A Kansas City woman is accused of fleeing from police while intoxicated with her two young children in the car and crashing her vehicle in Buchanan County.

Judy Montoya, 24 is charged in Platte County with a felony for resisting arrest and a misdemeanor for second degree endangering the welfare of a child.

According to court documents on Sunday around 11:38 Deputy Brian Hollandsworth with the Platte County Sheriff’s Department said he saw a white Cadillac traveling north on I-29 weave in and out of its lane.

“I activated the emergency lights and audible siren on my patrol vehicle and the Cadillac came to a stop on I-29 south of Z Highway.  The vehicle accelerated away from the stop location, and came to a second stop approximately one half mile north.  The vehicle fled a second time and continued north on I-29,” Hollandsworth said.

He said it reached speeds of 120 mph and passed vehicles in the median between the north and south bound lanes between Z Highway and US 169.

“On US 169 Highway in the area of T Highway in Buchanan County, the driver later identified as Judy Montoya extinguished the vehicle headlights and continued at excessive speeds,” Hollandsworth said.

Around midnight Monday the Cadillac was reported to have crashed on 169 south of E Highway in Buchanan County which is in-between Gower and St. Joseph.

“I contacted Montoya in the field where the car came to rest.  I placed Montoya under arrest and returned to the vehicle where her two minor children where secured inside,” Hollandsworth said.

A 5-year-old and  a 3-year-old were taken from the vehicle and evaluated by medical personnel. Sgt. Jake Angle with the MSHP said no one was injured in the crash.

“After she was advised of her Constitutional Rights by Miranda Warning, she stated she fled because she believed her driver’s license was suspended.  Montoya stated she was at a friend’s residence earlier in the evening and drank several shots of moonshine,” Hollandsworth said.

Court document state that Montoya said because her children refused to go to bed she drove them around to help them sleep.

“Approximately three and a half hours after the motor vehicle crash Montoya performed poorly on Standard Field Sobriety Tests and provided a breath sample of 0.076 BAC,” Hollandsworth said.

Montoya is being held in the Platte County Jail on $10,000 bond.

 

The Red Cross of Northwest Missouri said its regularly scheduled blood drive is now more important than ever in the wake of a Blizzard that hit the East Coast.

“It has caused a shortage of blood,” said Angie Spring, Ex Dir for the American Red Cross of Northwest Missouri. “When there is a critical shortage across our nation we want to make sure that people have blood.  There’s only one way you can get that lifesaving product.”

The American Red Cross said it currently has an emergency need for blood and platelet donations. The agency said severe winter storms since Jan. 1 have forced the cancellation of hundreds of blood drives resulting in more than 9,500 uncollected donations creating the emergency need.  Springs said there is a Blood Drive scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 26 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Northwest office located at 401 North 12th St.

“We’re really trying to step up on that front to assist those in need,” Springs said. “We keep a blood drive scheduled every 56 days so it just happens to fall at the right time.”

Springs said anyone wanting to give blood just needs to show up during the blood drive to help with those efforts.

“Everyone deserves the gift of life,” Springs said. “It does not hurt at all to give blood.  It’s a very easy process and takes usually about an hour and with each unit of blood we collect you can save up to three lives.”

To drop off monetary donation or for more information contact the Red Cross at (816) 232-8439

 

 

A woman is in custody following a crash in Buchanan County early Monday morning.

According to Sgt. Jeffrey Shanks with the Platte County Sheriff’s Office a woman was taken into custody by the Platte County Sheriff’s Office for a 24 hour investigative hold after a police pursuit out of Platte County ended up in a crash in Buchanan County a little after midnight.

Shanks said an officer was attempting to stop a 2006 Cadillac CTS around 11:30 p.m. Sunday night on northbound I-29 for expired dealer plates when a pursuit began.

Law enforcement from Buchanan County and the Missouri State Highway Patrol were called in to assist.

The crash took place around midnight on 169 south of State Highway E in Buchanan County.  Both lanes of the highway were shutdown for about two hours while crews were on scene.

The investigation continues

 

Another year of Empty Bowls to battle hunger will take place this week in St. Joseph.

“The hope is to have a lot of people come out and enjoy a lot of good food and then the proceeds with help others not face empty bowls,” said Chad Higdon, Second Harvest Community Food Bank Ex. Dir.

Second Harvest is one of four agencies that make up the Hunger Coalition which puts on the event every year. The other three organizations in St. Joseph are InterServ, Open Door Food Kitchen and Catholic Charities.

“It’s really a unique partnership where all those four organizations come together and organize one event just to bring awareness to the issue of hunger,” Higdon said.

The 11th annual Empty Bowls event is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 26 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Wyatt Park Baptist Church located at 2902 N. Leonard Road.  Admission is $25 and includes soup samples from 14 area restaurants, bread, drink and dessert.  Higdon said proceeds raised from the event are split between each of the organizations involved in the hunger coalition.

“Every organization has got their unique mission,” Higdon said. “We work well together and just make sure we are working to eliminate duplication and streamline services that are provided to the community.”

 

The St. Joseph Police Department is urging drivers not to leave their cars unattended and idling otherwise the department said they could find them missing.

“Don’t start your vehicle and go inside and close your door and not watch your vehicle,” Wilson said. “It’s a lot more inconvenient to come out and find your car gone.”

Vehicle thefts are up in St. Joseph and Wilson said a vast majority of them are due to drivers leaving their keys in the ignition.

“They’re driving them for awhile and then basically abandoning them,” Wilson said. “We’ve recovered multiple several vehicles over the course of the past several months or two but it’s unfortunate that we have to do that.”

In 2015 there were 484 motor vehicle thefts reported, that’s 137 more than in 2014.  Thursday morning alone Wilson said there were two reports of vehicles being stolen due to drivers letting their vehicle warm-up unattended.

“It’s similar to what we’re seeing with a majority of our stolen vehicles in the city. A lot of those are vehicles that community members are choosing to warm their vehicle up and they’re leaving it running…and unfortunately some of our criminals are taking advantage when they’re doing that,” Wilson said.

Wilson said in St. Joseph there’s actually a City Ordinance that states you can’t leave a vehicle running unattended.

“That ordinance covers the city street but even in your driveways…There is remote start mechanisms that the vehicle is inoperable without the key being in the vehicle but unfortunately sometimes there is technology to get around that,” Wilson said. “My suggestion is if you’re going to warm your vehicle up to be certain that you can keep it in eye shot and know what’s going on.”

 

 

The Olympia Lanes building is being sold to a developer with plans for a new business to move in.

Ray Sisson, a real estate agent with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Stein & Summers Real Estate said the building is currently under contract.  A close date is anticipated for Tuesday, Jan. 26.

“We have a developer who has a client he has not shared who his client is who has bought the building to convert it to a retail store,” Sisson said.

The 30,000 square foot facility is going to be renovated on the inside and out.

“They had contractors in the building yesterday and the day before so it’s something that is going to happen,” Sisson said.

He said the bowling lanes will be removed and the front of the store will be remodeled.

While the store itself was not announced, Sisson said the owners have around 80 or 90 stores and that it’s a regional company.

The bowling equipment will not go to waste either, he said the owners are in the bowling business in Wichita, Kan. and can use the equipment elsewhere.  The process of removing the bowling lanes is anticipated to start next Wednesday.

 

(Update 2:20 p.m. ) – A St. Joseph man is accused of driving a vehicle stolen from the home that was destroyed by a fire Monday and was also the site of a double murder last summer.

Brian Scott Stepp, 25 is charged in Buchanan County with a felony for first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle.

Investigators were called out to a home located on 8610 Hurlingen Road after 3 p.m. Monday to assist fire crews that were concerned about contents of the residence.  The fire caused extensive damage and the Missouri State Fire Marshall’s Office was called in to investigate.

Col. Bill Puett said it was determined that items were stolen from the property, including a vehicle.

According to court document on Tuesday around 1:30 p.m. investigators saw Stepp driving a 1997 Ford Power Stroke Diesel that was stolen from the property on Hurlingen Road.

“We watched him exit the driver’s seat and go into a residence,”Investigator Tami Parsons with the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Dept. said. “Stepp indicated to us he forcibly entered the detached garage located at 8610 NE Hurlingen Road and took the Ford pickup.”

Puett said deputies arrested a man Tuesday evening in Country Side Trailer Court in connection with the investigation of property that was taken.  A woman has also been taken into custody in relation to that investigation, no charges were filed against her as of 2:20 p.m. Wednesday.

Bond for Stepp was set at $25,000 cash.

The Fire Marshall’s Office is still investigating the fire on Hurlingen Road.  That home was also the site where James and Beverly Johnson were found dead of gunshot wounds in July.  Their grandson, 16-year-old Joseph Johnson pleaded guilty to the shootings and is slated for a sentencing hearing on March 4. No one has been living in the home since the couple’s deaths.