St Joseph police now say the victim in a shooting Sunday night has been taken into custody. Captain Jeff Wilson says the 25-year-old Amazonia man was treated for gunshot wounds to the legs and then arrested in reference to a stolen vehicle case. No charges have been filed in either case.

Meanwhile police are hoping you can help them locate the assailants in the shooting incident Sunday night, which is being investigated as a possible case of mistaken identity.

According to the victim, a gray Pontiac Grand Am pulled up to him near 12th and Messanie shortly after 10 p.m. Sunday.

Sergeant Roy Hoskins say the victim told police there were two white males and one white female in the car. All three were wearing hoodies. The victim told investigators the assailants asked if he was someone else. When the victim said “no,” he was shot in the legs.

The victim’s name was not released. He was taken by private vehicle to Mosaic Life Care for treatment of gunshot wounds to legs. Hoskins says the injuries did not appear to be life-threatening.

Sgt. Hoskins says it does not appear that the victim and the shooter knew each other. If you can help investigators, call the TIPS hotline at (816)238-TIPS.

A water main break early Monday morning could cause some problems as students head to school at Central High School.

At about 4:30 a.m. crews from Missouri American Water, along with police and Streets Department crews, were sent to the 2700 block of Edmond.

The water main break prompted a Nixle alert to avoid the area along Edmond between 27th and 28th Street (Noyes Boulevard).

By 7:15 a.m. utility crews were shutting down the water main in hopes of repairing it with minimal disruption to school activities.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The following is a listing of general highway maintenance and construction work in the Northwest Missouri region planned for the week of Aug. 22 – 28 from the Missouri Department of Transportation In addition to the work listed below, there may be pothole patching, bridge deck washing, striping, brush cutting, guardrail repairs and other road work conducted throughout the region. Many of these will be moving operations and could include lane closures with delays.

 

Andrew County

• Route 48 – CLOSED at the Platte River Bridge near Whitesville for a bridge replacement project. The road will be closed through mid-November.
• Route M – Pothole patching, Aug. 22
• Interstate 29 – NIGHT WORK southbound from Business U.S. Route 71 to 1.5 miles south of Route O (Buchanan County) for guardrail work,Aug. 22 – 26, 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. nightly. This includes a 15-foot width restriction.

Atchison County

• Route N – CLOSED from Route 46 to County Road 280 for a culvert replacement, Aug. 22, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Buchanan County

• Route YY (Mitchell Ave.) and U.S. Route 169 (Belt Highway) – Signing and striping with intermittent lane closures, Aug. 22 – 26
• U.S. Route 36 – One mile west of Route AC for grading work, Aug. 22 – 26.
• I-29 – NIGHT WORK southbound from Business U.S. Route 71 (Andrew County) to 1.5 miles south of Route O for guardrail work, Aug. 22 – 26, 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. nightly. This includes a 15-foot width restriction.    

Caldwell County

• Route 13 – CLOSED at the Log Creek Bridge near Kingston for a bridge deck replacement project. The bridge will be closed through November.
• Route W – From Route D to the end of state maintenance for pothole patching, Aug. 22
• Route D – From U.S. Route 36 to Route 116 for pothole patching, Aug. 23 – 25
• Route Z – From Route D to the end of state maintenance for pothole patching, Aug. 26

Carroll County

• Route D – From Route C to Route 10 for pothole patching, Aug. 22 – 23
• Route DD – From the Ray County line to Route D for pothole patching,Aug. 24
• Route E – Pothole patching, Aug. 25 – 26

Chariton County

• U.S. Route 24 – Shoulder work, Aug. 22 – 24
• Route 11 – Shoulder work, Aug. 24 – 26

Daviess County

• Route 13 – Just north of Route 6 for shoulder work, Aug. 22 – 26
• Route VV – Pothole patching, Aug. 22 – 26

DeKalb County

• U.S. Route 36 – Traffic will be head-to-head at the overpass over I-35 for a bridge replacement project. During this project, no left turns from U.S. Route 36 onto I-35 will be permitted, as the medians between east and westbound U.S. Route 36 will be closed. Please follow the signed detour route. This project will continue through mid-December.
• I-35 – One lane may be closed under the U.S. Route 36 overpass for a bridge deck replacement project. During this project, traffic exiting I-35 will not be permitted to turn left onto U.S. Route 36, as the medians between east and westbound U.S. Route 36 will be closed. Please follow the signed detour route. This project will continue through mid-December.
• Routes J and O – Pothole patching, Aug. 22 – 26
• Route F – Pothole patching, Aug. 23

Gentry County

• Route CC – Pothole patching, Aug. 23
• Route C – CLOSED one-quarter mile south of Route FF for a culvert replacement, Aug. 24, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• U.S. Route 136 – One-half mile west of Route F for shoulder work, Aug. 25 – 26
• Route EE – At Wamsley Road for drainage work, Aug. 26

Grundy County

• Route E – At the Medicine Creek Bridge for maintenance, Aug. 22 – 23. Includes a 13-foot width restriction.
• Route C – At the Weldon Fork Grand River Bridge for maintenance, Aug. 22 – 24. Includes a 13-foot width restriction.
• Route A – From U.S. Route 65 to Route C for pothole patching, Aug. 22 – 24
• Route T – CLOSED for a culvert replacement, Aug. 25, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Route K – CLOSED from Route E to two miles south of Route E for a culvert replacement, Aug. 26, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Harrison County

• Route CC – From U.S. Route 136 to Route 146 for sealing, Aug. 22 – 23
• U.S. Route 136 – At U.S. Route 69 for culvert repair, Aug. 22 – 24
• Route D – From Route 46 to Route M for pothole patching, Aug. 22 – 26
• Route Z – From U.S. Route 69 to the end of state maintenance for pothole patching, Aug. 24 – 25
• Route DD – From Route T to Route N for pothole patching, Aug. 26

Holt County

• Route B – At the Hickory Creek Bridge for maintenance, Aug. 22 – 23
• I-29 – Northbound from mile marker 66 (Nodaway River Bridge) to mile marker 75 (U.S. Route 59) for pavement repair, Aug. 22 – 25. This includes a 15-foot width restriction.
• I-29 – Southbound from mile marker 92 (Craig exit) to mile marker 85 (Mound City exit) for pavement repair, Aug. 22 – 25. This includes a 15-foot width restriction.
• Route 118 – From Route 111 to U.S. Route 59 in Mound City for a resurfacing project, Aug. 22 – 26. A flagger will direct traffic through the work zone.
• Route B – At the I-29 Overpass Bridge for maintenance, Aug. 24 – 26

Linn County

• Route 5 – From U.S. Route 36 to the Browning city limits for pothole patching, Aug. 22
• U.S. Route 36 – From Route 11 to Route F for pavement repair, Aug. 22 – 24
• Route B – CLOSED from Route 139 to Route BB (Livingston County) for a culvert replacement, Aug. 23, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Route M – From Park Street to Route C for pothole patching, Aug. 23 – 25
• U.S. Route 36 – Westbound from Route 130 to Crowe Road for pavement repair, Aug. 25

Livingston County

• Route B – CLOSED from County Road 230 to County Road 226 for a culvert replacement, Aug. 22, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• U.S. Route 65 – From U.S. Route 36 to the Carroll County line for pavement repair, Aug. 22 – 25
• Route B – CLOSED from Route BB to Route 139 (Linn County) for a culvert replacement, Aug. 23, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Route BB – CLOSED from Route B to Route KK for a culvert replacement, Aug. 24, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Route KK – CLOSED from County Road 269 to County Road 273 for a culvert replacement, Aug. 25, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• U.S. Route 36 – From Route C to Route CC for pothole patching, Aug. 25 – 26

Nodaway County

• Route U – CLOSED at the One Hundred and Two River Bridge for a bridge deck replacement project. The bridge will be closed through September.
• Routes J, P, T and MM – Pothole patching, Aug. 22 – 26
• U.S. Route 71 – Northbound single-lane closure at the White Cloud Creek Bridge, just north of the Andrew County line, for a bridge deck replacement project, Aug. 22 – 28. This includes a 12-foot width restriction.

Mercer County

• Route P – CLOSED from U.S. Route 136 to Elvis Place Road for a culvert replacement, Aug. 22 – 26, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily

Putnam County

• Routes N, O, Y, AA and YY – Pothole patching, Aug. 22 – 26

Worth County

• U.S. Route 169 – At the Middle Fork Grand River Bridge for maintenance, Aug. 22 – 25. A temporary traffic signal has been installed during the project.
• Route 46 – From U.S. Route 169 to the Harrison County line for pothole patching, Aug. 22 – 26 

 

For more information about a project, please contact MoDOT at 1-888-ASK-MoDOT (888-275-6636) or visit www.modot.org/northwest/.

A hearing to talk about a tax rate increase will be held Monday by the St. Joseph School District.

“We have the yearly tax rate hearing.  You’re required to do this by statute before September 1 to set your rates for the upcoming fiscal year, 16-17 in this case,” said Dr. Robert Newhart, Superintendent with the St. Joseph School District. “We’ve taken a hard analysis and a hard look at our financial and our tax rate structure.”

Newhart said the district is looking to increase its debt service levee by 26 cents which would bring it up to a total of 57 cents.  The suggested increase does not need voter approval.

“Part of the reason they were able to keep that levee at the present 31 cents from the 15-16 school year was that they were subsidizing it from operating, in the tune of 500 to $750,000,” Newhart said.

Newhart said the increase is needed to help offset the difference the debt service is needing to make payments for not only this year but calendar years 2017 and 2018.

“What I want to make sure the public understands is we’re trying to be as transparent as possible with this and it’s a corrective action step that is a responsible step that the board has authorization to make,” Newhart said. “It would take our debt service up to the debt service ceiling which needs to be done.”

Newhart said it’s necessary because the operating funds need to be used for operating and not for the debt service.

“26 cents on $100,000 assessed valuation is roughly $260 a year or $21 a month,” Newhart said. “It all is relevant to the property you own.”

The tax rate hearing will be held Monday at 6 p.m. at the St. Joseph School District downtown office located at 925 Felix St in the Board Conference Room.  After the hearing the floor will be opened up for public comments.

“This can be done by statute, by board approval, they have the legal authorization to do it and they have the legal responsibility to be responsible to the school district’s debt and it’s a determination they can make and should make,” Newhart said. “After this anything else.  An increase in any operating or debt service would have to be by voter approval.”

 

The Buchanan County Clerk’s Office said it’s only seen around 50 voter sign-ups as it makes a push for the November election.

Clerk Mary Baack-Garvey said her office has been working to encourage people to register to vote. She said since the beginning of the summer voter registration drives have been held at different events around the area.

“We started out at the Sounds of Summer at Felix Street Square on Friday nights and we set up voter registration booths there, and then we did other events like Parties on the Parkway, we were at the Hurlingen Picnic, we did the Mexican Fiesta that St. Patrick’s Church puts on every year and we’ve also been at Chiefs Training Camp every day while that was going on,” Baack-Garvey said.

As of Thursday, she said they have only registered 47 people. She said many people may not even realize that they’re not already signed-up to vote.

“We have a lot of voters that are in the system but they are deleted due to inactivity,” Baack-Garvey said. “The state mandates us to delete voters if their initial voter card comes back deliverable from the post office they go into an inactive status. Then if they miss two general elections in that inactive status the state mandates us to delete them.”

She said if someone hasn’t voted in awhile or if they have changed their address to make sure and double check their voter registration with her office.

“There’s roughly 50,000 voters, roughly 12 to 13,000 are deleted,” Baack-Garvey said.

The deadline to register to vote for the Nov. 8th Presidential Election is by Oct. 12.  For more information visit the Buchanan County Clerk’s Office by CLICKING HERE.

Sawyer Brown will headline Trails West! today along with some up-and-coming artists. 

Today’s events kick off with performances on the City Stage beginning at 10 a.m. with the Dance Arts Center. Performances on the Family Stage begin at 10:30 a.m. with Southside Strings, a group of eight to eighteen-year-olds who study orchestra and play a variety of different genres. Puppets, juggling and a storyteller include some others acts on the Family Stage. 

Main Stage performances begin at 8 p.m. with all-female country band, Farewell Angelina, followed by country music artist Steve Moakler and country-rockers Sawyer Brown. For more on the artists performing on the Main Stage, click here.

Over 70 vendors with fine arts and food will also be at the festival in Civic Center Park. For a list of food vendors, click here and for more on performances throughout today and tomorrow, go to the Trails West! Facebook page.  

A mother and a son are facing misdemeanor charges after a call of shots fired Wednesday night in St. Joseph.

Griselle Torres-Perez, 48 is charged with a misdemeanor for tampering with physical evidence. Cristian Pizarro-Torres, 21 is charged with a misdemeanor for unlawful use of a firearm.

As we previously reported, officers with the St. Joseph Police Department responded to a call of shots fired at Cottonwood Creek Apartments off of Gene Field Rd. Wednesday night after witnesses reportedly observed a man hanging out of a vehicle firing a gun into the air.

According to court documents, a witness observed a group of four Puerto Rican men and one woman standings between two buildings drinking alcoholic beverages.  One of the men allegedly went into an apartment with the woman and came out carrying a large pistol and got into the passenger seat of the vehicle.

“The male was described as wearing a red shirt and black pants.  Another Puerto Rican male got into the driver’s seat and they drove off sprinning their tires with the passenger firing 4-5 shots out the window,” said Officer Steve McClintick with the St. Joseph Police Department. “While officers were still on scene the described suspect returned to the scene.  One witness still on scene positively identified Cristian Ivan Pizarro-Torres as the armed male that fired off all of the shots from the handgun in the parking lot.”

Court documents identified Griselle as Cristian’s mother.

“Officers arrested him and while in the process of this his mother began to interfere with the arrest,” McClintick said. “She was pulling on her sons clothing and trying to reach into his pockets while he was in handcuffs.  They were carrying on a conservation in Spanish as well and officers did not know what was being said.”

Griselle allegedly pushed the officers arm out of the way and pulled out a cell phone from her son’s pocket.

“Officers directed her to stop and turn over the phone as it was evidence and was to stay with the arrested person.  Griselle then extended her arm above her head and slammed the cell phone to the ground, smashing it.  The phone broke apart into three pieces and shattered the screen,” McClintick said.

McClintick said according to witnesses the family terrorizes the rest of the residents in the complex and they are afraid to report the incidents due to fear of retaliation and being shot.

Both were reported to have been born and raised in Puerto Rico and have only been in St. Joseph since Dec. of 2015.

Pizarro-Torres is being held without bail. Torres-Perez is being held on $10,000 cash only bail. Both are set for arraignments in Buchanan County Court Tuesday.

A Buchanan County Sheriff’s Deputy has been recognized for his efforts in drug-trafficking investigations over the past five years.

Deputy J.D. Roberts was honored Thursday during the 14th Annual LECC Training Seminar in Springfield, Mo. with the Guardian of Justice Award.

Roberts is a Buchanan County Drug Strike Force investigator and is assigned to the Drug Enforcement Administration as a task force officer. In a press release, Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District said Roberts began a drug-trafficking investigation in 2010 that, over the course of five years, culminated in 151 defendants charged in nine separate federal indictments. To date, there have been three jury trial convictions and dozens of guilty pleas. Additionally, there are still active spin-off investigations and indictments expected this year.

Defendants were charged with participating in conspiracies to distribute methamphetamine, heroin, or other controlled substances and money laundering. Many were charged with various firearm offenses. Money judgments into the millions have been obtained and more will be obtained when the related cases are resolved. These investigations successfully dismantled at least three intertwined multi-jurisdictional drug-trafficking organizations, with three others at least disrupted via the pending charges.

The geographic scope of this investigation initially was limited to the Buchanan County area; however, Roberts worked with DEA partners and the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force to expand into a large area of northwest Missouri, parts of southern Iowa and Nebraska, the Kansas City metropolitan area and Kansas. Roberts also partnered with Midwest HIDTA, the FBI, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and police departments in Kansas City, Mo., Independence, Mo., and Kansas City, Kan.

Also honored during the conference with the Guardian of Justice Award was ICE Agent James D. Holdman for his work deporting a man from the Philippines back to the United States and seeing him placed behind bars for 120 years for sexually abusing five children and producing child pornography.

The annual Guardian of Justice Award recognizes a state or local officer as well as a federal agent for investigative excellence, selfless collaboration, tireless trial support, commendable diligence and professionalism, and noteworthy assistance to prosecution.

A woman has been charged in Buchanan County after allegedly threatening to stab a deputy trying to evict her.

Lori Forrester, 53 is charged with a felony for unlawful use of a weapon.

According to court documents, on Wednesday around 8:30 a.m. deputies with the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Department were executing an eviction notice at 2630 Faraon St.

“Forrester, the person named as the respondent on the eviction order, refused to leave the premises upon several reasonable requests made by the deputies,” said Mark Brock with the Sheriff’s Department.  “After being warned she could be arrested for non-compliance a decision was made to arrest Ms. Forrester.”

Brock said deputies informed her she was under arrest and opened the car door to remove her from the vehicle.

“She grabbed a knife and using stabbing motion in the direction of the deputy, threatened to use the knife,” Brock said. “Resisting the deputies efforts to effect an arrest and even continue resisting after taken out of the vehicle.”

Forrester is being held on $10,000 cash only bail.  An arraignment is set for Tuesday.