Courts

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

By Jenna Wilson Another preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Friday, July 19, at 11 a.m. for a St. Joseph man charged with statutory sodomy. Timothy Edward Brown, 51, was detained by St. Joseph Police on Feb. 2 for sodomy/attempted statutory sodomy of a person less than 14 years old. On Monday, July 8, a

By NewsPress Now Three people face charges after local law enforcement agencies served a search warrant at a St. Joseph home last week. Spencer Hoffman is charged with unlawful use of a weapon and possession of a controlled substance, Amy Huffman is charged with second-degree trafficking drugs and unlawful use of a weapon and Jedediah

By Jazmine Knight A St. Joseph school board member is responding after a civil lawsuit filed against her was dropped. Whitney Lanning said she is glad to have the suit, which was filed by fellow board member Isaura Garcia, behind her. Garcia dropped her suit, which stemmed from a Feb. 26 incident between her and

By NewsPress Now The Missouri Supreme Court overruled a St. Joseph man’s motion to erase a conviction in his for second-degree domestic assault. Shawn Flaherty was convicted of that crime in 2018. During a domestic dispute with another occupant of the residence, Flaherty pulled a .44 magnum revolver from his backpack and began wrestling with

By NewsPress Now Bond has been granted for a former Robidoux Middle School teacher charged with first-degree sodomy. Everett “Tim” Harding had a bond of $50,000 set at a court appearance in front of Associate Circuit Court Judge Rebecca Spencer Tuesday afternoon. During court on Tuesday, officials stated that an additional forensic interview revealed there

By NewsPress Now A St. Joseph man is facing a life sentence after being convicted of first-degree sodomy.  Michael Dan Hawkins, 42, was found guilty by a Buchanan County jury after about five hours of deliberations on Thursday. He was charged in September 2022 with having deviate sexual intercourse with a child younger than 12 for

By NewsPress Now A St. Joseph man faces charges in a Thursday morning shooting that wounded two people in St. Joseph’s North End.  Edward James, 56, is charged with second-degree assault and armed criminal action in the incident, which happened at about 5 a.m. Thursday at a house in the 500 block of Shady Avenue. 

By NewsPress Now Two people face child endangerment charges after a 4-year-old in their care had to be revived with CPR and Narcan.  Chad Bolinger and Danielle McLaughlin of St. Joseph each were charged this week with Class A misdemeanors of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child stemming from an incident in February. Police

By NewsPress Now A Robidoux Middle School teacher charged with first-degree sodomy will appear in court for a bond hearing on Wednesday morning. Everett “Tim” Harding, a math teacher, faces the charge stemming from a May 7 incident involving a 14-year-old female student. He is currently held without bond at the Buchanan County Jail. Harding,

By NewsPress Now A man faces an assault charge following a Saturday night stabbing. Mark Deng, 46, St. Joseph, is being held on a $10,000 bond in the Buchanan County Jail for second-degree assault. Deng allegedly entered a residence in the 200 block of north Eighth Street late Saturday carrying a large hunting knife in

By NewsPress Now A Robidoux Middle School teacher has been charged with first-degree sodomy following an incident with a student. Everett T. Harding, who teaches math at the school, allegedly had sexual contact with a 14-year-old girl on May 7. St. Joseph School District officials referred to the teacher as Tim Harding. According to a

By Kendra Simpson Max’s Law, a bill that increases penalties for injuring or killing police K9 dogs, has been passed by the Missouri General Assembly as part of a comprehensive public safety bill. Senator Tony Luetkemeyer, who sponsored the legislation, has worked for three years to get Max’s Law approved after the tragic killing of

By NewsPress Now One of three teens charged in the 2023 death of a 15-year-old boy pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the case on Monday. Kaden Wilfong, 17, of St. Joseph entered the plea in front of Circuit Court Judge Patrick Robb. He admitted to being involved in the shooting of Carter P. Smith,

By NewsPress Now A man is facing charges in a Sunday evening stabbing that sent the victim to the hospital in need of emergency surgery. Brandon Kleppe, 37, is charged with second-degree assault and armed criminal action in the incident, which happened in the 2600 block of Penn Street. Officers were called to the hospital

By Marcus Clem A response to a local pastor’s recent request to modify his federal lawsuit against the City of St. Joseph and two of his critics contends the only remedy in the case should be its dismissal. Steven Greiert and Josh Blevins are defendants in the discrimination and defamation suit brought by Brian Kirk

By Marcus Clem A local couple convicted in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol is potentially facing time behind bars, at least for part of each day, for a few weeks. Prosecutors said that for the offense of picketing, parading and demonstrating in the U.S. Capitol, to which they each pleaded guilty

By NewsPress Now The co-founder of a Christian health care ministry in St. Joseph pleaded guilty in federal court Monday for his part in an $8 million wire fraud conspiracy that took money from members without paying many claims. James L. McGinnis, 77, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and

By St. Joseph News-Press A St. Joseph man is in custody in connection with a shooting last weekend near North Ninth and Corby streets. Roy Lee Despain, 52, is charged with unlawful use of a weapon and is held at the Buchanan County Jail without bail. Despain allegedly shot at another man just before 6:30 p.m.

By NewsPress Now A St. Joseph man will serve two life sentences after being convicted of sex crimes involving a child. Jeffery D. Gray, 53, received the sentences Monday from Circuit Court Judge Patrick Robb. He was convicted by a jury in January on two counts of first-degree sodomy for crimes that happened between December

By Marcus Clem A former member of the governing body of the St. Joseph Public Library claims in a lawsuit that the decision not to re-appoint him last year is a violation of his rights. Brian Kirk filed a five-count civil complaint on Jan. 25. The listed defendants are the City of St. Joseph, Mayor

By NewsPress Now A St. Joseph man faces a charge of first-degree domestic assault after a woman allegedly was injected with insulin and had to be hospitalized. Kyle Guenthner, 44, is being held without bond in the case. According to a probable cause statement, he was employed as an LPN for a contract agency responsible

By Marcus Clem A local couple convicted in the Jan. 6, 2021, incident at the U.S. Capitol won’t be sentenced on the schedule previously planned. Federal prosecutors have agreed to give Kim and Steven Dragoo three more months before they are to appear on April 12 before Judge Beryl Howell of the District of Columbia

By NewsPress Now A St. Joseph man was sentenced to 23 years in prison Thursday for producing pornographic images of three child victims and sharing them online. Tyler B. Wirth, 35, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to federal prison without parole for producing and possessing child pornography. In addition, Wirth will