Newton County deputies arrest Diamond man for meth delivery

(From the Newton County Sheriff's Office)

On December 14, 2025, at approximately 4:00AM, a deputy with the Newton County Sheriff's Office conducted a traffic stop in the 4200 block of South McClelland Blvd in Joplin. During the traffic stop, it was learned that the passenger of the vehicle, Raul Ulloa SR., a 66-year-old male of Springfield had active warrants from Joplin PD. Mr. Ulloa was arrested on these warrants. 

During the arrest, the deputy noticed a bag in the vehicle that contained a white crystal-like substance. A search of the vehicle was conducted, and the bag was retrieved from the vehicle. The white crystal-like substance in the bag field tested positive for methamphetamine and weighed approximately 15 grams. 

The driver of the vehicle, Bryan Houk, a 49-year-old male from Diamond was placed under arrest for Delivery of a Controlled Substance. A search of Houk revealed more baggies containing suspected methamphetamine as well as a large amount of cash. 

In total, approximately 22 grams of suspected methamphetamine was seized along with over $6,000 in cash. Charges for Delivery of a Controlled Substance were submitted to the Newton County Prosecutor for review and charges were filed on Bryan Houk. Houk remains in custody at the Newton County Jail on a $5,000 cash warrant. 

The Newton County Sheriff’s Office is committed to removing illegal narcotics from our community. If anyone has any information about illegal narcotics activity, we ask that you contact the Newton County Sheriff’s Office at 417-451-8000 and ask to speak to a deputy. 

Sheriff Matt Stewart

Dustin Perkins named Carthage R-9 athletic director

(From Carthage R-9 School District)

We’re excited to announce that Mr. Dustin Perkins has been named the next Athletics & Activities Director at Carthage High School, effective July 1, 2026, following the retirement of Mr. Mark Holderbaum. 

A proud CHS graduate with more than 22 years in education, Mr. Perkins brings deep experience as a teacher, coach, and administrator. 

He has served Carthage High School for the past 12 years as an Assistant Principal and has coached multiple sports across southwest Missouri. His background, leadership, and love for Carthage make him a natural fit for this role.

Please join us in congratulating Mr. Dustin Perkins on this exciting next chapter!

Passerby rescues 14-year-old from burning building at 7th and Pearl

(From the Joplin Fire Department)

At approximately 7:52 am, Joplin 911 dispatchers began receiving multiple 911 calls of a residential structure fire located at 7th and Pearl Ave. 

Initial reports also indicated that a 14-year-old boy had crawled out a second floor window and was standing on the roof of the balcony needing rescued. 

Prior to our arrival a passerby that had a ladder in their vehicle stopped and rescued the 14-year-old. 

JFD arrived within 3 minutes of the call and found heavy fire involvement at the back of the house with dark black smoke pushing out the front. Personnel aggressively attacked the fire and searched both levels of the house for occupants. 

The fire was controlled within 15 minutes of arrival and all occupants were determined to be out of the structure. One occupant was transported to a local hospital for smoke inhalation, no other injuries to civilians or firefighters occurred.

The Joplin Fire Marshal’s office investigated the cause and origin of the fire and determined the fire began in the kitchen of the home near the stove and accidental causes could not be ruled out.

The Joplin Fire Department would like to thank the citizen that stopped to assist the 14 year old off the roof prior to our arrival. 

JFD was assisted by METS ambulance and the Joplin Police Department.

This is the 15th structure fire the Joplin Fire Department has responded to in the past two weeks

Federal grand jury indicts Carthage man for illegal possession of a firearm

A grand jury indictment of a Carthage man for being a felon in possession of a firearm was unsealed today in U. S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri.

According to the indictment, Phillip Jordan Neese, 33, possessed the weapons September 17 in Jasper County.

The indictment stems from a Joplin Police Department arrest that day. Neese was charged with drug trafficking, unlawful use of a weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm. He was bound over for trial after waiving his preliminary hearing December 9.

From the Jasper County probable cause statement:

On 09/17/2025 I attempted to make an investigative stop on Philip Jordan Benet Neese after a Joplin
Police Department Detective had sent out his photograph indicating he was a suspect in an unlawful
use of a weapon investigation. 

Upon seeing the male I immediately recognized him. I observed Neese walking eastbound on 8th Street from S. Connor Avenue. I attempted to stop Neese, but Neese continued walking southbound. 

As Neese was walking southbound, he retrieved a small gray and black pistol from hear his waistline. Neese then ducked behind a nearby residence before quickly reemerging.

Neese was detained without incident. I located a small gray/black Kel-Tec .380 caliber pistol (SN#LFQ02) behind a tree approximately 3 feet from where I saw Neese. Neese admitted to throwing the firearm behind the tree. 

Neese was found to be a convicted felon and was arrested for felon in possession of a firearm. Search incident to arrest yielded a methamphetamine pipe and a folded piece of foil in Neese's pocket. Inside the foil I located approximately 0.49 grams of a white powder substance. 

Due to my training and experience I believed the substance to be fentanyl. Under miranda warning, Neese admitted to the substance either being fentanyl or "tranq". I tested the substance via TruNarc and test #4323 identified the substance to be positive for fentanyl compound.

Pittsburg man arrested after allegedly shooting two women

(From the Pittsburg Police Department)

On Sunday, December 14, 2025, at 2:14 a.m., the Pittsburg Police Department dispatch center received a call about two victims who were shot and were being driven to the hospital by personal vehicle. While this call was received, another call came into dispatch about gunshots being heard in the area of west 20th Street. Officers from the Pittsburg Police Department responded to the area of west 20th Street as well as Mercy Hospital in Pittsburg. 

Officers at the hospital located a 22-year-old-female and a 23-year-old-female who suffered gunshot wounds. Both victims began receiving treatment and were later flown to KU Medical Center in Kansas City for additional treatment. Both victims are currently listed as being in stable condition. 

Officers were informed that the shooting incident occurred in the alley of the 300 block of west 20th Street. Officers located evidence related to the shooting in the alley and secured the crime scene. Three individuals who drove the victims to the hospital were transported to the police department to be interviewed. Detectives from the police department responded to assist with the investigation. 

After interviewing the witnesses, officers were able to determine that an altercation took place between the two victims and one of the subjects from the vehicle. During the altercation, another occupant of the vehicle who was not involved in the altercation, shot the two female victims. 

As a result, 23-year-old Walter Herrera Alvarez, of Pittsburg, was placed under arrest. The other individuals were released after being interviewed. 

Mr. Alvarez was transported to the jail located at the Crawford County Sheriff’s office for booking. Mr. Alvarez was arrested for two counts of Aggravated Battery. Mr. Alvarez is currently being held without bond. 

Mr. Alvarez is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 

The investigation into this incident is ongoing at this time. Anyone having information related to this incident, or other crimes, is urged to contact the Pittsburg Police Department at (620) 231-1700, or at our automated tip line, (620) 231-TIPS (8477). Callers may remain anonymous.

Judge delays decision on signatures for Missouri referendum on gerrymandered map

By Rudi Keller

Missouri Independent

A portion of the signatures submitted last week to force a referendum on Missouri’s gerrymandered congressional district map won’t be reviewed before a Cole County judge rules on whether all should be checked.

(Photo- Missouri Capitol Police officers conduct security checks Dec. 9 on the 691 boxes of petitions filed to force a referendum on the gerrymandered Congressional district map passed by lawmakers in September. Of the 27 times a referendum has been placed on the Missouri ballot, voters have rejected the General Assembly’s actions all but twice- Rudi Keller/Missouri Independent).

People Not Politicians is challenging a decision by Secretary of State Denny Hoskins that no signatures collected before Oct. 14 — the day he certified the form of the referendum petition — are valid. 

In an order issued Friday, Circuit Judge Christopher Limmbaugh wrote that he will wait to issue his ruling while local election officials determine if the portion being checked is sufficient to place the issue on a statewide ballot.

Last week, People Not Politicians delivered 691 boxes of petition sheets bearing more than 305,000 signatures to Hoskins’ office. There are signatures from every county in the state, organizers said, and they have little doubt they will reach the threshold of about 110,000 signatures to make the 2026 ballot.

In a filing in the case, People Not Politicians stated that about 103,000 of the signatures were collected before the cutoff date.

The other 202,000 signatures should be checked before he makes a decision, Limbaugh ruled.

“Conceivably, this could be enough signatures to place the referendum on the ballot thereby mooting the issues presented in the case at bar,” he wrote.

The case, he wrote, will be “in abeyance until the requisite number of signatures have been certified or up until enough signatures have been rejected so as to prevent plaintiffs’ referendum from appearing on the ballot.”

Limbaugh presided over a three-hour trial in the case last Monday. 

Limbaugh ordered Hoskins to hold on to the signatures not sent to local election authorities for verification while the case is on hold. When the signatures were submitted, Hoskins said he was already acting to preserve the early signatures.

County clerks and election boards have until July 28 to finish checking the signatures.

Limbaugh has already ruled twice against opponents of the map forced through by the Republican majority during a September special session.

Limbaugh ruled last week lawmakers had the constitutional authority to enact the revised map.

And in October, he declined to issue a temporary order blocking any of the actions during the special session in a case brought by the Missouri NAACP. That case is set for a trial Monday afternoon.

The NAACP wants Limbaugh to declare that Gov. Mike Kehoe had no authority under the Missouri Constitution to call lawmakers into session for congressional redistricting and altering the majority needed to pass constitutional amendments proposed by initiative.

The fight over redistricting began in July, when President Donald Trump began pressuring Missouri Republicans to change the map to give the GOP an edge in seven of the state’s eight districts instead of the six they currently hold.

Trump kept up the pressure during the special session and state Senate Republicans used rule changes to undercut Democratic opposition and muscle the map to passage.

Last week, Democratic attorney Brad Ketcher filed a complaint with the Missouri Ethics Commission alleging any White House employee calling lawmakers about the redistricting plan should have been registered as a lobbyist.

The intended result from the new map is to flip the 5th District to the GOP. The district, based in Kansas City, has been represented by Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver since 2005.

The district is carved up under the new map with portions attached to the 4th and 6th Districts. Heavily Republican areas stretching along the Missouri River to Boone County would be added to the remaining Kansas City portions.

If the referendum has sufficient signatures, the map would be on the November 2026 ballot unless lawmakers set an earlier date.

Former Shoal Creek Drive treasurer bound over for trial on stealing charge

Kristina Gourley (DOB 1982) was bound over for trial on a stealing charge following a preliminary hearing in Newton County Circuit Court today.

Gourley's arraignment in the trial division is scheduled for 9 a.m. January 12.

Gourley, who was the treasurer of Shoal Creek Drive Village, allegedly stole $27,075. Gourley also served as treasurer of the Stapleton Elementary PTO, but the charges against her do not include anything she did in that position.

Previous Post (including probable cause statement)

Jason Smith: President Trump delivers support to Missouri's farm families

(From Eighth District Congressman Jason Smith)

For four years under Joe Biden, rural America was treated as an afterthought, even as farmers battled a cost-of-living crisis that led to soaring input costs, falling commodity prices, shrinking export markets, and interest rates that squeezed family operations year after year. 

In southeast Missouri—where agriculture is the backbone of our economy and a way of life for countless families—those pressures created real strain for many producers who were already dealing with challenging conditions. Thankfully, after four years of being ignored, farm families across southeast Missouri finally have a champion in the White House again.

This week, President Donald Trump and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced a lifeline for some of our farmers who have been struggling the most: a $12 billion aid package to provide one-time bridge payments at a moment when row crop producers desperately need stability heading into next year’s planting season. As many family farms are weighing difficult decisions about the future, this support will help them get through a challenging season and plan with a little more certainty.

But make no mistake: the challenges facing agriculture run deeper than any single relief package can solve. Low crop prices continue to hammer profit margins in the Delta, and the costs of diesel, fertilizer, seed, and equipment remain far above where they stood before Biden-era inflation took hold. These pressures are felt every single day by family farms already operating on tight margins, forcing producers to make difficult choices about how much they can plant, what they can invest in, and how they can keep their operations moving forward. Their resilience is remarkable, but they shouldn’t have to face these challenges alone.

That is why the agriculture investments included in the Working Families Tax Cuts are so significant. At a time when farmers are being squeezed from every direction, this bill provided the largest investment in American agriculture in a generation: $56 billion for Title I farm programs, $6 billion for crop insurance, and a doubling of funding for the Market Access Program and Foreign Market Development. Importantly, it also included the first meaningful investment to reference prices for major commodities in over 20 years, which is why this bridge program is necessary to get farmers through this last season before those guarantees kick in. These investments are essential for rebuilding the export markets that our farmers rely on and restoring a true agricultural trade surplus under President Trump’s leadership.

These measures matter because behind every dollar is a family trying to keep a farm afloat. Farmers are the backbone of rural America and the foundation of our nation’s food supply. They rise before sunrise, work long after sunset, and take enormous risks each year so the rest of the nation never has to wonder where its food comes from. They deserve a government that has their back, and with President Trump in the White House, that finally feels true again.

As these provisions take effect, I will continue fighting to ensure our producers have access to the resources, markets, and certainty they need to thrive for generations to come. President Trump’s aid package provides much-needed relief in this moment. The agriculture investments in the Working Families Tax Cuts strengthen the future, and together, they signal something rural America has not felt in a long time: real hope, backed by real action.

State audit of Barry County underway

(From State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick)

The Missouri State Auditor's Office has started a regularly scheduled audit of Barry County, located in southwest Missouri. The audit officially commenced with an entrance meeting with county officials on Monday, December 15.

The Missouri State Auditor's Office last issued a performance audit of Barry County in 2019. The audit gave the county a rating of "fair" and recommended better checks and balances in the sheriff's office to ensure proper oversight of financial transactions. The report also found the county should do more to protect electronic data and prevent unauthorized access to county records. 

The State Auditor's Office also released a closeout audit of the Barry County Collector in 2019. The audit gave the office a rating of "good" while recommending better documentation of receipts.

Individuals may provide information confidentially for consideration during the audit of Barry County to the State Auditor's Whistleblower Hotline by calling 800-347-8597, emailing moaudit@auditor.mo.gov, or by visiting www.auditor.mo.gov/hotline.

 

Probable cause: Evidence contradicts Carthage woman's claim that boyfriend committed suicide

Candida Hudson, 39, Carthage, who is being held without bond in the Jasper County Detention Center on a second-degree murder chase, claims her boyfriend committed suicide, but investigating officers say the evidence indicates she was the one who pulled the trigger.

When Carthage police officers arrived at the home at 410 West Fir Road Friday, the body of Donald Webb, was lying on the couch with a gunshot wound to the head.

Hudson was taken for questioning and consented to gunshot residue tests, according to the probable cause statement, which showed residue on her left hand. Photos of her hands were taken, showing "visible blood."

From the probable cause statement:

During the interview, Hudson provided the following account:

She arrived home from work at 1745 hours and encountered Webb, her boyfriend of approximately one year, who appeared intoxicated. Webb had recently lost his jobs and was storing belongings in her apartment.

Hudson described ongoing conflicts related to Webb's alcohol use. She stated that an argument ensued during which Webb threatened suicide. She locked the balcony door while he smoked outside, then allowed him back inside.

Hudson further stated that Webb retrieved a firearm from the coffee table, removed it from its holster, and pressed it to his head. She attempted to intervene by grabbing the firearm with both hands, but Webb allegedly pulled it away with one hand and moved to the opposite end of the couch.

Hudson claim Webb then pulled the trigger, resulting in a self-inflicted gunshot wound. She denied owning or possessing any firearms and stated this was the only firearm in the residence, though she admitted knowing Webb had brought multiple firearms into the home on prior occasions.

Hudson reported calling 911 immediately, checking for vital signs as instructed and attempting to move Webb to the floor for CPR, but she claimed she was unable to do so due to his size.

Several inconsistencies and evidentiary contradictions were noted during the interview and subsequent scene analysis, establishing probable cause that Hudson's account was fabricated and she intentionally discharged the firearm resulting in Webb's death.

The probable cause statement then detailed the alleged inconsistencies. Hudson had gunshot residue on her left hand, while Webb didn't have any residue on either hand. 

This contradicts her claim of Webb firing the weapon himself.

The gun had blood on the right side of its frame, while there was no blood on the left side, indicating the shooter was left-handed, the statement said.

Hudson is larger than Webb, the statement said, questioning Hudson's claims that Webb could have taken the gun from her using one hand or that she couldn't move him from the couch to the floor after the shooting.

The probable cause statement also noted Hudson's behavior.

Hudson displayed minimal remorse, referred to Webb in the past tense shortly after the incident and became defensive when confronted with discrepancies.

 ***

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