Local man attends DWI arraignment while drunk
John M. Wyble’s St. Patrick’s Day festivities spilled over into his next-day court responsibilities.
Man gets 14 years for causing wreck
Paul L. Thompson ignored the intervention of his family and kept driving after narrowly missing a vehicle last September. The 44-year-old St. Joseph man didn’t finally stop driving until he smashed into a Jeep containing Katherine Hoffman and her 11-year-old son on Missouri Highway 371. Even that didn’t keep Mr. Thompson from moving, as he crawled from the wreck and into nearby weeds, where Buchanan County sheriff’s deputies arrested him.
Appellate court overrules Kellogg
Jeffrey Cornelius believed his stay in prison would last 120 days back in 2004, when the Missouri Department of Corrections took him into custody.
Man pleads guilty to statutory sodomy
A Dearborn, Mo., man received a 12-year sentence Tuesday in Buchanan County Circuit Court for sodomizing a 6-year-old girl.
In the courts, March 17, 2010
In the courts, March 17, 2010
Rathman gets life for son's death
For more than a minute, Dwight Scroggins methodically described the fatal injuries in phrases that hold little meaning outside the medical community or anatomy classrooms. But in between terms like calvarial, parietal and subdural, Mr. Scroggins continued to sprinkle in the words purple and red, painting with painful colors a clear picture of what Donald Rathman suffered at the hands of his father, Ronny Rathman.
Judge Taylor files for re-election
Twice re-elected but never challenged, Ron Taylor is preparing to run his first Buchanan County campaign.
Rathman gets life in prison for son's death
Ronny Rathman, 52, received a life sentence Monday in Buchanan County Circuit Court for murdering his infant son.
Nurse gets five years on drug charge
A St. Joseph woman received a five-year sentence Monday in Buchanan County Circuit Court for stealing prescription drugs from a local nursing home for her son to sell.
Building manager pleads guilty in shooting
An alcohol-fueled feud in Midtown left one man wounded and could land another in prison.
Stahlin nominated to be Conway’s successor
The Buchanan County Central Democratic Committee stayed in-house to nominate longtime County Clerk Pat Conway’s successor.
Holliday plans return to office
After two decades away from politics, Ron Holliday got in line Tuesday morning to rejoin the fray.
Mann wants county spot back
Tom Mann has two new knees and is ready to work them out going door-to-door in Buchanan County once again. After 16 years as presiding commissioner, Mr. Mann left office in 2007 following a loss to political newcomer and Republican R.T. Turner. In the past four years, Mr. Mann, a Democrat, had his bad knees replaced and sold his business.
Murder suspects appear in court
Two Rushville men accused of murder made their first court appearances Tuesday.
More charges filed in slaying
A defendant in the slaying of local business owner Larry Norris now faces three more charges in Buchanan County Circuit Court. The Buchanan County prosecutor’s office already charged Christopher William Lee Helton, 35, with second-degree murder, a class A felony.
Churches taking care to avoid sexual abuse
Local churches have a surprising ally in the fight against sexual abuse — insurance companies. New Life Bible Church and Huffman Memorial United Methodist Church each face a lawsuit in Buchanan County Circuit Court alleging, among other things, that both entities were intentionally negligent in supervising church authorities and children. Those pending lawsuits serve as a continuing reminder for congregations to remain ever vigilant in the fight against sexual abuse. Steven Bolt is an agent in Independence, Mo., for GuideOne Insurance, one of the nation’s leaders in insuring churches. Companies like GuideOne aid in that fight by not limiting their input and services to roofs and walls.
Robberies get man 16 years in prison
Jason Edward Deming’s stream of second chances ran dry Thursday morning.
Lawsuit filed against Landy, church, OATS in abuse case
Members of a sexual abuse support group arrived in St. Joseph last month to deliver a letter to New Life Bible Church.
Pat Conway moves out of clerk’s office
Moving day arrived Tuesday, clearing out one of the more interesting and varied rooms in the Buchanan County Courthouse. In Pat Conway’s office, a wooden golf club sat in one corner a few weeks ago, while a straw hat, stuffed Aflac ducks and a three-leafed clover also resided comfortably in the first-floor room of the courthouse. Mr. Conway began the process of cleaning out 28 years’ worth of stuff this month after winning the special election for the state’s 27th district representative seat.
Sentencing guidelines on the stand
Missouri’s Sentencing Advisory Commission aimed to bring more uniformity to the sentencing process in the state’s courts. In 2005, probation officers started including sentencing recommendations in the sentencing assessment reports (SAR) they provided to judges. The formula averages sentences from around the state for a particular crime, factoring in the defendant’s age, criminal history and education. But the uniformity seems to have come from prosecutors’ response to those recommendations.
Buchanan County joins self-insurance trend
Buchanan County added another service to its repertoire for 2010 — health care provider.
County Clerk candidates await word on nomination
Five people already have lined up to succeed Pat Conway as the Buchanan County clerk, and he hasn’t even left office yet.
Repeated acts of vandalism tarnish Green Acres
Maybe modern cinema just isn’t compelling enough, or perhaps it’s the fault of a bad economy. Whatever the reason, vandals and thieves have made the Green Acres building a routine target since local Realtor Don Evans bought it two years ago.
Lake Contrary residents miffed about budget cuts
Ivana Calhoun found a syringe by the Lake Contrary boat dock a couple of weeks ago and had a flashback to the ground’s past problems.
Hendrix receives 12 years for role in robbery
The other member of a tandem robbery that left a man with a bullet in his leg received a 12-year sentence Thursday.
County Commission comes calling to Jefferson City
Missouri’s county commissioners call themselves an essential arm of state government. This week they’re holding out that arm for more money from Jefferson City.
Conway wins special election
Pat Conway never had lost an election, and a Republican never had won Missouri’s 27th District representative seat. Both streaks remain firmly intact following Tuesday’s special election. Mr. Conway, the Democratic candidate and Buchanan County Clerk since 1983, won with 65 percent of the vote, defeating Republican Jason Gregory (34 percent). Mr. Conway decided to run for state representative when Ed Wildberger, facing term limits, stepped down before November’s election to fill the county’s recorder of deeds position.
Rathman pleads guilty to murdering Infant son
Donald Rathman didn’t have any allies at home during his two months of life. His father, Ronny Rathman, pleaded guilty Monday in Buchanan County Circuit Court to second-degree murder, admitting to killing Donald on Oct. 8. During the hearing, Mr. Rathman indicated one of Donald’s two older brothers who lived in the home also abused the child.
County elections expected to cost about $400,000 in 2010
Democracy doesn’t come cheap. A busy election year in Buchanan County gets under way Tuesday with the vote for the 27th District state representative, and County Clerk Pat Conway estimates the 2010 elections will cost a little more than $400,000. The county will host at least five elections this year, with the possibility of a sixth.
Crack trafficker sentenced to 8 years in prison following plea
When Elizabeth Hernandez returned home from church, she found Herbert Lucas-Jackson and two friends bagging crack on her table.
Woman pleads guilty in meth delivery
Kathleen M. Mallory took her donation to the Second Harvest of Greater St. Joseph a step further than is normal or legal. Ms. Mallory, 42, pleaded guilty Friday in Buchanan County Circuit Court to possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute.
Gregory would push small business
Jason Gregory wants to put St. Joseph back on the map, but first he has to put Tuesday’s election on voters’ calendars. The Republican is running for the state’s 27th District representative seat against Democrat Pat Conway. “Most people think this election will be in November,” Mr. Gregory said after a month of campaigning.
Conway would address mandates
Pat Conway sees more mandates and less money coming from Jefferson City in recent years. So Buchanan County’s longtime county clerk wants to take local government’s case to the state capitol. Mr. Conway, a Democrat, is running for the state’s 27th District representative seat against Republican Jason Gregory. Ed Wildberger, facing term limits, vacated the seat to become Buchanan County’s recorder of deeds. Mr. Conway has served as the county clerk since 1983.
Ex-nursing home worker pleads guilty
A St. Joseph woman pleaded guilty Monday to stealing prescription drugs from a nursing home for her son to sell.
Voters may ‘regulate’ sex offenders
Matt Bartle doesn’t care to critique the Missouri Supreme Court’s recent ruling that two sex offender laws couldn’t apply to those convicted before the laws went into effect.
Fate of Green Acres building still up in the air
Surrounded by barren trees and enveloped in fog on a recent morning, the historic Green Acres building looked the part of a haunted house.
Sex offenders gain freedom for now
Nine months after she questioned the constitutionality of Missouri’s Halloween restrictions, Sue Rinne finally got her victory, albeit vicariously. Ms. Rinne, head of Buchanan County’s public defender office, challenged a 2008 law that prohibited registered sex offenders from handing out candy and placed other restrictions on their Halloween activities, even if their convictions occurred before the law passed. Associate Judge Keith Marquart ruled against Ms. Rinne in that case in Buchanan County Circuit Court. But this month, the Missouri Supreme Court, in a 4-3 decision, sided with the defense in regard to a pair of cases out of eastern Missouri.
Hit-and-run driver gets maximum punishment
Just hours after driving through a red light on the Belt Highway and delivering a death blow to a woman, Joshua Morgan sat a county away, drinking whiskey with a friend.
Shriner sentenced in felony
Gary Butler pays his penance on a daily basis.
Driver gets 18 years for fatal hit-and-run
Just hours after driving through a red light on the Belt Highway and delivering a death blow to a woman, Joshua Morgan sat a county away, drinking whiskey with a friend.
Angela Rathman receives five years in prison
Angela Rathman’s sentence generated crying inside the courtroom and cursing outside it.
St. Joseph Bankruptcies surge 28 percent in 2009
As a single woman, Angie resided comfortably within the bounds of financial stability - good credit and a savings account. But the financial responsibility of the two kids who ensued slowly eroded that foundation. Angie, who requested the News-Press not use her last name, had a high enough credit score to secure cards with $20,000 limits, but the situation on which that score was based no longer existed. After three years, her savings account dried up, and then the credit card debt began to mount.
Early sales tax numbers affirm commissioners' optimism
In a spate of optimism, the Buchanan County commissioners chose to project a half-percent increase in 2010 revenue, even as the auditor prognosticated differently.
Man sentenced to 80 years in sodomy case
Edward L. Hoeber received an 80-year sentence Wednesday for sodomizing a 4-year-old girl on at least two occasions in 2007.
Roads take hit in county budget
When ice coats the blacktop road that runs past the Mussers' rural Buchanan County home, the yield sign is implied. For the past 31 years, Rita and Ronnie Musser have lived on Crabapple Road, about 15 miles southeast of St. Joseph. They paid to have their portion of the county road paved three years back, but that didn't tame the hill down the street. So when it snows, the vehicle traveling up the hill must yield to the one heading down it.
Murder suspects taking different routes
The paths two St. Joseph men accused of murdering Larry Norris will take a different turn in the judicial system.
Man receives 25-year sentence for burglary, beating
Johnny R. Jones received a 25-year prison sentence Friday for breaking into a local pharmacy and beating the owner with a baseball bat.
Shooter in robbery sentenced to 15 years
The shooter in a robbery gone awry received a 15-year sentence Thursday. Jeremy S. Hicks, 21, pleaded guilty in Buchanan Circuit Court to first-degree robbery (a class A felony), and Judge Dan Kellogg followed the plea agreement. Mr. Hicks' punishment could've ranged from 10 to 30 years or life in prison. Mr. Hicks admitted to shooting Nicholas Poirer in the leg during a robbery in the South Belt Walmart parking lot on Sept. 11.
Captain Harold Brown left lasting impression on officers
When Capt. Harold K. Brown worked the night shift, the officers of the St. Joseph Police Department assembled for roll call - laughs cued up.
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