A Trenton man will serve more than two decades behind bars for the murder of his business associate.
Jameson Read, 26 was sentenced Monday to 21 years for felony second degree murder and 21 years for felony first-degree assault in connection with the death of 54-year-old John Vencill of Trenton in 2013. Read pleaded guilty to the charges in Oct. The sentences will run concurrently with each other.
As we previously reported, in 2013 Police Chief Tommy Wright said Read was charged after Vencill was reported missing. Wright alleges Read shot Vencill several times at Read’s home in Trenton.
Wright says Read allegedly dumped the victim’s vehicle in a farm pond in a remote part of Sullivan County. Police recovered the vehicle with Vencill’s body inside.
St. Joseph has been ranked as the laziest city in Missouri according to a new report.
Financial website 24/7 Wall St. released a report on Nov. 20 of the laziest cities in each of the 50 states.
In Missouri, St. Joe won gold finding only 71.5% of St. Joseph residents get exercise regularly. That’s less than the 73.7% of Missouri adults overall.
The average across the US came in at 73% overall for those who exercise regularly.
St. Joe’s obesity rate came in at 35.2%, much higher than Missouri’s 30.9% rate.
An Illinois man is accused of kicking and biting and punching officers in Andrew County over the weekend after claiming to work for the C.I.A. and a tracking device inside of himself.
Carl Bernard Kelley III, 34 of Fairview Heights, Ill. is charged with three felonies for assault on a law enforcement officer, a misdemeanor for resisting/interfering with arrest, and a misdemeanor for operating a motor vehicle in a careless and imprudent manner.
According to court documents, around 5:40 a.m. Saturday the Andrew County Sheriff’s Department responded to 59 highway on a report of a white van parked in the driving lane. Deputy Robert Elam said a man was located in the passenger seat with a red handled utility knife in his right hand which was inside the pocket of the grey hoodie he was wearing and was asleep.
“Several attempts to wake the suspect were made but he didn’t wake up,” Elam said.
Elam said deputies requested an ambulance.
“When the ambulance arrived the subject woke up and spoke to the paramedic. He refused to give her his name and started to talk about being employed by the C.I.A. and that he had a tracking device inside him,” Elam said. “He refuse to give his name and called himself Butch. He was told to get out of the vehicle, he refused.”
After several attempts to get Kelley out of the vehicle, Elam said he got out and sat on the back passenger side.
“He was told to stand and put his hands on the vehicle and he refused stating that he was with the C.I.A. and that they were coming to help him,” Elam said.
When another deputy tried to grab his wrist to pull him up Elam said Kelley pulled away and that’s when Elam drew his taser.
“He jumped and asked not to be tased. He was told to stand up and place his hands on the vehicle. He refused,” Elam said. “I warned him I was going to taser him.”
Elam said he deployed his taser twice, the first attempt just made contact with the suspect’s hoodie.
“I deployed another set of darts that made contact and he jumped up and started swinging and screaming then he jumped into the back seat of the van and covered up,” Elam said. “I opened the back hatch and told the suspect to get out of the vehicle, he refused.”
Elam said he stunned the suspect again.
“He jumped and swung at me, he grabbed a painters roller bar and tried to strike me in the chest and face, then he started to strike the left side window and right side window, “Elam said. “After Savannah City Officer Zeigler arrived he distracted the suspect and I grabbed the roller bar and took it from him.”
Elam said he tried to grab the suspect who was attempting to climb out the back left window of the van.
“He struck me in the face with his closed fist hitting me in nose and mouth,” Elam said.
He said two other officers pinned the man down in the back seat and were able to restrain his wrists. Elam said the suspect began to kick and bit another deputy on his hand.
“I retrieved a set of leg restraints and was able to get one on the suspect and was kicked in the chest,” Elam said. “The suspect was removed from the vehicle and put on the ground. He was placed in a Savannah Police vehicle and transported to Mosaic ER for treatment and mental health evaluation.”
A man who was killed in DeKalb County over the weekend after police said he pointed a rifle at officers has been identified.
Lionel S. Kerns, 53 of Stewartsville has been identified by the Missouri State Highway Patrol as the suspect who was killed by police.
Sgt. Jake Angle with MSHP said officers with the MSHP and the Dekalb County Sheriff’s Department responded Sunday to a domestic disturbance to US 36 and Thorton Road.
“Upon the officers arrival a white male suspect exited the residence and pointed a rifle at the officers,” Angle said. “The officers ordered the suspect to drop the weapon and the suspect failed to comply, at which time the officers discharged their weapons fatally wounding the suspect.”
The investigation continues by the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control and the Dekalb County Sheriff’s Department.
Vandals hit several homes in Chillicothe Sunday morning according to police.
The Chillicothe Police Department is asking residents to report any vandalism to police that may have taken place Sunday morning. The Department said on Sunday during the morning hours there were multiple reports of vandalism to residence in the 3rd Street area, from Woodrow Street south to Grandview Avenue.
The Department is also asking for any and all information related to the recent incidents including any suspicious activity or suspicious persons seen in the area.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Chillicothe Police Department at 660-646-2121.
A man was shot and killed Sunday morning in Dekalb County after authorities said he pointed a firearm at police.
According to Sgt. Jake Angle with the Missouri State Highway Patrol around 10:18 a.m. the MSHP and the Dekalb County Sheriff’s Department responded to a domestic disturbance at US 36 and Thorton Road in DeKalb County.
“Officers made contact with a white male suspect armed with a weapon and ordered the suspect to drop the weapon,” Angle said. “The suspect pointed the weapon at officers at which time officers fired their weapons and fatally wounded the suspect.”
The identity of the suspect is not being released at this time.
Troopers from the Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control and the Dekalb County Sheriff’s Department continue to investigate.
More than $400,000 in methamphetamine was seized according to the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Department during a search Saturday morning in St Joseph.
On Friday November 27th, 2015, at approximately 10:50 P.M. investigators from the Buchanan County Drug Strike Force stopped a 58 year old female in the 2100 block of South 12thStreet in Saint Joseph, Missouri. The female was wanted out of Benton County for stealing and drug related charges and was arrested on three outstanding warrants. Investigators found approximately 380 grams of methamphetamine on her when she was arrested.
Drug Strike Force investigators obtained a search warrant for a house located at 2107 S. 12th Street at 1:20 A.M. on Saturday November 28th. During the search warrant, investigators found nine more packages of what is believed to be methamphetamine. Each package weighed approximately one pound. In total, the investigators seized over 4,450 grams of methamphetamine with an approximate street value of $445,000. Strike Force investigators are attempting to identify other potential suspects involved in this case.
The Missouri Department of Transportation said it’s had crews out monitoring road conditions across northwest Missouri.
“We’ve had crews out all night monitoring road conditions and treating as needed in various areas throughout our 20 county region,” said Marcia Johnson, MoDOT Communications Specialist.
As of 8:30 a.m. the MoDOT traveler information map showed several roads in the area as mostly clear or partially covered. Around 7 a.m. area law enforcement agencies began warning drivers about slick driving conditions with heavy ice covering several highways in the region. The Nodaway County Sheriff’s Office said on Facebook its had several reports of slide offs resulting in roll over accidents.
“Remember to drive slow and be vigilant behind the wheel of your car,” the Sheriff’s office said.
Johnson said MoDOT crews are prepared for the winter conditions.
“We have salt, we have sand, we have beat juice that we use, we have salt brine that we use it depends on the air temperature, road temperature conditions what stuff we use,” Johnson said. “If it’s a mix of rain with the freezing rain that changes the way we treat because it will wash the material off the roadways. It just depends on what’s happening in that location at the time what we use.”
The National Weather Service issued a freezing rain advisory for several counties in northwest Missouri and northeast Kansas until Saturday at 6 a.m.
Johnson said crews will continue to monitor the roadways and update MoDOT’s traveler information map on conditions.
CLICK HERE for link to the latest road conditions in the area.
Freezing rain in Highland, Kan. Photo by Nadia Thacker
The St. Joseph Police Department issued warnings Friday morning telling drivers to avoid highways in the area due to heavy ice.
At 7:30 a.m. police warned drivers to avoid 36 Hwy in Buchanan County due to heavy ice.
A second warning was issued at 7:52 a.m. warning drivers to avoid 59 Hwy from Bankers Crossing to Rushville due to heavy ice.
Freezing rain started causing issues early this morning creating slick driving conditions around the area.
A freezing rain advisory remains in effect until 6 a.m. Saturday for much of the area.
According to the National Weather Service freezing rain and sleet is likely to continue before 4 p.m. Friday then areas of freezing drizzle and sleet are possible before 7 p.m. The high Friday is only anticipated to reach around 31-degrees.
Ice accumulation from a few hundredths of an inch in western Missouri to greater than a tenth of an inch in East Central Kansas is possible through late this evening.
Drivers should be especially careful on elevated surfaces like bridges. Power lines and trees can also be a danger under the weight of ice accretion.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol made a large drug bust Tuesday afternoon in Andrew County.
Sgt. Jake Angle with the Missouri State Highway Patrol said a Trooper stopped a camper traveling southbound on I-29 near the 53 mile marker around 12:40 p.m.
“Through the course of the traffic stop and investigation it was determined there was contraband on that vehicle a search of that vehicle revealed approximately 60lbs of marijuana,” Angle said.
He said typically processed marijuana like that can have a street value between $5,000 to $7,000 per pound.
“We believe the vehicle was passing through but that case is still under investigation so I can’t release all of the details at this time,” Angle said.
A 45-year-old man from North Carolina was arrested as a result of the investigation.
“There was just indicators that led the officer to believe that there was maybe more to the traffic stop then just a traffic violation,” Angle said.
A Trenton man will serve more than two decades behind bars for the murder of his business associate.
