Governor Mike Parson has revealed the names of three individuals who have been appointed to serve as judges in various judicial circuits in Missouri. Chastidy R. Dillon-Amelung, David A. Roither, and Amanda L. Oesch have been chosen to fill important roles within the 21st, 22nd, and 33rd Judicial Circuits, respectively.Chastidy R. Dillon-Amelung, a resident of Creve Coeur, has been appointed as Associate Circuit Judge for the 21st Judicial Circuit. She brings a wealth of experience to the role, currently serving as a traffic court commissioner for the same circuit....
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes sentenced Walter Tyndal, 59, to 15 years in federal prison without parole for illegally possessing a firearm. Tyndal, deemed an armed career criminal due to his prior felony convictions, will serve this federal sentence consecutively to any parole revocation sentence in an unrelated state case.Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher prosecuted the case, which stemmed from Tyndal's guilty plea to being a felon in possession of a firearm on Dec. 14, 2023. Tyndal was apprehended on Nov. 23, 2021, for a parole violation...
Governor Mike Parson has made a significant announcement today, appointing 23 individuals to various boards and commissions in the state of Missouri.Among the appointees is Victoria Babb of St. Peters, who has been appointed to the Missouri Community Service Commission. Ms. Babb brings a wealth of experience, currently serving as community resource director for Cunningham Recreation and running the Play 4 ALL division.Ann Marie Baker from Springfield has been appointed to the State Highways and Transportation Commission. Ms. Baker, who serves as executive vice president...
Governor Mike Parson has officially appointed Michelle Hataway as the full status Director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development (DED), after serving as the Acting Director since June 2023. In a statement, Governor Parson praised Hataway's leadership and dedication, stating, "Director Hataway has been a fantastic addition to our team, and we've greatly enjoyed having her leadership and experience among our Cabinet. From main street businesses to billion dollar corporations, no project is too big or too small for Michelle or her team when it comes to growing...
Missouri Governor Mike Parson has announced that Lt. Governor Mike Kehoe will be traveling to McAllen, Texas, on Saturday, April 13, to receive an in-person update on Operation Lone Star and assess Missouri's ongoing deployment to the Southern Border. Lt. Governor Kehoe will be accompanied by Missouri Department of Public Safety Director Sandy Karsten and Missouri State Highway Patrol Colonel Eric Olson.Governor Parson expressed his gratitude towards Lt. Governor Kehoe for his support, stating, "We thank him for being a leader on this issue and for offering his assistance...
The City of Kansas has announced funding awards totaling $2,355,939 to drive economic growth within the Central City area. Acting upon the recommendation of the Central City Economic Development Tax Board, the City Council approved additional funding to support ongoing economic development projects. "This strategic decision, made in response to the dynamic needs of our developers, will help the City navigate the challenges of increased construction labor and material costs," stated an unnamed City official.The approved funding, sourced from Central City Economic...
Jefferson City — Today, Governor Mike Parson revealed that the Missouri Department of Public Safety has allocated $5 million in grants to enhance the capabilities of law enforcement, fire service, and EMS providers in class three counties across Missouri. The funding aims to equip first responders with essential tools to effectively handle emergencies and ensure the safety of their communities.Governor Parson expressed his appreciation for the dedication of Missouri's first responders, stating, "Across our state, Missouri first responders bravely respond to emergencies,...
Two Cass County, Mo., brothers, Serjio Diaz and Tony Diaz, have pleaded guilty in federal court to their roles in a drug-trafficking conspiracy and to illegally possessing firearms. According to a report by the U.S. Department of Justice, Serjio and Tony Diaz each admitted to participating in a drug trafficking conspiracy with others that lasted from approximately January 1, 2019, until June 22, 2021.During the investigation, it was revealed that multiple controlled transactions took place between Serjio and Tony Diaz and law enforcement. These transactions included the...
The Kansas City Health Department is gearing up to host a Black Maternal Health Forum on Tuesday, April 16, 2024, focusing on maternal health disparities affecting African American women. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than White women due to various factors such as healthcare quality variations, chronic conditions, structural racism, and implicit bias.The symposium, titled "Our Bodies STILL Belong to Us: Reproductive Justice NOW!", aims to shed light on the limited access to...
A Lee’s Summit, Mo., man, Marek Redding, has pleaded guilty in federal court to a sextortion scheme involving threatening victims, including minors, to extort them into sending pornographic images and videos of themselves. Redding, 20, admitted to inducing minor victims to produce child pornography and distributing it, as well as extorting an adult victim for more photographs."Redding admitted that he induced two minor victims to produce child pornography...and that he transmitted threats to injure the reputation of an adult victim," stated court documents.Through the...
A man arrested in St. Joseph, Mo., with a significant amount of methamphetamine in his possession has pleaded guilty in federal court to drug trafficking and illegally possessing firearms. Mark Edmundson, 49, pleaded guilty to multiple charges including possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and possessing firearms in connection with a drug-trafficking crime.According to reports, St. Joseph police officers found Edmundson at a gas station following information from the Brown County, Kansas, Sheriff's Department linking him to a shooting incident. The...
Jefferson City — Today, Governor Mike Parson confirmed that the State of Missouri will carry out the sentence of Brian Dorsey on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, as ordered by the Supreme Court of Missouri."Brian Dorsey punished his loving family for helping him in a time of need. His cousins invited him into their home where he was surrounded by family and friends, then gave him a place to stay. Dorsey repaid them with cruelty, inhumane violence, and murder," Governor Parson said."The pain Dorsey brought to others can never be rectified, but carrying out Dorsey’s sentence...
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – James L. McGinnis, a co-founder of the Christian health care sharing ministry Medical Cost Sharing in St. Joseph, Missouri, has pleaded guilty to his involvement in an $8 million wire fraud scheme. McGinnis, 77, admitted to his role in cheating hundreds of members and making false statements on a personal tax return. Alongside him, Craig Anthony Reynolds, another co-founder, had previously pleaded guilty to the same charges in November 2023.McGinnis and Reynolds were found to have used deceptive tactics to market Medical Cost Sharing as a "Health Care...
Governor Mike Parson is set to have a packed schedule from April 8 to April 13, 2024, attending various meetings and events across Missouri. On Monday, April 8, Governor Parson will visit Whiteman Air Force Base to show appreciation to military families, followed by a tour of the University of Central Missouri's capital improvement projects and a book signing.Tuesday, April 9 will see Governor Parson meeting with various groups, including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints' youth leaders, the Bolivar School District's superintendent and school board members,...
A Kansas City, Kan., man, Joshua L. Alley, has been sentenced to twenty-one years in federal prison without parole for possessing methamphetamine to distribute and illegally possessing a firearm. U.S. District Judge Greg Kays handed down the sentence after Alley pleaded guilty to the charges last year.According to court documents, Independence, Mo., police officers spotted Alley in a stolen vehicle at a local convenience store. Despite attempts to stop him, Alley led officers on a high-speed chase, eventually crashing the vehicle into a creek. Alley then attempted to flee...
A Bay Springs, Mississippi, man, Zachary Wes Buckley, has been sentenced to 16 years in federal prison without parole for luring a 16-year-old victim in Columbia, Mo., to meet him at a hotel for illicit sexual activity. The sentencing was handed down by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes.Buckley admitted to the crime, stating that he traveled to Columbia and engaged in sexual activity with the child victim at a local hotel. The communication between Buckley and the victim started in an online chat room and escalated to GoogleChat, involving sexually explicit...
Former corrections officer Paul Emerson Schofield and his wife Sara Ellen Schofield of Jefferson City have been sentenced to federal prison for producing child pornography, specifically recording their sexual assault of a 4-year-old victim. Paul Schofield was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison without parole, while Sara Schofield received a 35-year sentence in federal prison without parole.The couple pleaded guilty to charges related to producing child pornography over a nearly three-year period from July 29, 2019, to June 7, 2022. The investigation into their...
Dylan Joseph Minor, 27, has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison without parole, as stated by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes. Minor's conviction stems from his guilty plea to producing child pornography on July 20, 2023.According to sources, a detective from the Franklin County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on Oct. 14, 2022, leading to the identification of Minor as a suspect who had shared images and videos of suspected child pornography on the Kik application. Following a search warrant...