(Missourinet) – An electrical and computer engineer from Raytown wants to rebuild Interstate 70 with so-called “smart pavement” technology to allow for vehicles with no drivers.

President of Integrated Roadways Tim Sylvester, will present his plan to Department of Transportation officials and the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission next week.

“We plan to present a public/private partnership to rebuild I-70 using smart pavement,” said Sylvester. “Smart pavement provides intelligent transit services as a subscription service in order to support driver-less vehicles and wireless electric vehicle charging.”

Sylvester said smart pavement also has the capability to provide WI-FI to the general public traveling the interstate. He said there would be no difference in the visual appearance of the road.

“Smart pavement is a pre-cast pavement system that has a variety of sensors in the pavement and communication services to provide location and navigation information to support driver-less vehicles,” said Sylvester.

Sylvester said profits from the subscription-based service would be shared with MoDOT, but drivers are not required to have it in order to drive on the interstate.

“After ten years of implementation of this service, the profits shared with the Department of Transportation would essentially double their budget,” said Sylvester. “If you don’t subscribe, you’re just using it like a road.”

Sylvester thinks the service would appeal to commercial fleet operators and suggests the commercial trip fee would be two and a half cents per ton, per mile.

“This is primarily geared towards commercial fleet owners who can save about 15 percent on their shipping costs by using this service and double their shipping capacity, but it would also be available to private drivers,” said Sylvester.

Sylvester said smart pavement is more cost-effective than vehicles that can drive themselves made by Google or Mercedes.

“Those cars are hundreds of thousands of dollars and they’re not going to be cheaper for decades,” said Sylvester. “We can make driver-less a lot cheaper and a lot more accessible by providing it as a subscription using sensors installed in the roadways.”

Sylvester said users would need to install a system into the vehicle similar to a Garmin after-market navigation unit or a GM OnStar kit. Sylvester estimates the target price to install a driver-less system would be near $1000 to $1500 for passenger vehicles and a little more for commercial vehicles.

“The technology that we’re talking about to upgrade your vehicle is so much simpler than if you’re trying to upgrade your vehicle to be driver-less completely on its own without any sort of outside support,” said Sylvester.

Sylvester is planning to ask MoDOT for their recommendation to go forward with a pilot project to test the technology. Sylvester said it would be a one mile stretch of road with smart pavement, but it would not be on I-70.

“It would take place somewhere that we’d be able to interrupt traffic and nobody would get upset with us,” said Sylvester.

Sylvester said the biggest obstacle against his smart pavement project will be dealing with political and legislative issues.

“We’ve got to get legislation for driver-less cars and we’ve got to get legislation for public/private partnerships,” said Sylvester. “The best thing that the average person can do in order to support this is to call their legislator and voice their support and advocate for improving I-70 in a way that prepares us for the future and for all of the exciting technology to come.”

Sylvester said MoDOT estimates it would cost between $2- and $4 billion to rebuild I-70. Sylvester estimates his smart pavement would cost $3.6 billion, but said MoDOT would only be responsible for 10 percent of the project under his public/private partnership plan.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Boone County authorities are looking for two stolen camels.

The double-hump male camels were stolen along with two steers from a farm in Columbia. They were last seen Monday morning.

The animals’ owner says someone likely lured the animals into a trailer. He says the four animals are worth a total of about $20,000.

The male camels are about 3 years old, tan and 9-feet tall. The two 900-pound Black Angus steer have tags on their right ears with the numbers 96 and 97.

Investigators say it’s unclear if the camels had microchips or tags.

Two more Kansas City, Mo., men were indicted by a federal grand jury today for their roles in a 15-member conspiracy to distribute more than $1 million worth of cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana.

 

Jesse F. Vasquez, 40, and his brother, Jonathan Anthony Vasquez, 34, both of Kansas City, were charged in an eight-count superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo.

 

Today’s indictment replaces a Nov. 18, 2014, indictment and includes the original defendants along with additional charges. Those previously charged are Christopher Brian Padilla, 30, Natalie N. Tinoco, 29, Oswaldo Ulises Lopez, 24, Edward Francis Diaz, Jr., 47, Edward Francis Diaz III, 28, Mary Eloisa Steward, 33, Heriberto Muzquiz III, 43, Nicholas Salinas, 47, and Terry L. Diaz, 50, all of Kansas City, Mo.; Sergio Ibarra-Hernandez, 44, Jose Tereso Salinas-Covarrubias, 46, and Martin Fernando Espinoza-Arevalo, 26, all of whom are citizens of Mexico residing in Kansas City, Mo.; and Adan Rogelio Hernandez-Aceves, also known as Jose Delgado-Hernandez, 44, a citizen of Mexico residing in Kansas City, Kan.

 

The federal indictment alleges that all of the defendants participated in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana from Jan. 1, 2012, to Nov. 19, 2014. The indictment alleges that conspirators distributed at least 15 kilograms of cocaine, two kilograms of methamphetamine and 1,000 kilograms of marijuana.

 

As in the original indictment, Padilla also is charged with one count of illegally possessing firearms. Padilla allegedly possessed and used a loaded .357-caliber Glock semi-automatic pistol, a Taurus .38-caliber revolver and a Glock .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. Padilla is also charged with selling a Taurus .38-caliber revolver and a Glock .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol to a buyer who was prohibited from possessing a firearm because he was a felon.

 

Today’s superseding indictment contains several new charges against various defendants.

 

Salinas and Jonathan Vasquez are charged with possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute. Ibarra-Hernandez and Salinas-Covarrubias are charged with possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.

 

Ibarra-Hernandez, Salinas-Covarrubias and Jonathan Vasquez are charged with being drug users in possession of firearms and ammunition. The indictment alleges that the three men, who were addicted to marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine and other controlled substances, were in possession of a Ruger semi-automatic handgun, a Smith and Wesson .357-caliber handgun and ammunition.

 

Ibarra-Hernandez and Salinas-Covarrubias are charged with being illegal aliens in possession of firearms and ammunition.

 

Ibarra-Hernandez, Espinoza-Arevalo and Hernandez-Aceves are also charged with illegally reentering the United States after having been deported.

 

The federal indictment also contains a forfeiture allegation, which would require the defendants to forfeit to the government any property derived from the proceeds of the drug-trafficking conspiracy or used to facilitate the commission of the drug-trafficking conspiracy, including a money judgment of $1,050,000 for which all of the defendants are jointly and severally liable. This sum, in aggregate, allegedly was received in exchange for the unlawful distribution of cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana, based on a conservative average street price of $32,000 per kilogram of cocaine, $1,000 per ounce of methamphetamine and $500 per pound of marijuana and the total conspiracy distribution of at least 15 kilograms of cocaine, two kilograms of methamphetamine and 1,000 kilograms of marijuana.

 

The forfeiture allegation would also require the defendants to forfeit two residential properties owned by Salinas, a 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche pick-up owned by Hernandez-Aceves and $59,708 seized by law enforcement officers.

 

Dickinson cautioned that these charges are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

A Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy that produced and sold thousands of false identification documents to illegal aliens.

Luis Daniel Cabrera-Guzman, also known as “Driver,” 30, a citizen of Mexico residing in Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to two years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Cabrera-Guzman to forfeit $403,700 to the government, which represents the total proceeds from the sale of at least 7,122 counterfeit identification documents during this criminal enterprise. Cabrera-Guzman must also forfeit to the government $9,376 that was seized by law enforcement officers at the time of his arrest, and which was obtained as the proceeds of his criminal conduct.

Cabrera-Guzman pleaded guilty on Nov. 4, 2014, to his role in the conspiracy to provide false identification documents. According to court documents, Cabrera-Guzman has been illegally living in the United States periodically since 2001. He was deported in May 2009 and June 2009 and illegally reentered the country.

Cabrera-Guzman admitted that he participated in a conspiracy with Eriberto Moises Medina-Aranda, 40, of Rayville, Mo., Ulises Montiel-Lazcano, 35, of Merriam, Kan., Cesar Mujica-Aranda, also known as “Oscar Gomez,” 25, of Liberty, Mo., and Bernardino Bautista-Hernandez, 32, also known as “Brujo,” of Kansas City, Mo., all of whom are citizens of Mexico, from Sept. 1, 2013, to Feb. 21, 2014, to produce and distribute thousands of false and counterfeit identification documents that were sold to aliens unlawfully residing and working within the United States.

Medina-Aranda, Montiel-Lazcano, Mujica-Aranda and Bautista-Hernandez all have pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy in a separate but related case and await sentencing.

Mujica-Aranda admitted that he managed the production of counterfeit identification documents at his Liberty apartment. He managed the production of the false identification documents and sold the documents to numerous street level dealers, such as Bautista-Hernandez and Cabrera-Guzman. Mujica-Aranda produced fraudulent Lawful Permanent Resident cards, counterfeit Social Security cards, and false driver’s licenses from various states within the United States as well as Mexican states. Conspirators produced and sold thousands of false identification documents to illegal aliens so that the illegal aliens could stay and work within the United States.

Cabrera-Guzman admitted that he was one of the street-level dealers who illegally sold counterfeit identification documents. The street dealers would typically pay approximately $50 for each counterfeit identification document and they would keep any excess proceeds they were able to obtain from the sale of the counterfeit documents. Cabrera-Guzman sold sets of fraudulent Lawful Permanent Resident cards and counterfeit Social Security cards for approximately $100 per document set. (The newer versions of the updated Lawful Permanent Resident cards sold for more money.) Cabrera-Guzman sold false driver’s licenses from various states within the United States as well as Mexican states for about $100 each. He also sold false Mexican consular identification cards for approximately $100 each and fake Kansas City, Mo., liquor licenses for approximately $100.

On Jan. 30, 2014, Mujica-Aranda threw away a white plastic bag containing shredded pieces of fraudulent identity documents in a trash can at a gas station at St. John Avenue and Belmont in Kansas City, Mo. Early the next morning, a federal agent located the bag in the trash can. The bag contained shredded pieces of fraudulent identification documents, and weighed approximately two pounds. Each piece was approximately the size of a small paper clip, and the shredded pieces were immediately recognizable as fraudulent Lawful Permanent Resident cards, Social Security cards, Missouri non-driver’s licenses and Kansas identification cards. The agent also discovered two reels of depleted color card printer ribbon within the shredded pieces. One reel had images of fraudulent Lawful Permanent Resident cards.

Investigators secured a total of 16 reels of depleted color card printer ribbons weighing a total of 24 pounds, which were seized from a dumpster located at a gas station, a residence in Liberty, Mo., and a storage unit in Excelsior Springs, Mo. A United States Secret Service forensic testing lab evaluated these ribbons and was able to ascertain that the ribbons contained front and back images of 3,185 Lawful Permanent Resident cards.