Power line work is causing some issue for drivers on South Belt Highway.
The St. Joseph Police Department is warning drivers to avoid S. Belt Highway and Lafayette St. for the next 20 minutes due to power line work. The alert was issued shortly before 1 p.m. Some roads in the area are closed.
Officers with the St. Joseph Police Department are on scene directing traffic around the trucks. One lane is closed to southbound traffic in the area, all northbound lanes are open.
Crews with Kansas City Power & Light on scene said they are working to run new lines.
Authorities have identified the man whose body was pulled from water where a submerged vehicle was found earlier this week.
48-year-old Ezequiel Contreras-Vasques of St. Joseph has been identified by the Missouri State Highway Patrol as the individual found in water Tuesday night near Bankers Crossing just off of 59 Highway.
As we previously reported, authorities responded around 7:30 p.m. to a call of a partially submerged vehicle but when the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Department arrived on scene less than 12 minutes later the vehicle was already fully submerged.
The Highway Patrol was called in to assist about 15 minutes later. The vehicle was removed from water with no one inside. A search of the water in the area lead to the discovery of Contreras-Vasques’s body.
The Buchanan County Sheriff’s Department has previously said the Patrol is taking over the case as it appears to be a crash however the Patrol has not yet ruled it an accident. The Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control continues to investigate. Autopsy results are pending.
A St. Joseph man has been charged in connection with a carjacking last week at U.S. Oil in midtown that resulted in the death of a 77-year-old man.
Paul Albert Belding, 27 is charged in Buchanan County with a felony for second-degree murder in connection with the death of Richard Marion Gray of St. Joseph.
The prosecutor’s office said Belding is charged with causing Gray’s death by causing head injuries to the victim while stealing the victim’s van. The charge carries a punishment range of 10 to 30 years or life in prison. 85-percent of any sentence is required to be served before becoming eligible for parole.
According to court documents, on June 13 Belding fled from the Community Supervision Center at Probation and Parole located in the 3300 block of Faraon St. and was seen on video surveillance from U.S. Oil and Domino’s at 22nd and Messanie Streets where video footage recorded the theft of the van owned by the victim.
Probable Cause document
“Following a struggle between the victim and the suspect. The defendant fled the scene in the stolen van and caused the victim to be thrown from the van and suffer serious head injuries,” said Det. C. Davis with the St. Joseph Police Department. “According to statements taken from witnesses, the defendant committed the carjacking that led to this death.”
Belding had an active felony warrant from probation and parole when he was arrested. Davis said Belding also has an extensive criminal history including convictions for drugs, assault, and stealing of a motor-vehicle.
“He has arrests for drugs, parole violation, property damage, failure to appear, stealing of a M/V, domestic assault, stealing M/V parts, assault 2nd, and possession of a gambling device,” Davis said.
Court document said Gray died over the weekend from head injuries he sustained after being drug by a vehicle.
An arraignment has been scheduled for Friday at 8:15 a.m. Bail for Belding has been set at $150,000 cash only.
(Update 11 p.m.) – The Buchanan County Sheriff’s Department said a man’s body has been recovered from the water where a submerged vehicle was found Tuesday evening just south of St. Joseph.
According to Col. Bill Puett with the department, deputies received a 911 call around 7:24 p.m. of a partially submerged vehicle in the water near Bankers Crossing just off of 59 Highway. Puett said when deputies arrived on scene less than 12 minutes later the vehicle was fully submerged.
“Deputies swam out and started looking for a vehicle and located one in the water,” Puett said. “One deputy stayed with the vehicle and tried to search it and didn’t locate anyone while the vehicle was under water.”
A tow truck pulled the vehicle out and no one was found inside. Puett said the Missouri State Highway Patrol was called in to assist and began dragging the water and authorities then pulled man’s body from the pond.
Sgt. Jake Angle with the highway patrol said the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control has been requested and will be leading the investigation. He said further information will be provided as the investigation moves forward.
Puett previously said the highway patrol is taking over the lead on the case as it appears to be a fatal car crash. However, Angle said he cannot confirm that as authorities are still investigating to determine what happened.
Runway buckles at Rosecrans. Photo courtesy Abe Forney
Rosecrans Memorial Airport has been forced to close its runway after heat caused its main runway to buckle.
“We have a main runway that’s 8,000 foot long and right in the middle of it, 4,000 foot down the runway we had some concrete buckle,” said Abe Forney, Rosecrans General Manager. “This hot air that we’ve had hasn’t given time for the soil temperatures to heat up slowly and so when it does it rapidly I guess that concrete expands fast and unfortunately this happened.”
Forney said the runway was closed Tuesday morning around 8-thirty.
“The crosswind runway is currently being reconstructed so they’re pouring brand new concrete on that and unfortunately this happened on the main runway so the whole airport is currently closed,” Forney said.
He said crews are cutting the concrete and working to remove about 30 panels.
Runway buckles at Rosecrans. Photo courtesy Abe Forney
“Hopefully they will pour the concrete tomorrow,” Forney said. “That concrete needs to cure so we don’t have an exact time or date but we’re doing our best to try to get things patched up as soon as possible so I don’t have an exact time or date.”
He said worst case scenario the airport could be closed for around a week. The cost of the project is unknown at this time.
Two businesses providing interactive escape games opened doors for the first time in St. Joseph over the weekend.
Great Escape Quest opened for business Friday at 5908 North Belt and The Panel Room held a soft launch Saturday at its location at 107 S. 4th St.
Brent Roach, Co-Owner of Great Escape Quest said he and his wife decided to open an escape room in St. Joseph after visiting several in other locations around the country.
Photo courtesy Great Escape Quest
“It’s a room where you and anywhere from three, to five, six of your friends get locked into a room and have to solve puzzles and clues and such to unlock locks and escape from the room before an hour runs out,” Roach said.
Zach Tebow, Co-Owner of The Panel Room said it’s an interactive game designed around riddles and puzzles.
The Panel Room logo
“You’re in a room with nine other people and you figure out based on clues hidden throughout the room how to make your escape,” Tebow said. “I have always wanted to bring some sort of an entertainment concept here and I just wasn’t sure what.”
Both escape games have one room currently in operation. The Great Escape Quest has plans to open a second room soon and The Panel Room plans to change things up in the future.
“We’re starting out with one and down the road we can change it,” Tebow said. “Our plans are to install more rooms here in the weeks coming.”
“The first room we have now is called ‘The Man Cave’. While it is a sports oriented room you do not have to be a sports lover or a sports fan to participate in it,” Roach said. “We have an office coming up in a couple of weeks.”
Tebow said plans started on The Panel Room earlier this year. Roach said the Great Escape Quest has been a work in progress for the past several months.
Both cost around $20/person to participate and are taking booking reservations online. The Panel Room has hours of operation Tuesday through Saturday. The Great Escape is currently open Friday and Saturday.
Police have confirmed that the victim of a carjacking last week at U.S. Oil in midtown St. Joseph has died.
Capt. Jeff Wilson said Monday that Richard Marion Gray, 77 has died as a result of injuries he sustained during the incident.
As we previously reported, police said Gray was attempting to stop another man from stealing his van last Monday around 5 p.m. at the gas station located at 601 S. 22nd St. In his attempt to keep the man from taking the vehicle Gray was reported to have fallen from the van and hit his head.
The vehicle was recovered later that same day and Thursday authorities said they had identified a person of interest in the case.
Wilson said detectives are currently working closely with the prosecutor’s office. He said no further information can be released at this time due to the status of the investigation.
Area firework stands have been gearing up for months for the start of Missouri’s firework season.
“We actually started before the Fourth of July last year,” said Becky Thomas with Kovac’s Fireworks. “We start ordering before the Fourth for the next year for all of our imports. It’s pretty much an all year process but the hard part started in February. We started setting up in February as the containers come in and we’re still working.”
Stacy Blake with Schneitter Fireworks said they have also been preparing for this year’s Independence Day celebrations since last year.
“We’re open all year round so in September we’re already starting to pick out our new fireworks for the coming year,” Blake said. “We’re here all year round trying to get ready for the Fourth but our last push is really the last couple of months.”
Missouri selling season starts Monday, June 20 and runs through Sunday, July 10th. A second selling season is held around Christmas and New Year’s. Blake said prior to the start of the season there are some stipulations on firework purchases.
“If they come in to buy all year round they have to sign a waiver saying they know what the Missouri shooting season is,” she said.
Thomas said there are many new fireworks this year.
“I like to shop and I like to bring new things in every year,” she said. “There’s always something new. We usually do 50 to 100 new items every year.”
In St. Joseph city limits residents will officially be able to start shooting off fireworks Monday until the end of the season on July 10th. However, city ordinance has some stipulations on the types of fireworks allowed. Fireworks with a report or any device that discharges a projectile are not allowed according to the ordinance. Fireworks that met with approval in city limits included items like sparklers, fountains, snappers, and snakes. To view the ordinance in full CLICK HERE.
Blake said many of the fireworks allowed in town can be found in the “safe and sane” section which includes the children’s items, novelty items and fountains.
“You just need to look in what county you’re in and look at their rules and regulations and go with that,” Blake said.
With the Fourth of July falling on Monday this year both Blake and Thomas expect to have a good year when it comes to firework sales.
“If the weather is right this year we have Friday, Saturday, Sunday and then the Fourth is on a Monday,” Thomas said. “It’s really good for the shoppers because it spreads everybody out.”
“It should be a good year with it being on a Monday,” Blake said. “They can shop all weekend.”
A St. Joseph man has been charged after a more than two hour long standoff earlier this week.
Jason Roberts, 33 is charged in Buchanan County with a felony for resisting arrest.
According to court documents, on Monday around 4:30 p.m. Roberts is accused of resisting arrest by pulling his arm away from a police officer trying to detain him on a felony warrant.
“The suspect then entered a residence and locked the door not allowing officers to arrest him,” said Det. Greg Ogdahl. “The suspect told officers he wanted to ‘shoot it out.'”
Ogdahl said Roberts was finally able to be taken into custody after a door was forced open at the home located in the 2600 block of Mary St.
As we previously reported, police said Roberts was transported to Mosaic Life Care for treatment of minor self-inflicted non life-threatening injuries.
Roberts is being held on $10,000 bond. An arraignment is set for Friday.
The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office said a court appearance on a drug-related case Tuesday resulted in a disturbance.
Jefferson O. Patton, 34 of Chillicothe pleaded guilty to a class b felony for a drug crime and was sentenced to 9-years behind bars Tuesday in Livingston County court.
“Mr. Patton then became irate and is alleged to have acted completely improper by yelling profanity and making other comments toward the court,” the office said in a news release. “Although in full restraints, Mr. Patton continued with his high level of resistance with staff and his disturbance and foul language to the Court and staff.”
While a deputy and detention staff were allegedly trying to remove Patton from the courtroom, who was reported to be a rather large man one of the detention officer’s arms went through a window of a side room door.
“Mr. Patton is reported to have continued his resistance all the way out of the courthouse and refused to comply with getting into a transport van’s secured area,” the office said. “A small group of people that were present in support of Mr. Patton were ordered from the Courthouse and property for the disturbing actions taking place inside the Courthouse.”
Sheriff Steve Cox and Chief Deputy Claypole, a detention officer were then able to secure Patton in the safety transport area of the van.
The sheriff’s office said potential criminal charge(s) are being reviewed and an investigation will be completed regarding this incident. One or more of the members present in Court to support of Patton may also potentially face a charge of Disturbing a Judicial Proceeding for his/her action(s).
“Fortunately no one received significant injury during this situation,” the office said.
Sheriff Cox is also submitting documents to the Missouri Department of Corrections about Patton regarding the security level and officer safety situation displayed.
Police have confirmed that the victim of a carjacking last week at U.S. Oil in midtown St. Joseph has died.
