(AP) — A reputed prison gang leader who was on probation in California has been captured in Missouri.

Forty-five-year-old Albert “Spanky” Amaya is jailed in Missouri’s Pettis County while awaiting extradition. No attorney is listed for him in online Missouri court records.

Amaya was sentenced to 25 years to life in state prison in 2008 after he was convicted of extortion, his third felony conviction. But he was released in June after a voter-approved measure allowed inmates sentenced under the state’s three-strikes law to seek re-sentencing.

The San Bernardino County probation department placed him on GPS monitoring while seeking to send him back to prison. Authorities allege he was a crew chief for the Mexican Mafia prison gang and fled after cutting the GPS device.

A mid-Missouri prosecutor will not file charges against the man who shot and killed 25-year-old Brandon Coleman of Columbia, calling the shooting “legally justified.”

Boone County prosecutor Dan Knight announced the decision Wednesday. He ruled that the shooter was justified in shooting Coleman under Missouri’s self-defense laws.

The shooting happened May 19. A document provided by Knight indicated that the shooter’s father brandished a knife, and Coleman pointed a gun at the older man. Knight determined that the shooter shot Coleman out of fear that his father would be shot.

 (AP) — A retired Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper who had been charged with child molestation has been ordered to serve two years of probation after agreeing to a plea deal.

71-year-old James “J.D.” Hall, of Neosho, was scheduled to go to trial Tuesday in Newton County Circuit Court on charges of first-degree child molestation and misdemeanor assault.

But Hall avoided trial by accepting a plea offer Monday from the Missouri attorney general’s office. As part of the deal, Hall pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor assault and to a misdemeanor offense of child endangerment rather than the felony charge of child molestation.

The attorney general’s office was prosecuting the case because Hall had a working relationship with the Newton County prosecutor’s office over the years.

Slow growth was observed in Midwest rural economies, but political uncertainty, low grain prices and cattle losses resulting from the unexpected winter storm prevented substantial improvement.
The monthly survey of community bank presidents and CEOs in the 10-state area shows growth for the Rural Mainstreet economy remains positive. The October

Rural Mainstreet Index (RMI) improved 1.9 percent to 54.3%, signifying slight economic growth.
Improvements were noted for hiring, up 2.9 to 56.1 on the index and an optimistic reaction to the government shutdown. Of the bankers and CEOs surveyed, only 25.9 percent saw a negative impact from the furlough while 74.1 percent saw little or no impact.
Many categories influencing the rural economy are declining, however many remain above 50, pointing to continued growth.
Lower grain prices are affecting land values and farm equipment sales. The farmland-price index has fallen lower in all but one of the past 11 months. The index, which fell 3.1 lower on the index to 50.9, is weakened by lower agriculture commodity prices and poor weather conditions.

Farmland cash rent prices are also forecasted to increase over the next year, but at a much lower increase compared to six months earlier. Farm equipment sales fell from 48.3 to 44.6 on the index, showing continued decline.
Cattle producers in South Dakota and Nebraska continue to tally losses from the early October blizzard. While the House and Senate consider a new farm bill that could possibly cover those losses with a retroactive Livestock Indemnity Program, producer losses are expected to spill into local economies in the near-term.
Ernie Goss, economist at Creighton University, expects economic growth to continue in rural communities, but also recognizes the significant decline of some agriculture commodity prices. Goss expects the rural economy to be slower in the months ahead.
Looking forward, the survey forecasts a potential slump with the six-month outlook falling 1.4 to 44.7.
The survey was conducted during the government shutdown. An index of 50 is neutral. Higher numbers show expansion, and lower numbers show decline. Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming are included.–Brett Wessler, Staff Writer, Drovers Cattle Network

(AP) — Authorities are investigating the death of an inmate at the Jasper County Jail as an apparent suicide.

Sheriff Randee Kaiser said in a news release that 21-year-old Cody A. Ennis, of Mountain Home, Ark., was discovered at 12:30 a.m. Tuesday The Sheriff said an autopsy will be conducted.

(AP) — Law enforcement officers in Missouri and Kansas served 45 search warrants and made 31 arrests in an operation to crack down on synthetic drugs commonly known as K2.

A dozen local, state and federal law enforcement agencies took part in raids Tuesday in the Kansas City metropolitan area and Topeka, Kan. They seized roughly 24,000 individual packages of the synthetic drugs and more than $100,000 in cash by midafternoon.

Assistant Jackson County Prosecutor Michael Hunt says the raids were just the start of an operation targeting people and businesses that sell the drugs, often marketed as incense and potpourri.

Reports of serious health problems and deaths have prompted several states, including Kansas and Missouri, to outlaw the chemicals used to produce the drugs.

(AP) — The FBI is looking into whether a child found at a Gypsy camp in Greece is a Kansas City, Mo., girl, although the children’s ages don’t appear to match.

FBI spokeswoman Bridget Patton said Tuesday the October 2011 disappearance of Lisa Irwin from her Kansas City home remains an open investigation and that agents follow up on all tips. Patton says the agency began receiving calls after the image of a girl found with a Gypsy couple appeared in media reports.

A dental examination showed the girl in Greece, known only as “Maria,” is older than previously thought — 5 or 6, instead of 4.

Lisa would turn 3 in November. Her family’s attorney, John Picerno, says he has spoken to authorities about the investigation in Greece.

Senator Claire McCaskill spoke with PBS’ Charlie Rose about the recent government shutdown and the importance of compromise in  Washington.

(AP) — A suspect jailed in the assault of Springfield man now faces a murder charge after an autopsy confirmed the alleged victim died from his injuries.

35-year-old Edward Andresen had a first-degree assault charge elevated to second-degree murder on Tuesday. His attorney, Bryan Delleville, didn’t immediately return a phone call.

Police found 40-year-old James W. Belvin unconscious in the early morning hours of Aug. 1 about 11 blocks from his home. Police said he had severe facial and head injuries and a brain bleed.

The probable cause statement says witnesses saw Andresen repeatedly kick, punch and stomp Belvin’s head. A week later, Belvin died.

Assistant Prosecutor Russell Dempsey says he was waiting on Belvin’s autopsy to confirm a cause of death before amending the charge.