Courts

By NewsPress Now An appeals court has upheld the release of a woman who served more than 40 years in prison for a Buchanan County murder she says she did not commit. The Missouri Court of Appeals Western District released its opinion Tuesday in the case involving Sandra Hemme, who a Livingston County Judge ordered

By NewsPress Now A teen will spend 30 years in jail for his role in the murder of a 15-year-old boy last year. Jackson Lee Griffith, 19, learned his fate Monday afternoon after previously pleading guilty to second-degree murder in the June 15, 2023, shooting of Carter P. Smith, whose body was found near 28th

By NewsPress Now A former Robidoux Middle School teacher will be sentenced next month after following his guilty plea to a charge of first-degree sodomy. Everett “Tim” Harding, 47, admitted that he engaged in a relationship with a then 14-year-old girl that included sexual contact. Sentencing has been set for 2:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov.

By NewsPress Now A Platte City man will spend 19 years in prison for creating and possessing child pornography and molesting a child. Timothy D. Lowery pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a minor, two counts of possession of child pornography and third-degree child molestation and was sentenced on Oct. 4. The child victim told

By NewsPress Now A St. Joseph man is being held without bond on a charge of second-degree assault for his involvement in a Downtown shooting that left a man in critical condition. Derius L. Davis, 30, is set for an initial appearance in court at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 8. The victim, Jonathan Ross, 37,

By NewsPress Now Two St. Joseph residents face charges after a 10-month-old was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. Antonio Campos, 25, is charged with abuse or neglect of a child, and Hayley Sharp, 30, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Probable cause statements state the two were in a relationship

By Chris Fortune Northwest Health Services is facing multiple cases of employment discrimination related to the conduct of its chief executive officer. Four cases alleging employment discrimination have been filed this year against Northwest Health Services that described a deterioration in work conditions for women after CEO Matt Younger was hired for the position around

By NewsPress Now A St. Joseph woman is facing a felony charge of kidnapping after trying to take two children from the parking lot of a local business. Deann Cluck, 51, went up to a stroller, unbuckled the two children and began walking off with them on Sept. 27 outside the business, which is not

By Kendra Simpson The Missouri Court of Appeals will convene Oct. 16 in the Leah Spratt Hall on Missouri Western State University’s campus. Judges Mark Pfeiffer, Gary Witt and Thomas Chapman will listen to oral arguments from three cases. After the oral arguments, the judges will discuss the court system and take general questions from

By Cameron Montemayor A St. Joseph woman accused of driving the wrong-way on an Interstate 229 exit ramp in May, killing a 33-year old motorcyclist, appeared in court Thursday for a preliminary hearing in the case. Katherine Deweese stood before Associate Circuit Judge Rebecca Spencer, where she waived her right to a preliminary hearing, a

By NewsPress Now A St. Joseph man was in court Tuesday morning for a hearing on a weapons charge related to an incident that brought several police officers to a home near 20th and Walnut streets late last week. Kevin Goodwin is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm. Associate Circuit Judge Rebecca Spencer set

By Jenna Wilson A Missouri bill that recently passed raises the age a minor can be charged as an adult from 12 to 14. There are two types of certification proceedings in the state of Missouri: discretionary, when a court has the option to hold a hearing to determine whether a juvenile should be certified

By NewsPress Now A St. Joseph man pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree assault Friday morning in an incident where a car and a home were hit by gunfire earlier this week.  Seth Corbitt, 20, will appear next week for a preliminary hearing on that charge and unlawful use of a weapon at

By NewsPress Now An eight-year sentence in federal prison was handed down Wednesday to a Northwest Missouri man who threatened to kill law enforcement officers when he was arrested in January. Erin L. Graves, 45, of Stanberry, Missouri, was sentenced to eight years and four months without parole for illegally possessing a sawed-off shotgun, federal

By NewsPress Now A St. Joseph man is charged with first-degree statutory rape in a case involving a teen relative prosecutors say gave birth to his child this summer. Ronald Heffley, 42, will appear at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 12, in front of Associate Circuit Judge Chad Gaddie to face the charge. A probable cause

By Jenna Wilson A St. Joseph couple has been charged with animal abuse that led to a dog’s death last month. Marc P. Carpenter and Stephany A. Carpenter have both been charged with a Class A misdemeanor of animal abuse in Buchanan County. In August, a lethargic Great Pyrenees was found near Lake Contrary and

By Jenna Wilson and Chris Fortune A Savannah Police Department lieutenant has been charged with misdemeanor animal abuse after the death of K-9 officer Horus in June. According to a probable cause statement from the Missouri Attorney General’s Office, Daniel Zeigler and his K-9 Partner Horus completed their overnight shift at 4:50 a.m., according to

By NewsPress Now A local pastor has filed an amendment to his federal discrimination and defamation lawsuit, naming two people previously dismissed from the case as individual defendants. Brian Kirk, pastor at First Christian Church, alleges the St. Joseph City Council did not reappoint him to his seat on the St. Joseph Public Library board

By NewsPress Now Two defendants have been dismissed from a discrimination and defamation suit brought by a local pastor whose spot on a St. Joseph library board was not renewed. Steven Greiert and Josh Blevins’ motion to dismiss them from the federal lawsuit filed by Brian Kirk was granted last week by Senior Judge Gary

By Cameron Montemayor A preliminary hearing for a St. Joseph woman charged with first-degree involuntary manslaughter has been scheduled for Sept. 19 in front of Associate Circuit Judge Rebecca Spencer. Buchanan County court filings show Katherine Deweese was arraigned last week and released on her own recognizance after pleading not guilty to the charge. Deweese,

By Cameron Montemayor A St. Joseph woman has been charged in connection with a fatal wrong-way crash that killed a motorcyclist on an Interstate 229 exit ramp in May. Katherine Deweese has been charged with involuntary manslaughter for her role in a wrong-way collision that killed 33-year-old Ryan Coffman as he was exiting the double-decker

By Jenna Wilson A second St. Joseph man has been charged with animal abuse in the case of a dog that was thrown off an Andrew County bridge. Shelton A. Monico is charged with the Class A misdemeanor of animal abuse in Buchanan County. Monico, who owned the dog, admitted to causing injury to his

By NewsPress Now Driving while intoxicated and weapons charges have been filed against a former school board member in St. Joseph Municipal Court. Kenneth Reeder, 69, of St. Joseph is set to appear before Municipal Court Judge Ted Elo at 8 a.m. on Sept. 25 on charges of DWI-drug intoxication and a weapons violation. Reeder

By Chris Fortune Central High School Activities Director David Lau is facing a felony charge in Florida for an incident that occurred in May. Lau was charged with a third-degree felony of resisting an officer with violence and pleaded not guilty on July 8. According to a probable cause statement from an officer in Naples,

By Chris Fortune A former Robidoux Middle School teacher charged with first-degree sodomy is scheduled to be arraigned next month. Everett “Tim” Harding, 47, waived his right to a preliminary hearing Thursday afternoon in front of Associate Circuit Judge Rebecca Spencer. During the hearing, Harding’s attorney, Mark Wissehr, sought an order to change his bond

By Chris Fortune A judge sentenced the first of three teens in connection with the death of a 15-year-old boy. Circuit Court Judge Patrick Robb sentenced 17-year-old Kaden Wilfong to 30 years in prison on Wednesday afternoon. He admitted to being involved in the shooting of Carter P. Smith and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder

By Chris Fortune The last of three teens charged in the 2023 death of a 15-year-old boy pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the case on Friday. Jackson Lee Griffith, 19, entered the plea in front of Circuit Court Judge Patrick Robb. He admitted to being involved in the shooting of Carter Smith, whose body

By Kendra Simpson A hearing for the man who threw a dog off an Andrew County bridge has been scheduled for 1:30 p.m. July 30. Arnold D. Thomas has been charged with the Class E felony in his second subsequent offense of animal abuse by torture and/or mutilation while the animal was alive. Deputies found

By Chris Fortune Sandra Hemme’s attorneys are working tirelessly to enforce a judge’s order for her release after it was countered. Some media outlets reported that Hemme was set to be released from the Chillicothe Correctional Center on Wednesday, but she has not been released pending a challenge from the Missouri Attorney General’s Office. Hemme’s