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Archive for the ‘MISSOURI’ Category
Disgraced Joplin Missouri Police Officer Homer Knisley Off The Force After Beating Handcuffed Man - Victim Receives Tiny Settlement - Names Of Other Officers Involved Hidden From Taxpayers
July 20th, 2008
JOPLIN, MISSOURI - The city of Joplin recently paid $5,000 to a 25-year-old black man who was struck in the face by a white police officer while he was handcuffed, according to a newspaper report.
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The incident took place at the city jail April 20 after David G. Neal was arrested for allegedly ramming a police car with his own car in downtown Joplin and resisting arrest.
The officer involved, Homer Knisley, 31, left the Joplin Police Department on Wednesday. His departure and the discipline of two other officers involved were disclosed Thursday in the wake of investigations by the department’s internal affairs division and the Missouri Highway Patrol.
Police Chief Lane Roberts told the Joplin Globe on Friday that Knisley and other officers were reacting to provocation by Neal.
“But the bottom line is: Even if everything (Knisley) says is true, you don’t punch a guy in handcuffs,” Roberts said. “There’s no way to justify it.”
Read MorePhelps County Missouri Deputy Sheriff Greg Curtis “No Longer Employed” After His Wife Runs Down A Pedestrian In Wal-Mart Parking Lot With Their Uninsured Car - Details Hidden From Taxpayers
July 18th, 2008
ROLLA, MISSOURI - Greg Curtis, the deputy whose wife was involved in an accident involving pedestrian Dawn Littrell on June 27 in the Rolla Wal-Mart parking lot is no longer employed with the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department.
Phelps County Sheriff Don Blankenship confirmed the separation Friday.
“As of two days ago, Greg Curtis is no longer with the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department. I can’t discuss any details because it involves personnel,” Blankenship said.
Friday marked the second day Curtis’ Phelps County Sheriff’s Department cruiser was not parked at the Curtis’s home on Missouri Route 72. The car has been idle on the Sheriff’s Department parking lot.
It is unclear whether Curtis resigned or whether he was dismissed as a result of the accident in which his wife was uninsured.
The Rolla Daily News attempted to contact Curtis on Friday to confirm whether he resigned or was let go, but received no response from telephone messages.
Read MoreVeteran Springfield Missouri Police Officer Morris Taylor Fired, Charged After Brutally Beating Man At Jail - Caught On Video
July 18th, 2008
SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI - A Springfield police officer fired last Friday after allegations that he mistreated an inmate in the Greene County Jail was charged this week with misdemeanor assault in the third degree.
Officer Morris Taylor, an 11-year veteran with the police force, was charged Wednesday after an investigation of the alleged assault on May 29.
During the incident — at least part of which was caught on surveillance video — Morris allegedly struck inmate John Sedersten and had him down on the floor at the jail, according to a probable cause statement in the case.
Chief Lynn Rowe said there is audio of parts that weren’t on video.
“Fortunately, this is an isolated incident,” said Greene County Prosecutor Darrell Moore. “It’s not the norm, people should not believe it’s the norm.”
Police Chief Lynn Rowe said, “Our policy is to fairly investigate any allegation of misconduct and resolve that as swiftly as we can as best we can.
Read MoreWebster County Missouri Sheriff’s Employee Shot While Burning Old Evidence After 22 Bullets Exploded In Fire - Name Hidden From Taxpayers
July 16th, 2008
WEBSTER COUNTY, MISSOURI - A Webster County sheriff’s employee is in the hospital after some live ammunition exploded, hitting him in the butt.
The sheriff’s office says the man, whose name has not been released, was destroying some old evidence when some 22 bullets went off in the fire.
Suspended Veteran Springfield Illionis Police Commander Cliff Buscher Gets A Special Plea Deal And Slap On The Wrist After Drunken Shooting Incident - 2 Articles
July 14th, 2008
SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS - No one was injured in the March incident in Taney County, Mo.
Prosecuting attorney Jeff Merrill told The (Springfield) State Journal-Register on Wednesday that Cliff Buscher pleaded guilty on Monday to disturbing the peace.
Buscher must pay a $500 fine, serve two years probation, perform 100 hours of community service and undergo a substance abuse evaluation.
A Springfield Police Department spokesman says the 19-year veteran is on paid leave pending a review by the department’s internal affairs division.
Buscher’s attorney declined to comment.
Elsewhere:
Police commander pleads guilty
Fired service weapon at Missouri lake while under the influence
Springfield Police Commander Cliff Buscher has pleaded guilty in Missouri to a misdemeanor stemming from an incident in March during which he fired his service weapon at a lake while intoxicated.
Read MoreWright City Missouri Police Officer Brian Michael Green Sentenced To Just 10 Years In Federal Prison In Plea Deal After Using The Internet To Seek Sex From A Child
July 14th, 2008
EAST ST. LOUIS, ILLINOIS - A former Missouri police officer is headed to prison for 10 years for using the Internet to try to persuade an underage Illinois girl to have sex with him.
Thirty-four-year-old Brian Michael Green was working as an officer in Missouri’s Wright City just west of St. Louis when the offense happened a year ago. The girl was living in southern Illinois.
Green pleaded guilty in March. As part of a plea deal, federal prosecutors say Green has agreed to an increased sentence because he abused his position as a police officer and for targeting a vulnerable victim.
Green must spend 10 years under court supervision after his release.
Former Neosho Missouri Police Officer Justin Pickup Receives A Tiny Slap On The Wrist After Buying Alcohol For 16 Year Old Girl Who Was Latter Involved In A Drunken Wreck
July 10th, 2008
ANDERSON, MISSOURI - A former Neosho police officer received a 15-day shock sentence in a county jail after he pleaded guilty this week to endangering the welfare of a child. Justin Pickup of Goodman bought vodka for Kassie Schenck in December 2006. The 16-year-old girl later died when she crashed her car in Newton County.
Besides the jail sentence, Pickup, 24, was also given two years probation and ordered to turn in his badge. The case was moved to McDonald County from Newton County to try to ensure a fair outcome. Appeared Here
Greene County Missouri Correctional Officer Steven Donovan Fired After Erasing Warrant For His Arrest, Charged With Misuse Of Official Information
July 9th, 2008
SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI - The Greene County sheriff fired a correctional officer who was charged this week with misusing his position for personal gain. A detective says Steven Donovan used a computer system that he didn’t have clearance to use — to clear his name.
Donovan is charged with misuse of official information by a public servant. That’s a misdemeanor that could get him up to a year in a county jail if he’s convicted or pleads guilty.
The detective says Donovan admits he cleared a warrant for his own arrest from Phelps County on a statewide computer system known as MULES (Missouri Uniform Law Enforcement System). The warrant was for failing to appear in court for a ticket for not having insurance on his vehicle, a ticket that Phelps County prosecutors dismissed in May after Donovan showed he does have insurance.
Read MoreFormer Neosho Missouri Police Officer Justin Pickup Faces Misdemeanor Child Endangerment Trial After Supplying Alcohol To A 16 Year Old Girl Who Latter Crashed her Car And Died - Faces A Slap On The Wrist If Convicted
July 5th, 2008
NEOSHO, MISSOURI - A trial is set to begin Wednesday in the case of a former Neosho police officer who is accused of supplying alcohol to a 16-year-old girl who later died in a car crash.
Justin Pickup, 24, is charged with one count of misdemeanor child endangerment after he allegedly gave a pint of vodka to Kassie Schenck the day before she crashed her car at 4 a.m. on Dec. 21, 2006, on Pineville Road. Schenck died as a result of injuries sustained during the crash.
According to a probable-cause affidavit filed in Newton County Circuit Court, Schenck’s blood-alcohol content was 0.12 percent.
The case is being prosecuted by the Missouri Attorney General’s office after then-Newton County Prosecutor Scott Watson recused himself because of a conflict of interest. The trial will take place in McDonald County on a change of venue.
Read MoreEffectiveness Of Unconstitutional And Taxpayer Dollar Wasting Police Sobriety Checkpoints Questioned
July 4th, 2008
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - If you were driving one of the 18,747 vehicles Kansas City police stopped at drunken-driving checkpoints last year, odds are you weren’t arrested.
In fact, only 1.6 percent of those drivers were arrested for being drunk.
Police departments around the Kansas City area and the country spend thousands of dollars a year on DUI checkpoints with similar results. While police defend checkpoints as a great public relations tool against drunken driving, there are better ways to catch drunken drivers, experts say.
Take saturation patrols, where police cruise city streets in search of swerving cars that may be driven by drunks. They are cheaper to conduct and more efficient — for each car that police officers stop, they are almost four times as likely to catch a drunk.
Read MoreUnemployed Truck Driver Duped Dumbass Gerald Missouri Police Into Thinking He Was A Federal DEA Agent For Nearly 5 Months - Claimed He Didn’t Need Warrants To Enter Homes, And Local Police Followed Along Right Behind Him - City Aldermen Voted To Make Him A Reserve Officer
July 1st, 2008
GERALD, MISSOURI - Like so many rural communities in the country’s middle, this tiny town had wrestled for years with the woes of methamphetamine. Then, several months ago, a federal agent showed up.
Busts began. Houses were ransacked. People, in handcuffs on their front lawns, named names. To some, like Mayor Otis Schulte, who considers the county around Gerald, population 1,171, “a meth capital of the United States,” the drug scourge seemed to be fading at last.
Those whose homes were searched, though, grumbled about a peculiar change in what they understood, from television mainly, to be the law.
They said the agent, a man some had come to know as “Sergeant Bill,” boasted that he did not need search warrants to enter their homes because he worked for the federal government.
Read MoreKeystone Cops: Residents Outraged After Dumbass Gerald Missouri Police Are Duped By Unemployed Truck Driver Pretending To Be A Federal Officer - He And Other Gerald Officers Broke Into Homes, Committed Senior To Psych Ward For Not Cooperating With Them, Threatened To Kill People, Stole Guns, Prescription Drugs, Money And Mistreated And Robbed Many Of Those They Arrested - Lawsuits Demanding Millions Rain Down On Town And Officials
June 25th, 2008
GERALD, MISSOURI — Bill Jakob arrived in this small town with an offer to help police curb the community’s methamphetamine problem.
He had a badge and a gun and told officials he had previously worked as an anti-drug agent in Illinois. He even drove a fully equipped Ford Crown Victoria, which he said was for undercover work.
There was just one problem: Jakob was no cop. He was an unemployed truck driver with a criminal record and had recently filed for bankruptcy.
Now this village of 1,200 people southwest of St. Louis is confronting allegations that Jakob and other officers mistreated and robbed many of the people they arrested.
At least 17 people have sued, including an elderly woman who was involuntarily committed to a psychiatric ward because she didn’t cooperate with the police and a man who said Jakob held a gun to his head and threatened to shoot while the man’s child watched.
Read MoreFired Joplin Missouri Police Officer Lt. Geoff Jones Appeals Firing For Drug Use, Associations With Known Criminals, And Resultant Distrust Of Him By The FBI In An Investigation
June 18th, 2008
JOPLIN, MISSOURI - Joplin police Lt. Geoff Jones was fired this year because of alleged associations with known criminals at poker tournaments, a resultant distrust of him by the FBI in an investigation and a failure to disclose his use of prescription drugs, the city’s police chief testified Wednesday.
Chief Lane Roberts was the principal witness to testify at a Personnel Board hearing on Jones’ appeal of his firing.
The hearing was suspended after five hours of testimony, with the board yet to hear Jones’ side of the story. The board plans to reconvene the hearing at a date yet to be announced and then make its decision on his appeal.
Roberts fired Jones from his duties with the Police Department on Feb. 8. He was given a fact-finding hearing March 3 and later was given final notice by City Manager Mark Rohr of his dismissal.
Read MoreGenius University Of Missouri Police Officer Leonard J. Cook Admits To Child Molestation And Child Pornography During Polygraph Exam While Applying To Rolla Police Department
June 14th, 2008
ROLLA, MISSOURI - Leonard J. Cook passed the polygraph test to be a Rolla, Mo., city police officer. But instead of leading to a job, his answers could send him to prison.
Cook, 31, was already a police officer for the University of Missouri at Rolla (now Missouri University of Science and Technology) when a lie-detector examiner asked him last year if he ever had any contact with underage girls.
He said yes.
Asked if he had any child pornography, again he said yes.
U.S. Attorney Catherine Hanaway outlined the details Thursday, a day after Cook pleaded guilty in federal court in St. Louis of one count of possession of child pornography. Such a conviction typically results in a prison term of four or five years.
She said Cook’s candor during the polygraph was stunning.
Read MoreCrazed St. Louis Missouri Alderwoman Donna Baringer Wants City To Treat Spray Paint Can’s Like Handguns
June 8th, 2008
ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI - Motorists driving down Highway 40 under Tamm Avenue in the wee hours of July 19, 2007, reported seeing graffiti artists at work on the pristine white concrete of the overpass wall. Before fleeing the scene, the men left their trademarks, or tags, in big bubble letters.
St. Louis police later caught two suspects north of the highway, and they also found backpacks loaded with sixteen cans of spray paint. Both men were charged with felony property damage. The incident set off alarm bells for south St. Louis Alderwoman Donna Baringer, who says she realized that the new overpasses and noise barriers going up along Highway 40 will be a prime target for vandals.
“Those walls will be seen as empty canvases to do artistic work,” says Baringer, who serves the 16th Ward. “But we will have to have it removed and the state — us taxpayers — will end up paying for it.”
Read MoreGreen County Missouri Deputy Sheriff’s Handcuff Woman At Gunpoint And Cite Her On Bogus Charge After She Drove To Lit Area Before Stopping - A-Hole Sheriff Jack Merritt Says She Should Have Counted Lights On Deputy’s Car
June 7th, 2008
SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI - A family hopes law officers will make clear what they expect a driver to do if an officer tries to stop her and she wants to make sure a fake cop is not stopping her. That’s what Vanessa Kimery thought was happening to her when she saw flashing lights behind her Wednesday morning.
It turns out it was the real deal — a Greene County sheriff’s deputy. The deputy tried to stop Kimery on South Campbell Avenue (U.S. 160), south of Springfield.
It wasn’t too long ago that Highway Patrol troopers and the Howell County sheriff were dealing the case of two women who were pulled over and assaulted near West Plains by a man impersonating an officer. So, remembering that, Kimery says she wanted to be safe instead of sorry when she saw police lights behind her. Now, she faces a possible fine for it.
Read MoreBlack Leaders Recruiting Men For “Street Teams” To Intimidate St. Louis Missouri Residents
June 6th, 2008
FLORISSANT, MISSOURI - Black leaders who organized an anti-crime march that drew tens of thousands to St. Louis last weekend are recruiting “street teams” to mobilize in high-crime neighborhoods.
Teams of men will be assigned a neighborhood to visit regularly to talk with youth about teen pregnancy, drugs and gang violence. The teams, including former gang members, will also encourage residents to report crimes to police.
Plans also call for partnering with other groups to mentor young people, and regular neighborhood summits.
The Rev. F. James Clark, who heads the “Oneness” campaign, says the march showed that the black community isn’t complacent about its problems. He says it’s time to inspire and recruit people to get involved. Appeared Here
Federal Lawsuit Charges Blackjack Missouri Officials With Not Allowing Family To Live In Their Own Home - Dumbass City Attorney Sheldon Stock Gears Up To Piss Away Taxpayer Dollars In Court Battle Against ACLU Lawyers
May 29th, 2008
BLACK JACK, MISSOURI - Another unmarried couple is being told by a suburban St. Louis town they’re not welcome.
[BCN prediction: City attorney Sheldon Stock wastes taxpayer funds and loses in federal court against ACLU's lawyers.]
A man, his girlfriend and her three children recently bought a house in Black Jack in north St. Louis County. But because Toi Pruitt and Joe Pulliam and the children don’t meet the town’s definition of a family, they couldn’t get an occupancy permit.
In 2006, Black Jack revised its definition of a family after initially refusing a permit for Fondray Loving, Olivia Shelltrack and their children. That family had filed a federal lawsuit.
The new ordinance allows unmarried couples as long as the children are related to both. None of the children are related to Pulliam.
The city attorney says he’s willing to fight for the ordinance in court. Appeared Here
Disgraced Former Clay County Missouri Deputy Sheriff Donald A. Devens Charged By Feds After Attacking Motorist, Destroying Dash Camera Video
May 28th, 2008
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - A former Clay County sheriff’s deputy was charged in federal court Tuesday with violating a defendant’s civil rights by using unreasonable force during an arrest and with obstruction of justice.
Donald A. Devens, 59, of Smithville, Mo., waived his right to a grand jury and was charged in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, according to a news release from the United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri.
Devens was a Clay County deputy for four years. He resigned in 2005.
In August 2005, Devens was on road patrol near Kearney, Mo., and began pursuing a speeding pickup truck. Devens and Kearney, Mo., police officers eventually stopped the vehicle.
Wesley A. Lewis, the driver, was taken into custody. Devens was accused of assaulting Lewis and then destroying dash camera video of the arrest to obstruct the investigation, according to the news release.
Read MoreRetired Police Officer Questioned After Underaged Girl Was Found In His Car In Kansas City Missouri - Arrested For Unpaid Parking Tickets
May 24th, 2008
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - A retired officer was questioned by police after he was discovered with an underage girl.
Kansas City police were staking out the Hallmark Motel for prostitution Tuesday when they spotted a teenager getting into a car with an older man.
When they ran a check on his license plate, they found he was a retired police officer with a warrant for three unpaid parking tickets.
Police said that when they stopped him for the warrant, they found what they would only describe as “possible contraband” in his vehicle.
They arrested the retired officer for the outstanding warrant.
He posted bond and has not been charged with anything else. Appeared Here
Legal Experts Doubt U.S. Attorney Thomas P. O’Brien Bogus MySpace “Hacking” Charges Against O’Fallon Missouri Woman
May 17th, 2008
The story, widely reported, garnered the girl’s family widespread sympathy on the Internet. The twist that Lori Drew, a 47-year-old neighbor and mother of a former friend of Megan’s, had allegedly created the fake persona of a 16-year-old boy to befriend and later torment the girl brought outrage. Yet, state investigators could not find a law under which Drew could be charged.
More than a year and a half later, federal prosecutors finally have their case. On Thursday, the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California announced that Lori Drew, now 49 years old, was indicted on conspiracy and hacking charges. The indictment charges Drew, a resident of O’Fallon, Missouri, with three counts of unauthorized access by violation of MySpace’s terms of service and one count of conspiracy.
Dumbass Gerald Missouri Police Chief Ryan McCrary, Asst. Chief Scott Ramsey And Another Fired After Man Convinces Them He Is A Federal Drug Investigator And Participated In Warrantless Drug Raids - Town’s Fourth Chief In A Year, If That Tells You Anything…
May 15th, 2008
Missouri state and federal authorities are investigating how a man, posing as a federal drug agent on loan to the police department, helped lead that department in carrying out raids on homes without search warrants.
Arrests were made, even though those arrested say no drugs were found.
It turns out the suspect wasn’t in law enforcement at all.
He has not been charged yet.
Two officers [Asst. Chief Scott Ramsey and another] and the police chief [Ryan McCrary] were all fired because of the scandal.
Dumbass Gerald Missouri Police Chief Ryan McCrary, Asst. Chief Scott Ramsey And Another Suspended After Man Convinces Them He Is A Federal Drug Investigator And Participated In Drug Raids - Town’s Fourth Chief In A Year, If That Tells You Anything…
May 15th, 2008
GERALD, MISSOURI — Three of the five police officers in the Franklin County town of Gerald are suspended after allegedly being duped by an imposter posing as a federal drug investigator.
Suspended are Chief Ryan McCrary, assistant chief Scott Ramsey and a third officer whose name was not released. The FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Missouri State Highway Patrol and sheriff’s department are investigating.
Authorities say a 36-year-old man lied about his credentials, telling Gerald police he was a federal drug investigator working through a grant. He was allegedly allowed to participate in drug raids, even handle a weapon. The man has been arrested.
McCrary has been chief for four months. He is Gerald’s fourth chief in a little more than a year.
Dumbass Gerald Missouri Police Chief Ryan McCary And Two Officers Suspended After Man Dupes Them Into Thinking He Is A Federal Drug Investigator - Man Participated In Drug Raid, Used Weapon
May 15th, 2008
GERALD, MISSOURI — Three of the five police officers in the Franklin County town of Gerald are suspended after allegedly being duped by an imposter posing as a federal drug investigator.
Suspended are Chief Ryan McCrary, assistant chief Scott Ramsey and a third officer whose name was not released. The FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Missouri State Highway Patrol and sheriff’s department are investigating.
Authorities say a 36-year-old man lied about his credentials, telling Gerald police he was a federal drug investigator working through a grant. He was allegedly allowed to participate in drug raids, even handle a weapon. The man has been arrested.
McCrary has been chief for four months. He is Gerald’s fourth chief in a little more than a year.
Fordland Missouri Police Officer Earl Leon Thompson Suspended, Charged After Raping A 14 Year Old Girl Twice
May 13th, 2008
FORDLAND, MISSOURI - An officer with the Fordland police department has been charged with a felony count of rape.
A warrant for the arrest of Earl Leon Thompson, 42, Fordland, was issued Thursday following the filing of a complaint.
Webster County Sheriff’s Deputy John Everett interviewed the 14-year-old victim, her mother and her stepfather on Thursday.
In Everett’s probable cause statement, the stepfather said he saw text messages from Thompson to his stepdaughter.
The man said he was concerned with the messages “including one that had a heart on it and said ‘I luv you,;” the probable cause statement said.
The stepfather questioned the teen who “broke down crying and told him she and Thompson ‘went all the way.’”
Everett said he spoke with the girl who said the first person she told about what happened was her dad, that she had sex on two occasions with Thompson and that she “’she asked him to stop and he wouldn’t stop,’” the probable cause statement said.
Read MoreSt. Louis County Missouri Police Officer David Doerhoff Arrested, Quits, Charged After Sending Nude Photo Of Himself To 14 Year Old Girl Online
May 12th, 2008
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MISSOURI - A former St. Louis County police officer is now charged with trying to send pornography to a minor.
Prosecutors say David Doerhoff sent a nude photo of himself online to someone he thought was a 14-year-old girl.
That “girl” was a Maryland Heights police officer.
St. Louis County police fired the 23-year-old last month, right after his arrest.
Homeless Man Walks Past Lambert Airport Security, Found Sleeping In Airplane - Lambert Missouri Police Call Their Stupidity A “Hiccup” - Our Tax Dollars At Work
May 8th, 2008
BRIDGETON, MISSOURI - Security changes are underway at Lambert Airport following a major breach.
A homeless man managed to sneak onto a plane on Wednesday morning.
The man slipped past security guards at a perimeter check point while guards were inspecting a vehicle.
He was found sleeping on a regional jet that was being worked on.
No passengers were onboard at the time.
The Lambert police chief is calling this incident a “hiccup” in the system.
Lawsuit Charges Phelps County Sheriff Don Blankenship And For Police Officers With Beating And Killing Man Who Ran Red Light
April 30th, 2008
ROLLA, MISSOURI - A case filed Monday in the in the Eastern District of Federal Court in St. Louis names as defendants Phelps County Sheriff Don Blankenship and four law-enforcement officers for the deprivation of Constitutional civil rights and subsequent death of Jimmy Dwayne Farris.
Farris, then 38, died shortly before midnight Thursday, April 12, 2007, after he had been pulled over by Phelps County Sheriff’s Department deputies for a running a red light.
According to the 18-page, three-count petition, Farris was deprived of his Constitutional civil rights by Blankenship, three deputies and a military police officer who was riding along with the deputies that night.
The petition, which was brought by Regina (Kay) McDowell, Farris’ mother and S.F. Doe (Farris’ surviving daughter), names as defendants Blankenship, Aaron Pinson, Michael Manley, Mark Wynn and Thomas M. Buchness. Pinson, Manley, Wynn, and Buchness, the military police officer, were involved in the traffic stop of Farris.
Read MoreSt Louis Missouri Drivers Receiving Red-Light Camera Tickets Aren’t Paying, And There Isn’t Much That Cities Can Do About It - “If you threw it in the trash, nothing would happen.”
April 28th, 2008
ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI - Mikel Ramsey Jr. has a knack for getting on film.
Or, rather, his car does.
Ramsey’s vehicle has been clicked more than two dozen times by red-light traffic cameras in St. Louis, racking up $2,600 in fines.
Ramsey hasn’t paid a dime of it. But the city has not impounded his car or hauled him off to jail. Police aren’t even looking for him.
Chronic violators such as Ramsey represent a weakness in photo-enforcement programs, which are becoming increasingly popular in cities around the region. Other drivers appear to be changing their habits: A sharp decline in camera citations has been reported at several St. Louis intersections.
Because most red-light cameras take a picture only of the car — not the driver — it’s difficult for cities here and around the country to make people pay.
Read MoreDunkin County Missouri Corrections Officers Christopher Whitfield And Alen Powell Fired After Nude Photos Of Female Inmates Were Taken
April 28th, 2008
KENNETT, MISSOURI - Two corrections officers in the Missouri Bootheel are out of work after female inmates were allegedly photographed in the nude.
Dunklin County Sheriff Bob Holder said today that an internal investigation revealed that part-time officer Christopher Whitfield took the pictures of three female inmates. The sheriff said full-time officer Alen Powell was let go because he had knowledge of the photos and did not alert the sheriff’s department.
Both men face charges under a state statue regarding sexual contact with a prisoner or offender. Both men were fired on Monday and served warrants on Wednesday.
Appeared Here
St. Louis County Missouri Police Officer Fired After Arrest For Furnishing Pornography To A Minor Online - Details Hidden From Taxpayers
April 18th, 2008
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MISSOURI - A St. Louis County police officer was fired last week after he was arrested for allegedly furnishing pornography to a minor.
The officer, who was still on probationary status after joining the department Oct. 5, 2007, has not yet been formally charged, St. Louis County police spokeswoman Tracy Panus said.
The St. Peters man is accused of furnishing a picture via the Internet to someone he believed was a 14-year-old girl, Panus said. The recipient was actually an officer with the Maryland Heights police department involved in an online pornography sting.
The officer was arrested April 8 and immediately fired, Panus said. New officers on probation can be fired immediately. The man was released pending application of warrants.
Appeared Here
Kansas City Police Missouri Falsely Charged And Jailed Teen On The Way to His Grandmother’s Birthday Party With 2 Counts Of Rape After Crazed Woman Says “That’s Him!” - Charges Weren’t Immediately Dropped When Exonerated By DNA
April 18th, 2008
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – Jackson County prosecutors this week dropped rape charges against an Independence man whose DNA exonerated him despite two sexual assault victims picking him out as their attacker.
Deangilo Minor, then 19, was arrested June 6 as he was riding his bike to his grandmother’s birthday party in Kansas City. When he approached a group of police officers, the 40-year-old woman they were interviewing pointed and said, “That’s him!”
He was arrested and charged with attempted rape and attempted sodomy. The victim escaped but not before she was hit in the head with a brick.
The nature of the alleged crime was similar to the May 24 rape of another woman in the neighborhood, who was also hit in the head with a brick. When police showed the woman Minor’s picture in a photo lineup, she picked him out.
Read MoreRetired Kansas City Missouri Police Officer Neil Becker - Charged With Child Pornography
April 18th, 2008
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI — A retired Kansas City police officer was arrested on child pornography charges.
Peggy Becker, the wife of the former officer, turned him in to police. Becker told KMBC’s Lara Moritz that she was shocked by what she found on the family’s computer.
“It was very difficult, because I love my husband and I love my family, and I tried to weigh which was more important. I couldn’t overlook it,” Becker said.
Police said Neil Becker admitted to modifying family pictures of his stepdaughter, a neighbor girl and other family members into photos of them having sex with him. The children were not physically violated.
According to court documents, Neil Becker told detectives that he didn’t think he was doing anything wrong because it was his fantasy.
“I was just totally shocked when I found them, because No. 1, it involved my daughter, my sister and I. The mere volume of pictures… ” Peggy Becker said.
Read MoreMaplewood Missouri School Resource Police Officer Suspended After Taser Weapon Attack On Middle School Student
April 16th, 2008
MAPLEWOOD, MISSOURI - A school resource officer in suburban St. Louis is suspended with pay after allegedly using a stun gun on a middle school student.
The president of the Maplewood-Richmond Heights school board tells KMOV-TV that the incident happened April 3rd at Maplewood Middle School. The student was taken to a hospital as a precaution.
There is no immediate word on what prompted the officer to use the stun gun.
That officer was suspended with pay while the investigation continues.
Appeared Here
St. Louis Missouri Police Officer Suspended After Woman Reports Attack And 2 Hour Long Sexual Assault
April 12th, 2008
ST. LOUIS, MO - A St. Louis police officer has been suspended while the department conducts an investigation concerning allegations that he sexually assaulted a 24-year-old woman early Thursday morning.
According to media reports, the woman said the nearly two hour long attack happened at the hands of the officer, whom she had just met.
She said the night started at a friend’s apartment in south St. Louis; the group had been drinking. Around 2:30 a.m., the victim said she and the officer had consensual sexual contact on the couch.
She then claimed she went to a bathroom, where the officer followed. The victim said things took a turn and that she was forced to continue sexual acts she did not consent to.
“I had my hands on his uniform and I pulled him and I was gasping for air,” said the victim.
Read MoreWillard Missouri Police Purchase Counterfeit “Stinger” Taser Weapons
April 5th, 2008
WILLARD, MO - Willard Police Chief Tom McClain says he’s satisfied with a recent purchase of Taser-like weapons but was surprised to learn the company is facing a lawsuit alleging fraudulent business practices.
Advertisement
The lawsuit, filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission in January, alleges that Stinger Systems Inc. committed fraud. The allegations relate to early development and marketing of the company’s product, which fueled a rapid initial increase in its stock price.
The Willard Police Department purchased nine stun guns from Stinger Systems for $499 each — a price the chief says is roughly half the price of a Taser.
“They’re quite a bit cheaper than the Taser, but it’s the same type of technology,” McClain said. “You’re rendered incapable of bodily actions. It gives officers an opportunity to get the person in custody without injuries.”
Read MoreUpdate: St. Louis County Missouri Police Officer Ryan O’Connor Charged After Threating Parking Lot Attendant With His Gun
April 3rd, 2008
ST. LOUIS, MO — A St. Louis County police officer accused of pointing his gun at a parking lot attendant during the St. Patrick’s Day parade was charged Wednesday with third-degree assault.
St. Louis City prosecutors charged Ryan O’Connor, 34, with the misdemeanor after reviewing the incident, which happened about 1 p.m. March 17 on a parking lot in the 6600 block of Manchester Road.
The lot manager, Ousseynou Ba, 40, a native of Senegal, West Africa, told police that O’Connor pulled the gun after he told the officer that he could not park where he wanted.
County Police Department spokeswoman Tracy Panus said her department is also reviewing the incident.
O’Connor, of the 1400 block of Payaso Court in south St. Louis County, remains on active duty as a patrolman until the internal investigation and criminal case are concluded, Panus said.
Read MoreScott County Missouri Murder Conviction Based On “Flimsy, Highly Questionable Circumstantial Evidence” May Be Overturned - Sheriff In Scott County, Where Man Was Convicted, Investigated During Original Case And Believes Convicted Man Is Innocent
April 3rd, 2008
SCOTT COUNTY, MO - The case seemed closed long ago. Joshua Charles Kezer already has sat in prison 13 years, just getting started on a 60-year sentence for the 1992 murder of a teenage nursing student in southeastern Missouri.
But on Wednesday, Kezer’s attorneys filed a motion claiming Kezer was wrongfully convicted. They allege the conviction in Ste. Genevieve Circuit Court was based on “flimsy, highly questionable circumstantial evidence.” They also point to new evidence that is said to cast doubt on Kezer’s guilt. At the very least, the attorneys argue, Kezer deserves a new trial.
“He did not commit this crime,” Charlie Weiss, one of the attorneys at Bryan Cave in St. Louis who took the case pro bono, said in an interview.
Although requests to overturn convictions are not rare, the Kezer case does have at least one unusual element: The sheriff of the county where the crime happened believes the wrong man is behind bars.
Read MoreFormer Malden Missouri Police Officer Frankie J. Goins Found Guilty Of Attempted Theft Of $1,000 In Cash
April 2nd, 2008
BLOOMFIELD, MO — A former Malden police officer, Frankie J. Goins, 36, was recently convicted by a Stoddard County jury of attempted felony stealing during a trial that occurred March 25.
According to information provided by Dunklin County Prosecuting Attorney Stephen P. Sokoloff, the trial was held in Bloomfield on a change of venue from Dunklin County.
“The jury of nine men and three women took approximately one and a half hours to find Goins guilty,” Sokoloff said of the decision.
“After deliberation, the jury recommended the imposition of fine, with the amount to be determined by the court.”
The maximum fine for the offense, according to Sokoloff, is $5,000.
Goins was charged with trying to steal $1,000, which was money that had been turned over to him by an 18-year-old Malden man who had received information that the money may have been the product of an Internet scam.
Read MoreFormer Missouri Police Officer Brian Michael Green Pleads Guilty In Illinois Federal Court After Seeking Sex With A Child
April 2nd, 2008
EAST ST. LOUIS, IL - A. Courtney Cox, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that BRIAN MICHAEL GREEN, age 34, of O’Fallon, Missouri, pled guilty in United States District Court in East St. Louis today to one count of using the internet to attempt to persuade, induce, or entice a minor under the age of 16 to engage in sexual activity with him. A Superseding Indictment returned by the Grand Jury alleged that the offense occurred on July 15, 2007. GREEN, a former police officer in Wright City, Missouri, was a resident of Missouri at the time of the offense and the minor was a resident of the Southern District of Illinois.
Read MoreFormer Wright City Missouri Police Officer Brian Michael Green Pleads Guilty After Seeking Sex With A Child
March 28th, 2008
EAST ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI - A former Wright City, Mo., police officer pleaded guilty in federal court today to one count of using the Internet to try to persuade a minor to engage in sex with him.
Brian Michael Green, 34, of 1910 Jeffery Martin Drive in O’Fallon, Mo., went to St. Clair County on July 15 to try to persuade a 15-year-old to have sex with him, according to court documents.
Green originally faced a 30-page, 16-count indictment for each conversation he had with the O’Fallon, Ill., minor, but Green pleaded guilty to one count. In exchange for his guilty plea, federal prosecutors dismissed the 15 additional counts.
Green could face a life prison sentence, a $250,000 fine and 5 years of supervised release. The minimum prison sentence he could receive is 10 years.
Read MoreJasper Missouri Police Officer Charissa Lynn Garber Arrested, Charged With Stealing Credit Card At Convenience Store Where She Worked As A Clerk
March 27th, 2008
SARCOXIE, MO - A Jasper police officer and former Jasper County jailer was arr