Here’s the latest booking activity from the Buchanan County Jail. All persons included in this post are innocent of crimes until proven guilty in a court of law. These are courtesy photos.
This information is provided by the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office and is not criminal history. The St Joseph Post assumes no legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, or completeness, of this information.
By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
Missouri lawmakers agreed to a nearly $30 billion state spending plan for the next fiscal year after clearing a last-minute hurdle.
House budget negotiators insisted on keeping a provision in the budget that would prohibit students in the country illegally from receiving in-state college tuition, including DACA children.
State Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer, a Republican from Parkville, says he’s pleased the budget passed without a tax increase.
“One of the things that I talked about whenever I campaigned is that we need to be in government living within our means and this year the Missouri legislature said we’re going to live within our means, we’re not going to raise taxes, and we’re going to find priorities that we need to fund, like higher education and K-through-12 education and making sure we’re getting relief to the flood victims who have been impacted by the recent flooding,” Luetkemeyer tells St. Joseph Post. “We were able to do all that without raising anyone’s taxes.”
The budget approved in the early morning hours by the General Assembly increases funding to public schools by $61 million, fully funding the school Foundation Formula.
The budget also includes an increase to the core budgets of Missouri public colleges and universities.
“And so, Missouri Western, which is obviously in my district in St. Joe, received a $1 million increase to its core funding,” Luetkemeyer says. “This is after years of cuts to higher education. And so that’s an important victory, making sure that we’re keeping higher education affordable for Missouri families is critically important and I’m happy we were able to get that done.”
The budget also includes $8 million to help offset the losses to flood victims. The money can be used to provide the state and local match for expected federal assistance.
Members of the Missouri House approved the spending plan, then sent it to the Senate which wrapped up work on it in the very early hours of this morning. The budget now goes to Gov. Mike Parson.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri’s largest electricity provider has announced plans for another wind energy facility in northwest Missouri.
Ameren Missouri said Friday that a new wind farm near Tarkio will be able to generate 300 megawatts of electricity. It’s the third wind farm announced by Ameren in the past year and the second in Atchison County.
The two Atchison County sites will have a total of about 160 wind turbines. A wind farm announced last year for Adair and Schuyler counties will have about 175 wind turbines.
Ameren says the three facilities combined will cost about $1.4 billion and produce enough energy to power 257,000 homes when they begin operating in 2020.
The St. Louis-based utility company serves 1.2 million electric customers in eastern and central Missouri.
Paul Allen Grippando
1946 – 2019
Paul Allen Grippando 72, of Saint Joseph, Missouri passed away Tuesday May 7, 2019 in Saint Joseph.
He was born November 14, 1946 in St. Joseph, Missouri son of the late Ola & John Grippando Sr. He worked as a Sod layer.
Paul was preceded in death by his parents, Wife Marsha, brothers, John Jr., and Robert Lee Grippando, sisters, Carol Schaiffer, and Darlene Davis.
Survivors include: brothers, James and David Grippando. numerous nieces and nephews. He will be cremated under the care and direction of the Rupp Funeral Home.
Kevin Monroe Ebling
1963 – 2019
Kevin Monroe Ebling 55, of Saint Joseph, Missouri passed away Saturday May 4, 2019.
He was born December 29, 1963 in St. Joseph, Missouri son of the late Sharon & Daniel Ebling.
Survivors include: step father, William Mitchell, sons, Josh Ebling, and David Cummings of Polo, MO, 5 grandchildren, Wendy Dozier raised in the home, sisters, Kathy Merritt, Robin (Jeremy) Epperson, and Patty Mitchell, brothers: William “Bill” , and Steven Mitchell, as well as several nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews.
He will be cremated under the care and direction of the Rupp Funeral Home.
Justina T. “Tina” Clements (Schappler)
1929 – 2019
Justina Theresa Clements (Tina), 90, Overland Park, Kansas, died peacefully at home on May 7, 2019.
Justina was the youngest of four children born to Justina and Martin Schappler in Atchison, Kansas on January 13, 1929. The Schappler family owned a grocery store where Tina’s father allowed her to fill a bag of candy every Saturday. When she ran out of candy early, which was often, her father teased her by saying, “Mama may I have.” Tina’s extraordinary sweet tooth lasted her entire life and was passed on to three generations.
Tina grew up on the same block in Atchison as her grandparents and around the corner from her cousins, instilling in her a love of being surrounded by family. She was educated at St. Benedict’s grade school and Mount St. Scholastica Academy where she was in the first graduating class after the end of World War II. She then attended Mount St. Scholastica College. While in college, Tina worked at Schmierer’s Drug Store where many college boys came to eat. This was where she met Jim Clements, the captain of St. Benedict’s College football team. Schappler’s grocery store was closed on Monday May 30, 1949 to celebrate the marriage of Tina and Jim.
Tina was devoted to her faith, which she lovingly shared with her family. She was kind, laughed easily, and loved to dance to Big Band music with Jim. A natural athlete, Tina played golf until just a few years ago and enjoyed playing bridge, mahjong, and dominoes with her buddies. She was competitive and treasured winning, another trait she passed on to her children. Tina and Jim loved to travel and enjoyed spending winters in the California desert.
Over the years, Tina played many roles. She was Sis to her two brothers and sister, Coach or Teenie to Jim, Mom to seven children, Granny T to 16 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren, and friend to many near and far. Tina was a prolific card writer and if you knew her, you likely received a card on some occasion, or for no reason at all. Tina should be in the Hallmark Hall of Fame. Tina joyfully celebrated her 90th birthday on January 13, 2019 in Kansas City with her family during a snowstorm and with an eye on the KC Chiefs playoff game.
Tina is survived by her children of whom she was extremely proud; Jack and Carol Clements, Marty and Linda Clements, Marianne and Larry Tympanick, Sue and Mark Untersee, Jan and Terry Miller, Peggy and Jerry Greenfield, and Kevin and Cel Clements. Her brother Rev. Norbert Schappler, O.S.B. and sister-in-law Jane Schappler also survive her. Her husband Jim, her brother John, and sister Sr. Martinette Schappler, C.S.J, preceded Tina in death.
Big Jim awaits her in heaven with “just a little something sweet.”
Tina’s family would like to thank Lucille Tutera and Connie and Anthony Mendolia for making Tina a part of their family for many recent years.
Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 am on Saturday, May 18th 2019 at St. Joseph’s Church, Atchison. Burial will follow in the Mt. Calvary Cemetery, Atchison. A parish rosary will be prayed at 6:30 pm on Friday, May 17th, at the Becker-Dyer-Stanton Funeral Home with visitation to follow until 8:30 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family suggest memorial contributions to the Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica, Maur Hill-Mount Academy, or St. Benedict’s grade school and may be sent in care of the funeral home. Words of comfort and remembrance may be left online at www.beckerdyer.com.
Blakely Rae Jones
2019 – 2019
Blakely Rae Jones earned her angel wings on Saturday May 4, 2019.
She was the daughter of Caleb Jones and Kelsey Corkery of Plattsburg, MO.
Additional survivors include: Sister Emery Jones. Grandparents, Kenton and Debi Jones, Brad and Amy Kidwell, Jason Corkery. Great Grandparents, Dick and Nancy Bozarth, Bob Midyett, Doyle and Peggy Buetzer, Remo and Izana Beffa, John and Darla Voth, Craig and Vicki Corkery. Great Great Grandmother, Georgia Baublit. Aunts and Uncles, Mike and Kylie Bowen, Chance and Brooke Midyett, Caleb Corkery. Cousins, Aubrey, Brenna, Brayden, and Ashlynn Bowen, Kyston, Ariya, and Braylee Midyett.
Private services will be held at a later date. Arrangements by the Rupp Funeral Home. Online condolence and obituary at www.ruppfuneral.com <http://www.ruppfuneral.com>. Please send donations to Alexandra’s House out of Kansas City, MO.
Delores Gunderson
1937 – 2019
Delores Gunderson, 81, Kansas City, Missouri, passed away Thursday, May 09, 2019.
She was born in Joplin, Missouri on September 5, 1937 to Herbert and Pauline Jones. Delores married David Gunderson August 31, 1958, and he preceded her in death in 2007. She was a teacher, baker, seamstress, and musician. Delores held the office of Evangelist in the Community of Christ. She attended the Highlands Congregation where she was also the baking chairperson for over 30 years. She enjoyed traveling and collecting maps, rocks, and seashells from every location she visited. Delores was also a youth camp cook, and enjoyed sewing, and quilting.
She was preceded in death by her parents; and husband.
Survivors include daughters; Dawn Jackson, Dana Montgomery, Dorothy Carver (Terry), son; Dale Gunderson (Laura), grandchildren; Erica Fugitt (Derek), Jenny Jackson (Tim Lowndes), Katherine Montgomery ( Kayla), Hannah and Grace Montgomery, Scott Gunderson, Megan McCaslin (Micheal), Jessica Ernwall (John), Terrence and Christopher Carver, four great-grandchildren, sister; Diana Lehman, brother: Dan Jones (Sara), along with numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.
A Celebration of Life service will be held at 11:00 A.M. Saturday, May 18th, at The Highlands Community of Christ, Kansas City, Missouri. The family will gather with friends at 10:00 A.M. Saturday, May 18th, at The Highlands. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to The Highlands Community of Christ church for the David and Delores Gunderson Endowment Fund. Online guest book and obituary at www.meierhoffer.com.
By SARAH THOMACK
St. Joseph Post
An introduction to what it’s like to be a part of a Red Cross Disaster Action Team will be held next week.
Ralph Dishong is the Disaster Program Specialist with the American Red Cross of Missouri and Arkansas.
Dishong said the Red Cross needs volunteers in St. Joseph for the Disaster Action Team, which is the team that most commonly responds to home fires.
“Once we get notified of a house fire, our Disaster Action Team provides 24-hour emergency response to our local disasters and they provide the basic needs for those people who’ve had that fire. For example, somebody’s house is on fire, our volunteers go meet those people… and make sure they have the basic essentials of food, shelter and clothing,” Dishong said. “Also, it’s very important for those people that have had that tragedy happen to know that somebody cares… we’re here to help people get by those initial day or two and… start the road to recovery.”
Dishong said an upcoming free training course is a refresher for some and an introduction for others who may be interested in volunteering for the Disaster Action Team.
“We’ll explain exactly what this Disaster Action Team is, what it does, how the shifts work and we will show them how to do it, so that will give them the information they need to make that decision if this is something that they want to do,” Dishong said.
The training takes place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 14, at the Red Cross in St. Joseph at 401 N 12th Street.
Dishong said if anyone decides after the training to be a volunteer, they will fill out a Red Cross volunteer application and complete more training.
To register for the training by noon on Monday, contact Ralph Dishong at (816) 385-5952 or ralph.dishong@redcross.org.
By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
Flooding in northwest Missouri could have a long-lasting negative impact on Missouri agriculture.
State Agriculture Director Chris Chinn says the broken levee system renders farms along the Missouri River vulnerable to further flooding this year and makes it difficult for farmers to decide to plant a crop this year, assuming their fields dry out.
“For some of those farmers they’re going to have to make preventative plans and chalk it up as a loss and hope that those levees get repaired so that next year, they’re able to plant a crop,” Chinn tells KFEQ Farm Director Melissa Gregory.
Missouri River flooding not only has wrecked planting season for many bottom ground farmers, it has wrecked roads and bridges throughout northwest Missouri, causing local residents to find ways around closed roads and bridges.
Chinn says just getting around becomes a challenge.
“But also, just the daily travel that they need to do to conduct the business on their farms and ranches,” Chinn says. “Having to go an extra 30 miles out of your way, one way to get to your destination, really adds up in the number of hours you spend away from your farm trying to conduct business in town.”
Chinn says she has been talking with quite a few farmers this spring.
“They’re all very anxious, because they feel like they’re behind where they should be. We’re in May and many guys have not even been able to get into the fields yet to work,” Chinn says. “Last year they had the drought situation and then we had a very wet fall again and a lot of crops were late to be harvested anyway. So, they just feel like they’re in this perpetual motion of playing catchup right now. It’s a frustrating, challenging time for our farmers and ranchers.”
By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
A possible step toward renovating the nearly 5,000 vacant buildings in St. Joseph has passed the Missouri legislature.
The legislature has approved a bill which will allow the creation of the St. Joseph Land Bank.
State Rep. Shelia Solon of St. Joseph sponsors the legislation, House Bill 821, and says it can be used to buy run-down and abandoned properties to be sold to groups or individuals which agree to rehabilitate them.
“It’s a way to hopefully spur economic development, because when you have these vacant properties people don’t feel safe because we have vagrants getting in these homes, committing crimes, and we have fires every other weekend that have been set in these vacant buildings and it makes people feel very unsafe,” Solon tells St. Joseph Post.
St. Joseph has approximately 4,800 abandoned buildings. The city does not know the owners of 500 of them.
Solon says the 500 unclaimed buildings become the responsibility of the city.
“If these properties are dangerous or not mowed and not kept up, the upkeep of them, instead of being on the landowner or the homeowner, it turns to the taxpayers of our town and last year the taxpayers footed the bill for $300,000 for the upkeep of these homes,” according to Solon.
The St. Joseph Land Bank is modeled after similar organizations in Kansas City and St. Louis. The Land Bank can buy abandoned property and re-sale them to individuals or groups which promise to renovate them. If they cannot find a buyer, they can be put to public use.
State Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer of Parkville made changes necessary to get it through the Senate, then the revised version passed the House. This bill was a top legislative priority for the City of St. Joseph and the St. Joseph Area Chamber of Commerce.
The measure now heads to the governor for his signature.
Sean Lowell Sullivan
1960 – 2019
Sean Lowell Sullivan, 58, of St. Joseph, died May 7, 2019. Sean was born November 20, 1960, in Indianapolis, IN, to David Lowell and Eleanor Jane (Meredith) Sullivan.
Sean was a retired self-employed painter and carpenter. He was an avid NASCAR fan, enjoyed cars and fishing.
Survivors include his mother, Eleanor Sullivan; son David Sullivan; sisters, Wendy Sullivan, Colleen Cooper; brothers, Bradley Sullivan, Patrick Sullivan; Sean’s significant other Jan Lipira; David’s mother Paula Hayward; and David’s grandmother Bessie Hayward; other relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by his father.
Services will be Sunday, May 12, 2019, at 4:00 p.m. at Heaton-Bowman-Smith & Sidenfaden Chapel. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Private inurnment will be at a later date.
By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
Rising water has forced road closures in parts of Buchanan County.
Both the Missouri Department of Transportation and Buchanan County moved to close U.S. 59 Highway from Rushville to the Missouri River bridge at Atchison, Kansas due to flooding along the Missouri River.
Shortly after noon, the Missouri rose to 24.67 feet at Atchison with an expected crest of 25.7 feet Friday afternoon. The rising Missouri River also prompted the closing of SW North Shore Road, SW 126 Road, SW 116 Road, SW 110 Road, and SW Lake View Road.
In the Eastern District of Buchanan County, flooding along the Platte River led to the closing SE Kemmer Road, SE Saxton/Easton Road, SE Rock Creek Road, and SE 115 Road.
The Platte River at Agency rose to 23.1 feet over the lunch hour and is expected to crest at 24 feet tomorrow morning.
A Missouri man was found guilty on all charges in a sexual abuse case from 2016.
According to the Buchanan County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Joseph Sousley, who was charged with three counts of sodomy in the first degree and one count of sexual abuse in the first degree, was found guilty on all charges on May 7, 2019, by a Buchanan County jury in front of Division 4 Circuit Court Judge Kellogg.
As previously reported, Sousley was charged in 2017, for abusing a St. Joseph teenager in June of 2016.
According to a press release from the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, the victim in the case, who was 14-years-old at the time of the offense, testified for nearly four hours over the last two days.
Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Kristina Zeit called eight witnesses to testify during the course of trial. After deliberating for approximately two hours, the jury returned a verdict of guilty on all four counts.
Joseph Sousley faces up to life in prison on each of the three sodomy charges and up to 7 years in prison on the sexual abuse charge.
Sentencing has been set for June 13, 2019.
