A man police said was wanted on warrants at the time of his arrest is facing a new charge after allegedly running from officers on foot.

Nicholas Dewayne Riley, 26 of St. Joseph was charged last week in Buchanan County with a felony for resisting arrest stemming from an incident that took place Thursday .

According to court documents, Officer Michelle Ritter with the St. Joseph Police Department said she made a traffic stop shortly before 4 p.m. in the area of 12th and Lincoln when Riley who was wanted on warrants for parole, traffic and child neglect got out of the vehicle and took off running.

“Nicholas ran into a fenced area and had to turn back toward me. Nicholas pushed me to the side as I tried to block him from running further,” Ritter said. “I tased Nicholas but there was a clothing disconnect making it ineffective.  Nicholas tripped twice as I attempted to restrain him.  He continued to push his way out of my grip, causing me to fall to the ground once.”

Ritter said she then ran about two blocks after him and saw him get into a another vehicle and drive north on 13th from Corby.

“Nicholas nearly struck a patrol vehicle traveling south on 13th by driving in the opposing lane,” she said. “Officers were able to close in on Nicholas in the area of 12th and Moss and detain him after a struggle.”

Court documents state that between 2008 and 2016 Riley failed to appear for court in Buchanan 10 times.  Ritter said Riley was driving with a suspended license when he fled from officers.

Riley is being held on $10,000 bond.  An arraignment is set for Tuesday.

Area firework stands have been gearing up for months for the start of Missouri’s firework season.

“We actually started before the Fourth of July last year,” said Becky Thomas with Kovac’s Fireworks. “We start ordering before the Fourth for the next year for all of our imports. It’s pretty much an all year process but the hard part started in February. We started setting up in February as the containers come in and we’re still working.”

Stacy Blake with Schneitter Fireworks said they have also been preparing for this year’s Independence Day celebrations since last year.

“We’re open all year round so in September we’re already starting to pick out our new fireworks for the coming year,” Blake said. “We’re here all year round trying to get ready for the Fourth but our last push is really the last couple of months.”

Missouri selling season starts Monday, June 20 and runs through Sunday, July 10th. A second selling season is held around Christmas and New Year’s. Blake said prior to the start of the season there are some stipulations on firework purchases.

“If they come in to buy all year round they have to sign a waiver saying they know what the Missouri shooting season is,” she said.

Thomas said there are many new fireworks this year.

“I like to shop and I like to bring new things in every year,” she said. “There’s always something new.  We usually do 50 to 100 new items every year.”

In St. Joseph city limits residents will officially be able to start shooting off fireworks Monday until the end of the season on July 10th. However, city ordinance has some stipulations on the types of fireworks allowed. Fireworks with a report or any device that discharges a projectile are not allowed according to the ordinance. Fireworks that met with approval in city limits included items like sparklers, fountains, snappers, and snakes. To view the ordinance in full CLICK HERE.

Blake said many of the fireworks allowed in town can be found in the “safe and sane” section which includes the children’s items, novelty items and fountains.

“You just need to look in what county you’re in and look at their rules and regulations and go with that,” Blake said.

With the Fourth of July falling on Monday this year both Blake and Thomas expect to have a good year when it comes to firework sales.

“If the weather is right this year we have Friday, Saturday, Sunday and then the Fourth is on a Monday,” Thomas said. “It’s really good for the shoppers because it spreads everybody out.”

“It should be a good year with it being on a Monday,” Blake said. “They can shop all weekend.”

A Carrollton organization will raise money for veterans through bull riding events.

“Riding For Our Veterans” is a non-profit organization based out of Carrollton that started in 2014. One of the founders, Larry Oster, also a veteran, says the organization came about after a benefit held for his veteran brother who had a rare form of cancer. 

“(My wife and I) set up a benefit to help him with medical expenses,” Oster said. “Unfortunately, we lost him in October, but with the outpouring of support from the surrounding communities, we decided to continue this and help other veterans and veteran organizations. In 2015, we became incorporated and got our 501c3 status and we did an annual benefit last year in Carrollton and helped an organization called Generation of Heroes Ranch and also put some money in the service fund for the local VFW. This year we kind of changed gears a little bit and we’re trying to help more individual veterans out and assist them in many different ways.” 

“Riding For Our Veterans” will hold a bull riding event this month in Chillicothe with proceeds going towards veterans and veteran organizations. According to Oster says some of the organizations they have helped include the local VFW in Carrollton and Welcome Home Incorporated in Columbia. Oster says last year they targeted their fundraising toward one organization near Springfield called Generations of Heroes Ranch. 

“The ranch is set up to bring in veterans of all eras, from World War II up to present and even service members that suffer from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury),” Oster said. “(There is) no cost to the veteran at all and it’s just kind of tailored to that veteran or service member. They help them out in that way using equine and different things and it really works out good.” 

The “Riding For Our Veterans” bull riding event takes place on Friday and Saturday, June 24th and 25th at the Litton Ag Center in Chillicothe. Gates open for the event at 4:30 p.m. each night with the main show starting at 7 p.m. Another bull riding event will be held on September 2nd and 3rd at the Andrew County Fairgrounds in Savannah. For more information, go to the Riding For Our Veterans website.

Cooling centers in St. Joseph are now open for those looking to beat the heat.

Connie Werner with the St. Joseph Health Department said there are certain places that are designated cooling centers.

“That means these places have said ‘ We don’t care if you come in to use our facility or just to stay cold. We’re okay with that’,” Werner said.

There are several cooling centers in St. Joseph that offer relief.

“There are three designated cooling centers that I am aware of: Bartlett Center, the downtown library and the the East Hills Library on the Belt Highway,” Werner said.

Mosaic Life Care reported Friday afternoon that unconfirmed numbers show five people made it through its emergency room for treatment of heat related illnesses. Werner said during extreme heat conditions there are those who tend to be more vulnerable.

“Who we’re concerned about are those that are considered ‘high-risk’. Those would be the very young children, the elderly persons, those persons without homes or those with homes without reliable cooling apparatuses or ways to make their house cold,” Werner said. ” We have concerns about those who have to work outside in the heat.”

Werner said there are warning signs to look for when it comes to overheating.

“If you start having heat cramps, that’s your body’s first indication that something is off, out of rhythm with your normal body. That can then progress to heat exhaustion. Heat exhaustion is a strong warning symbol of your body saying ‘please do something’, ” Werner said. ” If that is not fixed, you can progress to heatstroke. Heatstroke is considered a medical emergency. That is cause for 911.”

For a list of cooling centers click here.

After two days of brainstorming and creative sessions, community members came up with three concepts for a St. Joseph brand. 

The sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday brought together 12 community members who work in creative fields such as graphic design, music, photography and more. They were tasked with coming up with a vision and concepts for a brand for St. Joseph. 

The St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce, along with the St. Joseph Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, the City of St. Joseph, the Downtown Partnership and other area organizations came together to put on the sessions. 

According to to St. Joseph Chamber Director of Communications Kristi Bailey, three ideas were presented by the groups at the end of the sessions. 

Bailey said the next step is to present the ideas to focus groups to get feedback from the public. She said they hope to be done with fundraising and designing and be able to launch the finished brand concept in January 2017.

(Update) – As temperatures spike Mosaic Life Care said it’s seeing several heat-related cases come through its emergency room.

Wednesday, the National Weather Service said St. Joseph tied a record of 101 degrees set in 1918.  Mosaic Life Care said Friday morning that unconfirmed numbers show five people with heat-related illnesses have come through its emergency room since Wednesday.

The National Weather Service said a heat advisory remains in effect for the area until 8 p.m. Thursday.  Temperatures are expected in the middle to upper 90s with heat index values between 105 and 109.  The combination of hot temperatures and high humidity can create a situation in which heat illnesses are possible.

As we previously reported, Connie Werner with the City of St. Joseph Health Department said it’s important when temperatures get this hot to take precautions.

“So what we want to avoid are extreme heat reactions – that would be reaching heat exhaustion and then heat stroke. Heat exhaustion is that in which your body is becoming stressed under the heat conditions,” she said. “That would be the extreme perspiration, the red face. That is your body telling you that you’re heading into a medical emergency. The first thing that you need to do is to get yourself cooled off,  that could lead into a heat stroke and that is a medical emergency.”

She offers several tips to remember during hot weather:

• Stay hydrated – your body needs more water than usual
• Try to stay as cool as possible – try to stay in air conditioned areas
• Avoid direct sunlight, wear light colored and lightweight clothing, have something over your head
• Remember to check on individuals at high risk of getting overheated including elderly individuals, anyone without AC, those with chronic medical conditions, anyone working outside, children and pets

The St. Joseph Police Department said it has a person of interest after a 77-year-old man was injured Monday near Midtown trying to stop another man from stealing his vehicle.

As we previously reported, Monday around 5 p.m. at U.S. Oil located at 601 S. 22nd St. police said a man allegedly stole a vehicle from an older man who parked his van in front of the gas station. In his attempt to keep his van from being stolen the victim allegedly fell from the van and was reported to have hit his head. The man was taken to Mosaic Life Care for treatment of a serious injury.

The stolen vehicle was located later that day. Commander Eric Protzman said Thursday that authorities have identified a person of interest in the case but little other information is being released at this time. He said further details could be released later today.

A St. Joseph man has been charged after a more than two hour long standoff earlier this week.

Jason Roberts, 33 is charged in Buchanan County with a felony for resisting arrest.

According to court documents, on Monday around 4:30 p.m. Roberts is accused of resisting arrest by pulling his arm away from a police officer trying to detain him on a felony warrant.

“The suspect then entered a residence and locked the door not allowing officers to arrest him,” said Det. Greg Ogdahl. “The suspect told officers he wanted to ‘shoot it out.'”

Ogdahl said Roberts was finally able to be taken into custody after a door was forced open at the home located in the 2600 block of Mary St.

As we previously reported, police said Roberts was transported to Mosaic Life Care for treatment of minor self-inflicted non life-threatening injuries.

Roberts is being held on $10,000 bond.  An arraignment is set for Friday.