(Missourinet) – A two day search tracked down the man suspected of killing a western Missouri police officer on late Sunday night.

Ian McCarthy was located by a state trooper after being spotted by a driver passing by near a resort on Truman Lake close to western-Missouri’s Clinton.

McCarthy is accused of gunning down 37-year-old Clinton Police Officer Gary Michael during a traffic stop.

Dozens of law enforcement officers had been searching the Clinton area for McCarthy since the incident.  A Tuesday afternoon SWAT operation at a home 22-miles away in Chilhowee came up empty handed.

Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Bill Lowe confirmed that McCarthy sustained a gunshot wound when Officer Michael returned fire during the exchange.

“This just goes to the statement I made yesterday that Officer Michael was heroic to the end” said Lowe.  “Even sustaining a fatal gunshot wound, he was able to return fire.”

McCarthy was taken to a hospital in Kansas City last night in stable condition.  Shortly after the Sunday night incident, McCarthy crashed and disabled the vehicle he was driving, possibly the result of the wound he received from Michael.

Sgt. Lowe said it’s not known yet if McCarthy was aided by any other persons in sustaining himself for the two days following the shooting.

“That’s part of the process that we’re going to go through, is to figure out how he got to where he was.  Did he have any help?  That’s an investigation that’s going to continue.”

McCarthy was taken into custody without incident shortly after 6:15 Tuesday evening.  A number of vacant properties in Clinton were searched the previous day where it was thought McCarthy could have been hiding.

McCarthy has a lengthy criminal past. He has a felony warrant out for unlawful possession of a firearm in July of 2015 in Johnson County, Kansas. He also has an active first degree assault warrant in New Hampshire.

McCarthy has been associated with 20 criminal violations there between 1997 and 2011. A 2001 felony first-degree assault charge resulted in a prison sentence after a jury convicted him of stabbing a child several times in the neck.

Michael, who had been on the force less than a year, is the first Clinton police officer killed in the line of duty. He served in the armed forces prior to joining the Clinton Police Department.

An impromptu observance is planned for 10 a.m. Wednesday as residents plan to line the streets to pay respect when Officer Michael’s body is returned to Clinton.

A candle light vigil has been set to take place Wednesday night at 8:30 at The Henry County Court House in Clinton.

Visitation will be held Friday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Vansant-Mills Funeral Home in Clinton.  A second public viewing will be held at the Benson Convention Center in Clinton from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday.

Michael’s funeral will be held on Saturday at 11 a.m. at the convention center.

(Missourinet) -Today is one of the first elections in the state since new voter ID requirements became law. The Missouri Legislature passed a bill last year that boosts requirements when voters go to the polls.

Missourians who do not have a photo ID can still vote. Those without one must instead sign a statement affirming their identity and address.

Special elections are underway today in the 50th House district and the 28th Senatorial district. Other issues are also on local ballots today.

Republican Sara Walsh and Democrat Michela Skelton are vying for the Columbia-area House seat to replace Republican Caleb Jones, who now works for Governor Eric Greitens. Democrat Al Skalicky of Bolivar and Republican Sandy Crawford of Buffalo are seeking the Senate seat vacated by Missouri Lt. Governor Mike Parson.

(Update Missourinet) –

3:45 p.m.

A Swat operation is reported to be in progress at a home in a Chilhowee neighborhood. Law enforcement has been working on a tip that Ian McCarthy could be in the area, and at the house when the Swat team has set up.

1:42 p.m.

The Chilhowee Corner Store about 22 miles north if Clinton has reportedly been on lock down since late Tuesday morning. It’s not known if the action was taken in response to the possibility of Ian McCarthy being in the area.

1:4o p.m.

The search for the man accused of killing a police officer late Sunday night in western-Missouri’s Clinton continues. 39-year-old Ian McCarthy has been on the loose since crashing his vehicle shortly after 37-year-old officer Gary Michael was shot during a traffic stop.

Henry County Sheriff J. Kent Oberkrom says search efforts continue to be concentrated in the local area, despite the growing length of time McCarthy’s been missing.

“That’s accurate because we don’t have any information to tell us otherwise” said Oberkrom. “It’s kind of a default decision. We don’t have any information that tells us that he’s away or gone to another location. So we’re assuming that he is still somewhere in the community.”

There have been no reports of stolen or missing vehicles that would’ve allowed McCarthy to flee the area. He’s charged with first degree murder in the incident.

Late Monday afternoon and into the night, law enforcement focused their search on a number of vacant properties where it was thought McCarthy could be hiding. Oberkrom says those locations have been fully explored.

“I feel pretty comfortable that anything that is vacant or had an open door got shook last night. These guys worked really hard, and they we’re calling out a lot of stuff. We searched a lot of vacant properties.”

Sheriff Oberkrom notes law enforcement’s been in touch with all known associates of McCarthy. He says they’ve been cooperative, but haven’t been able to provide useful information.

“We’ve been in contact with a lot of his folks and friends. Those folks are very limited. We’ve been in touch with them. At this point, I think most folks are comfortable that they would report. And their association with him has been very limited. Some have not seen him or had contact with him for several months.”

McCarthy is also not known to have been employed anywhere in the Clinton area, or have any relatives close-by.

5 a.m. Tuesday

Efforts to track down 39-year-old Ian McCarthy, who’s charged with first degree murder in the shooting death of Clinton, Missouri police officer Gary Michael, were unsuccessful Monday night.

At about 9:30 p.m. Monday night, law enforcement teams appeared to gather and conference at the city’s new 9-1-1 center. Several locations were staked out earlier in the day where it was thought McCarthy might be hold up, including a closed up school and a number of houses.

McCarthy was not found.

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CLINTON, Mo. (AP) — Authorities searching for a suspect in the killing of a western Missouri police officer believe he is still in the area where the shooting occurred.

State, county and city law enforcement officers are searching for 39-year-old Ian McCarthy, who is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Clinton police officer Gary Michael late Sunday.

Michael was killed during a traffic stop in Clinton, 75 miles (120 kilometers) southeast of Kansas City.

Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Bill Lowe said early Tuesday that investigators have no information indicating McCarthy has left Clinton or Henry County.

Lowe says investigators are “fairly certain” McCarthy is still on foot.

Michael was the first officer to die in the line of duty in Clinton, a town of about 9,000 people.

(Missourinet) – More than 350,000 people are expected to attend the Missouri State Fair, which begins Thursday in Sedalia.

The opening ceremony is set for Thursday morning at 10 near the Agriculture building on the state fairgrounds. The opening day parade will take place Thursday evening at six on Missouri State Fair Boulevard.

State Fair Director Mark Wolfe said that staff members have scouted the grounds for any possible hazards.

“They come out every spring, spend several days here on the fairgrounds,” Wolfe says. “We look for everything from trip hazards to potholes to anything that we can find, they really look at the ground, the basic year-round grounds and the buildings here.”

Wolfe says the Highway Patrol will lead the public safety efforts at the 2017 fair.

“We also have local police and (Pettis) county deputies, those folks that work at the fair also, come out and do all of our physical security in terms of the buildings and locking the place up,” says Wolfe.

Wolfe says the fairgrounds feature a fully-staffed fire station, which also provides EMS service during the 11-day fair.

“We have kind of the world-famous set up with the only 11-day full-service fire station, fully-functional fire station in the world, so they come in with about 75 folks they have up to four engine companies on-site everyday,” Wolfe says.

The Missouri State Fair has seen impacted by severe weather several times over the years.

In 1952, a tornado struck the midway area, killing a carnival employee and causing about $700,000 in damage to 60 buildings on the fairgrounds. And in 2011 severe weather struck, causing damage to buildings. There were no fatalities in the 2011 storm.

Lieutenant Governor Mike Parson (R) encourages Missourians to attend the fair, saying that it “plays a critical role in promoting agriculture and showcasing the best of our great state.”

Agriculture is the fair’s main theme. A coalition called “Missouri Farmers Care” will hold a press conference Thursday morning at 10:45, outlining their efforts to feed hungry children.

The Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA) says about 350,000 people attended the 2016 State Fair.

The State Fair began in 1901, when two-thirds of Missouri’s population lived in rural areas.

At least four U.S. Presidents have visited the Missouri State Fair: William Howard Taft (1911), Harry Truman (1951), Ronald Reagan (1984) and George W. Bush (2004).

(Missourinet) – According to information from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, a Police Officer was shot and killed last night in western-Missouri’s Clinton.

According to the Patrol, 37-year-old Gary Michael, who has been with the Clinton P.D. for less than a year, was shot and killed following a traffic stop late last night near the Henry County Sheriff’s Office.

The patrol says Officer Michael had stopped a vehicle while on patrol.  They believe the suspect exited the vehicle and shot at Officer Michael.

They also say Officer Michael was able to return fire, but they do not know if the suspect was hit.  The suspect then fled the scene and his whereabouts are unknown.

A person of interest in the incident is 39-year-old Ian McCarthy of the Clinton area. Sergeant Bill Lowe of the Missouri Highway Patrol told KSHB the traffic stop was in regard to a registration violation.

Police believe McCarthy is on foot and still in the Clinton area, which is roughly 75 miles southeast of Kansas City.

Sgt. Lowe said there’s no dash cam or body cam video available of the incident.

(Missourinet) – An organization that’s trying to block union efforts to send Missouri’s new Right to Work law to a statewide vote are accusing union groups of lying and resorting to physical violence.

The political action committee (PAC) Liberty Alliance claims workers representing unions are giving out false information in order to gather signatures. The Alliance’s Kristin Davison says the workers are misinforming people about what their signatures mean.

“We’ve had several cases of voters who say they support right to work, being told that they need to sign the petition in order to vote on it, neglecting to tell that it’s already enacted into law and it goes into effect on the 28,” says Davison.

The unions need to collect enough signatures by late this month to get the right to work law before a public vote, which would also delay it from going into effect.

Liberty Alliance is a non-profit PAC with ties to Republican Governor Eric Greitens. Greitens’ campaign finance director, Meredith Gibbons, has helped raise money for it. Liberty’s website says the PAC is dedicated to defending Missouri’s Right to Work law, and that it opposes the proposed referendum (public vote).

Davison says Liberty’s members have observed a dozen instances when union canvassers knowingly collected signatures from people who aren’t registered to vote in Missouri. She also claims people were intimidated into signing the union petitions.

And further, Davison claims Liberty Alliance members have been harassed, verbally assaulted and subjected to physical abuse and “thuggery” when they confronted union canvassers.

“Recently in Columbia, one of our team members was physically assaulted, had his phone knocked out of his hand when he approached a petitioner for collecting invalid signatures,” she says.

Davison is joining two Republican state lawmakers, Senator Bob Onder of Lake St. Louis and Representative Holly Rehder of Sikeston, along with state Republican Party Chairman Todd Graves to raise awareness about the reported incidents.

The GOP super-majority legislature passed the right to work law with lightning speed this year. Numerous party members have banded together with business interests and advocates to defend the law since the unions ramped up their campaign to place it on the ballot.

Laura Swinford with the pro-labor group We Are Missouri says the allegations from Davison and Liberty Alliance are a ploy to discredit honest efforts to let voters make a decision about the law.

“It’s nothing that we haven’t seen before” says Swinford. “It’s just typical tricks to try to try to silence folks voices to keep them from being able to exercise their right to see this on a statewide ballot for all voters to decide.”

We Are Missouri advocates for labor causes and is heavily involved in the union campaign to get right to work on the ballot.

Meanwhile, a lawsuit targeting the union efforts could be headed to the state Supreme Court. At issue is language in a ballot summary, which is attached to documents workers carry as they’re gathering required signatures.

Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft wrote the language and is named in the suit along with Missouri AFL-CIO head Mike Louis.

The litigation is being handled by the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation and Liberty Alliance attorney Edward Greim.

They successfully argued before a circuit court in Cole County that the summary could be confusing to voters. That judge’s decision was appealed to a higher court by Secretary Ashcroft and Louis.

A three judge panel at the state’s Western District Court of Appeals in Kansas City reversed the lower bench ruling last Friday.

Greim has confirmed to Missourinet that he and the National Right to Work Foundation have applied with the appeals court to have the case transferred to the high court.

He says the ballot summary language is highly important because it not only is included on signature pages canvassers’ use, but also appear on the ballot when voters make a decision.

“When it goes on the ballot, you’ve got to have a majority of responders actually vote yes” says Greim. “And so, if the language is misleading, you’re in a good spot.”

Greim contends the ballot summary language is extremely vague and confusing.

“If you’ve read it, you’ll know that, you read through that thing and you know it has to do with right to work, but what exactly you’re voting for is not at all clear,” says Greim.

According to Greim, the Right to Work law would likely be rejected if the ballot summary goes before voters in its current form.

“Once you’re on the ballot with mistaken language or confusing language, people will just say ‘Forget it. If I can’t read it, if doesn’t make sense, if it’s not a real sentence, you’ve got to do better than that. I’m not going to vote for that.’ That’s all they need. And under the court of appeals decision, that’s what they’ve got,” says Greim.

Swinford with We Are Missouri says the unions’ have no ulterior motive to manipulate voters, but just want to let citizens decide the law’s fate.

“We’re not here for lawyers. We’re not here for a legal back and forth. We are here to make sure what we’re doing is giving voters the opportunity to exercise their right to vote on this issue on the ballot November 2018,” says Swinford.

In 1978, about 60% percent of Missourians rejected a right to work proposal.

(Missourinet) – Missouri ranks 8th highest among the 50 states in the rate at which it imprisons its people, including the greatest increase nationwide in its incarceration of women. However, the state continues to have a violent crime problem, especially in St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield, Columbia and Wellston.

Information from the Council of State Governments Justice Center says 85% of women and 69% of men are newly admitted to a Missouri prison for nonviolent offenses. The cost to taxpayers to lock up an inmate in state prison is at least $20,000 per year.

Why are so many people going to prison who could arguably be serving their sentence in the community and contributing to the tax base? One reason could involve Missouri being possibly the only state in the nation that provides a financial incentive to send defendants to state prison. Missouri reimburses counties for a portion of the defendant’s entire local jail time while the person’s case goes through the court system. The catch is, the only way a county jail can get repaid for the total length of stay is if the offender goes to state prison. If the defendant is acquitted, or receives a fine, probation or a local jail sentence, the county gets reimbursed zero dollars.

Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd tells Missourinet that less than 1% of Missouri’s state prisoners do not have a prior felony criminal history. The others have committed felonies in the past but may or may not have gone to prison for those felonies.

“I think it’s fair for a judge to say ‘Look, I might not send somebody to prison for their first non-violent felony but if they continue to commit felonies, eventually it’s clear that probation isn’t going to work and I’m going to send them to prison,’” says Zahnd.

He says there’s no financial incentive to send someone to prison for a county reimbursement.

“Someone who receives a prison sentence, but that prison sentence is suspended and the execution of the sentence is suspended, the county is still reimbursed. That’s really important to know,” says Zahnd.

In fiscal year 2017, the state’s daily reimbursement to county jails was $21.08. That’s a slice of the overall daily cost to house an inmate in a local jail. Missourinet contacted the Missouri Sheriffs’ Association for information about the average cost per day to house county jail prisoners. There was no response to the inquiry.

According to Missouri Corrections Department spokesman David Owen, the state reimbursed counties about $36 million in fiscal year 2017. That’s a fraction of the department’s overall budget. The Missouri Legislature and Governor Eric Greitens have approved a $760 million budget for the state Department of Corrections.

A state report shows that many of Missouri’s less populous counties are sending a higher per capita number of non-violent offenders to prison than their big-city counterparts. In Lafayette and Saline counties, more than 70% of the people they send to state prison are non-violent.

In June, Governor Greitens issued an executive order to create a Justice Reinvestment Task Force, which is made up of state lawmakers, criminal justice officials and others. The panel will look for ways to address the state’s rising prison population and the financial burden it has on taxpayers. Missouri has about 34,000 state prisoners.

“Our prison system wastes your money and it wastes people’s lives,” says Greitens.

State Public Defender System Director Michael Barrett is a member of the task force.

“If we want to bring down violent crime, we need to do a better job separating the people we are mad at from the people we are afraid of,” says Barrett. “When your prisons are half-filled with non-violent offenders and there is a massive violent crime problem, you are doing it wrong. It’s like trying to run a hospital by allowing patients with broken legs to take up bed space and then wondering why your cardiac outcomes are so poor.”

County jails, especially in less populous areas, are likely to push back on any change in the reimbursement system. For many counties, the jail could be the most costly operation they have. Decision makers could be considering a better assessment of which defendants must be jailed before their court trial and which ones can be released without risking the public’s safety.

The task force will work with the Council of State Governments Justice Center to try and improve Missouri’s criminal justice system. Its report and recommendations are due by December 31.