(Update) St. Joseph police say the standoff was resolved after about five hours. Tear gas was deployed to get the suspects to come out. Nine people were taken into custody without injury.

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St. Joseph police continue their efforts to execute a search warrant at a home near 18th and Walnut without the cooperation of several suspects barricaded inside the house.

Capt. Jeff Wilson says police spotted a stolen vehicle at the home.  Wilson says witnesses reported several people going inside the house.

The Special Response Team is on the scene.  You are urged to avoid the area.

The standoff began shortly before two p.m.  By five p.m. an officer with a megaphone  continued to urge one subject inside the house to come out.

Refresh this post for more information as it becomes available.

A crash on I-29 slowed traffic in both directions for more than an hour Thursday morning.

A dispatcher for the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Troop-H says a tanker truck left the highway and careened off the bridge down onto a pathway parallel to Route-DD below. The tanker spilled about 48,000 pounds of soybean fatty acids. The substance is described as being a little thicker than soybean oil.

The accident was first reported shortly after 7am in the northbound lanes, but the Missouri State Highway Patrol says debris in the roadway was impeding traffic in both directions at about the the 55 mile marker, near the north junction with U.S. Highway 169. The dispatcher says broken glass slowed traffic in the southbound lanes, and fragments of the guardrail were obstructing northbound traffic.

An ambulance was dispatched to the scene. According to the patrol, the driver sustained moderate injuries and was transported to Mosaic Life Care for treatment. He was reported to be out of the truck and talking to emergency responders when they arrived.

A crash report identifies the driver as James D. Jones, 44, of Covington, Tennessee. That crash report indicates that Mr. Jones fell asleep while driving along I-29. The Kenworth hit the guardrail, crossed into the median and then down a steep embankment before rolling over, according to the crash report.

Because the crash involved the spill of a food product, and occurred near a waterway, two state agencies must be called in to continue the investigation. The Department of Health and Senior Services investigates spills involving food products, while the Department of Natural Resources must sign off on any spill close to a waterway. The crash occurred near Dillon Creek.

The debris on I-29 was cleared, and traffic was moving normally on the interstate by about 9am. Work continued near Route-DD, but that was not having an impact on traffic.

The public swimming schedule and swimming lesson information was released Wednesday for the new Thomas Eagleton Indoor Pool at the Looney Complex at Missouri Western.

Through December 16, 2016, lap swimming sessions will take place on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 6:30-7:45 a.m., noon-3:00 p.m., and 7:00-9:00 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., and Tuesday from 7:00-9:00 p.m.

Open swimming sessions will be available on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 7:00-9:00 p.m. and on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Single admission tickets can be obtained on a cash only basis at $4.00 for regular admission (ages 9 and up) and $3.00 for Junior Admission (8 and under). Punch cards may also be purchased online from www.stjoeparks.info. A 10 punch regular admission card is $37.00 and a 10 punch junior admission card is $27.00. A 25 punch regular admission card is $90.00 and a 25 punch junior card is $65.00. Please allow up to 24 hours for MWSU Thomas Eagleton Indoor Pool employees to process your card.

Children 8 and under must be accompanied by an adult 18 or older and be directly supervised at all times, regardless of their swimming ability. Proper swim attire is required. A limited amount of locker space is available for daily use only. Punch cards may be shared if the age requirements are met for each card. The punch cards are non-refundable, no refund or credit will be issued for unused cards and they expire on August 31, 2017. These cards may not be used at any other facility.

The pool is closed on Sundays and will be closed on Monday, September 5; Saturday, September 17; Saturday, October 15; and November 20-27.

Swimming lessons for October and November are scheduled for preschool (4-5 year olds only), Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 (ages 6 & older). Registration for swim lessons is $30.00 can be completed by navigating to www.stjoeparks.info, or registering in person at 1920 Grand Avenue.

Missouri Western State University and the City of St. Joseph are not responsible for lost, stolen, misplaced or damaged personal items or punch cards.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A St. Joseph man who was struck by a vehicle as he fled on foot from law enforcement officers across a highway, pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and to illegally possessing firearms.

According to a news release, Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri announced that Jeremy D. Marshall, 35, of St. Joseph, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, two counts of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Marshall was arrested on Feb. 7, 2016, when an investigator with the Buchanan County Drug Strike Force saw him driving a black Harley Davidson motorcycle. Marshall turned off Riverside Road into the entrance of Chapel Ridge Apartments. The investigator knew that Marshall had a revoked driver’s license, and so followed him until he parked the motorcycle.

As soon as Marshall stopped, the investigator activated his emergency lights and pulled his vehicle in front of Marshall. As the investigator got out of his vehicle, Marshall put the motorcycle in gear and accelerated rapidly over the curb to get around the investigator’s vehicle. Marshall drove the motorcycle over a curb and into a cornfield on the east side of the Chapel Ridge Apartments. Marshall headed north through the field toward U.S. 36 Highway, but as he drove down an embankment his motorcycle got stuck in the mud.

Marshall took off running as the investigator approached in his vehicle. The investigator got out of his vehicle and began pursuing Marshall on foot. Marshall ran onto the highway and a truck struck him. Marshall hit the front right passenger side of the vehicle, which knocked him to the ground. The investigator grabbed him by the jacket and pulled him across the highway to the shoulder so he would not be struck by oncoming vehicles. Marshall was conscious and complained of pain on the right side of his body. The investigator called an ambulance then searched Marshall. He found a Browning Arms Company .22-caliber pistol in a holster in the small of Marshall’s back. Marshall was also in possession of a small baggie that contained 1.47 grams of methamphetamine and a plastic baggie that contained 52 rounds of ammunition, $175 and drug paraphernalia.

Marshall had been arrested approximately two years earlier, on Feb. 13, 2014, when investigators with the Buchanan County Drug Strike Force stopped his vehicle for a traffic violation. Investigators smelled an odor of burnt marijuana and searched Marshall and his vehicle. Investigators found four unused syringes in Marshall’s left sock and a loaded Smith and Wesson .45-caliber handgun under the driver’s seat of his vehicle. They also found an eyeglass case in the center console of the vehicle, which contained a Ziploc bag with 2.6 grams of methamphetamine. Next to the eyeglass case were digital scales with methamphetamine residue.

Marshall told investigators he purchased methamphetamine for $700 per ounce and distributed it to others. Marshall said he had been dealing for approximately two and a half years and when business was good he purchased a half-ounce of methamphetamine three times per day.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Marshall has prior felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance, forgery, and theft/stealing.

Under federal statutes, Marshall is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Q. McCarther. It was investigated by the Buchanan County Drug Strike Force, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Bridge Interpreting is offering a beginning class for adults interested in learning American Sign Language. 

The eight weeks of classes will be held on Tuesday evenings in St. Joseph and Thursday evenings in Maryville. 

Interpreter Specialist with Bridge Interpreting Chris Kaster said the classes are a beginning course that introduce participants to Sign Language. 

“This will be scratching the surface of learning this language,” Kaster said. “To become an interpreter you have to go to a college level interpreter training program to learn the ethics, to learn the actual language in its complete whole. This is just to kind of pique people’s interest and get them started.” 

Kaster said she’s a big believer in being a lifelong learner. 

“When you’re bilingual, it really opens a lot of doors for you, it makes you have a different perspective on the world and we should all strive to be learning something new,” Kaster said. “So I encourage you to come down. I think you’ll enjoy it, I think you’ll learn something new, you’ll get to meet new individuals and you’ll be learning a new language.” 

Tuesday classes will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. September 20 through November 8 at MERIL, 4420 South 40th Street in St. Joseph. Thursday classes will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. September 22 through November 10 at MERIL, 2416-B South Main Street in Maryville. 

There is a $50 fee for the course which includes a book. To register online, click here. For more information, contact Chris Kaster at (816) 752-7490 or email chrisk@meril.org.

Bridge Interpreting is part of Midland Empire Resources for Independent Living (MERIL).

Police are investigating after a possible attempted abduction at 600 North 12th Street in St. Joseph early Tuesday afternoon.

According to Captain Jeff Wilson with the St. Joseph Police Department, a 20-year-old white female victim stated that a white male in a white utility van stopped and tried to grab her. The victim was able to resist and run away and the van reportedly left toward the Frederick area.

No other witnesses were identified. Wilson said officers conducted a search of the area and were unable to locate anything.

No injuries were reported. Anyone with information is asked to call the TIPS Hotline at (816) 238-TIPS.