn Wittler won an iPad for the most designated on her behalf.

St. Joseph Hy-Vee director Brad McAnally will present the items Friday to Coleman Elementary.