Crumbly Burger in St. Joseph was evacuated Friday after a kitchen fire.

Fire Inspector Steve Henrichson with the St. Joseph Fire Department said there was fire and smoke in the back room of the building, located at 2701 Frederick.  He said the fire was ruled accidental and Crumbly Burger will be closed under further notice for repairs.

“It was a malfunction of the vent system, grease” Henrichson said. “There was a fire between that and the outside wall.”

Henrichson said there was $25,000 to $30,000 worth of fire damage.  The owner was treated for fire byproduct/smoke inhalation after Henrichson said she tried to put the fire out with a fire extinguisher.

“They got what they could see out but it was inside one of the walls,” Henrichson said.

Traffic in the area of Frederick and Ashland was slowed and part of Ashland was closed while crews were on scene.  Travel in the area has resumed as normal.

 

 

 

 

 

A woman accused of shooting and killing her husband earlier this year in St. Joseph is due in court next week.

An arraignment was set Friday morning for Angela Mason.  As we previously reported, the 47-year-old was charged earlier this week in Buchanan County with a class-C felony of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of 50-year-old Jeffery Mason.

According to court documents, on March 3  at their home on Ohio Street, Angela said she and Jeffery were arguing and during the argument the weapon discharged. A bullet hit Jeffery in the middle of his chest; he was pronounced dead by EMS responders a short time later.

Angela is due in court Tuesday for an arraignment. She’s currently out on $25,000 bail.

Four people have been charged with drug crimes in Andrew County after a trooper with the Missouri State Highway Patrol made a traffic stop earlier this week.

Donta Mosley, Kevin Phyfiher, Shonda Simmons, and Deja Parker are each charged with felonies for trafficking drugs, delivery of controlled substance, and possession of controlled substance. Mosley is also charged with felonies of unlawful possession of a firearm, and unlawful use of a weapon. Phyfiher is also charged with a felony of resisting/interfering with arrest.  All of the defendants are listed as Chicago residents.

According to court documents, Monday shortly before 4:30 p.m. a trooper stopped a Dodge Grand Caravan with Virginia plates for speeding.

“After stopping the vehicle I contacted the driver who identified himself with an Illinois Driver License as Kevin Phyfiher,” said Sgt. L Allen with the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

While issuing the driver a ticket for speeding Sgt. Allen said he became suspicious of criminal activity and asked for identification from the the passengers inside and found out the passengers destinations differed from the driver’s.

“I asked for and was denied a consent to search the third party rental vehicle. While removing the occupants of the vehicle for a canine sniff, the occupant Mosley had a stolen 9mm Smith & Wesson pistol on his person,” Sgt. Allen said.

Allen said while searching the vehicle, Phyfher fled the scene. Court documents state two pounds of methamphetamine was found under a seat and marijuana was found in the cargo area.

All of the defendants are currently being held without bail in the Andrew County Jail.  A case review has been scheduled for each for June 6.

(Update Thursday) – Buchanan County Prosecuting Attorney Dwight Scroggins has confirmed the woman charged in connection with the shooting death of a man earlier this year in St. Joseph was the victim’s wife.

The prosecutor’s office on Wednesday, announced Angela Mason, 47 was charged with a class-C felony of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of 50-year-old Jeffery Mason.

According to court documents, on March 3 Angela said she and Jeffery were arguing and during the argument the weapon discharged.  A bullet hit Jeffery in the middle of his chest; he was pronounced dead by EMS responders a short time later.

“Approximately 0611 hrs. according to witness and officer statements, officers were dispatched to 413 Ohio Street in reference to a disturbance,” said Detective Greg Ogdahl with the St. Joseph Police Department. “Officers observed a handgun on the dresser.”

If convicted the charge carries a range of punishment from three years to a maximum of 10 years in prison.

Correction: A warrant for Angela’s arrest has been issued with a $25,000 bond.  A court date has not yet been set.

Officials are investigating a report of improvised explosive devices having been detonated on or near an unimproved portion of a road in Livingston County,

Sheriff Steve Cox said early Wednesday evening the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office and the Missouri State Fire Marshall’s Office began investigating the report on a portion of Liv 510 in the northwest part of the county.

“The reporting party described driving down the roadway and passing what was described as a trip wire placed across the roadway,” Cox said. “Upon driving over or through this there was some type of explosion near the vehicle. The driver continued on and saw a similar set up down the roadway and turned around instead of getting any closer and reported a second explosion near the vehicle.”

Cox said little to no damage was found to the vehicle.  They did not find any other devices in the area.  He said the devices were found in a part of the county that receives an extremely low amount of traffic.

“This investigation continues with assistance from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Missouri State Highway Patrol Bomb Unit, NITRO-ATF Task Force, and the FBI,” Cox said.

“A change of culture is the goal,” Dr. Robert Newhart said, “so the same thing that happened three or four years ago to get us in this mess won’t happen again.”

And thus began the public process of getting the St. Joseph School District back on a firm financial footing.

A friendly crowd of about 50 people joined Superintendant Newhart and other district staff members for the first town hall meeting in the district’s “1Vision – Many Voices – Our Future” initiative. A task force begins meeting next week, and, armed in part with information collected from the public in these town hall meetings, they hope to present the school board with a new plan.

Newhart kicked off the meeting with a video presentation, then a power-point slideshow, all pointing to the increasingly dire economic straits the district finds itself in after letting the 63-cent operating levy expire two years ago. In the aftermath of the stipend and nepotism scandal, the district decided not to put the levy before voters when its sunset clause kicked in.

Now that decision is forcing their hand. One slide presented to the crowd told the story well. Projections show that the district’s fund balances, if not addressed, will fall into the “distressed category” in about two years, and by the year 2020, the district would run the risk of being taken over by the state.

“We can’t let that happen,” Newhart said.

Newhart was joined on the stage at the meeting room at the East Hills Library by Dr. Marlie Williams, his Assistant Superintendent of Academic & Education Services, and by Wes Metz, the district’s director of finance. The trio fielded questions ranging from right-to-work to bathroom breaks during lunchtime, from serving students “prison food” to getting a school zone at a facility on a state highway. Many just wanted to know what’s coming, and others asked what we could expect if we don’t raise more revenue.

“There has to be a revenue source,” he said, pointing out that about 80% of the district’s budget goes to staff salaries and benefits. He said that’s a fairly typical ratio. But if cuts are to be made, Metz said that’s the first place they’ll look. Metz and Newhart laid out a list of efforts they’ve already made to cut costs, from installing new energy-efficient lighting, to reducing staff through attrition.

When confronted with what one person described as “the elephant in the room,” two school board members still on the bench since the problems started , Newhart first applauded both for their efforts in what he called a thankless job, and then pointed out that by the time any new revenue source is approved by voters and the funds come in, neither would still be members of the board.

“Much of what happened was due to information they never had,” Newhart said.

Dr. Newhart said as of right now he’s not proposing anything, letting the task force gather information and make a recommendation. If a tax measure is to be put to the voters in November, they would have to present it to the County Clerk’s Office by August 29. The district’s options include a new operating levy, a so-called Prop C sales tax exemption, a debt-service levy, or possibly a combination of those. Newhart says he’s recommending against the debt service idea, but he said “we’ve got to do something, we have to be proactive.”

“You dont’ want to get to the cliff, fall over, and hav to make rash, harsh decisions at a later date,” he said. “Let’s be proactive now and get this plan put together.”

The task force begins meeting next week. You can take part. Find the replay form and more information on the district’s Web site.