Liberal man charged with four felonies after pit bull attacks his child

The Barton County Prosecuting Attorney's office charged a Liberal man with four felonies- keeping a dangerous dog and three counts of endangering the welfare of a child after the man's pit bull attacked his child so severely he had to be flown to Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City.

The initial appearance for Jacob Allen Judd (DOB 1988) is scheduled for 9 a.m. October 20 in Barton County Circuit Court.

From the probable cause statement:

On 4/21/2026 at approximately 1900 hours Jacob Judd knowingly and recklessly owned, possessed and
allowed his dangerous dog, a pitbull identified as Lokey, to be uncaged, unmuzzled and in close physical proximity to his three juvenile children located at in Liberal, Barton County, Missouri knowing that Lokey was an unvaccinated and vicious animal.

While around those children, Lokey, viciously and unprovoked attacked juvenile victim #1 causing serious physical bodily injury to juvenile victim #1 and causing juvenile victim #2 and juvenile victim #3 to fear for their own safety.

Juvenile victim #1 was transported to Cox Barton County Hospital in Lamar, Barton County, Missouri for treatment for numerous lacerations, puncture wounds and abrasions on his left and right arms, left and right legs, his torso and his back. {He}was then "Life Flighted" to Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City where he underwent surgery for his wounds.

Jacob told this officer that Lokey had never done anything like that before, in reference to the attack. 

This officer reminded Jacob that was not true.

Jacob Judd knowingly created a substantial risk to his three juvenile children's lives, body and health when {he} maintained Lokey in his residence after Lokey had attacked, in an unprovoked manner, another person on June 27, 2025, in the area of Ingersol and Bell in Liberal, Barton County, Missouri causing that person to be treated at Cox Barton County Hospital for serious bodily injuries. Jacob claimed then that Lokey was not vaccinated and that he would "get rid" of Lokey. 

Jacob failed to not only get Lokey vaccinated, but he also failed to keep Lokey away from anyone else who might be injured by his attacks resulting in keeping a dangerous and vicious animal around his juvenile children knowingly and recklessly placing his juvenile children in danger.

Jacob purposely engaged in conduct involving more than one incident that caused emotional distress to his elderly and disabled mother who had to defend the juvenile victims against Lokey's attack putting herself at risk for serious physical bodily injury when she placed herself in between the grandchildren and the dangerous dog.

The case was investigated by the Liberal Police Department.

Mercy Joplin, neonatal nurse practitioner sued for alleged botched circumcision

A malpractice lawsuit filed Thursday in Jasper County Circuit Court alleges a neonatal nurse practitioner botched a circumcision.

According to the petition, after the circumcision on October 16, 2025, the child had to be taken to Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City for reattachment of a portion of the organ that had been inadvertently cut off.

The lawsuit alleges malpractice, negligence and inadequate training.

Listed as defendants are Mercy Joplin and the neonatal nurse practitioner. The plaintiff is the child's mother, representing his interests.

The plaintiff, who is represented by Scott Vorhees of the Joplin firm of Johnson, Vorhees and Martucci, is asking for damages and demanding a jury trial.

Two establishments fail Joplin Health Department inspections

Two establishments, El Vallarta Mexican Restaurant, 2330 S. Range Line Road and Joplin High School's Jo Joe's Coffee/Eagle Pantry failed Joplin Health Department inspections, according to information posted on the department website. 

Thirteen establishments passed their inspections.

El Vallarta Mexican Restaurant

El Vallarta Mexican Restaurant recorded four priority violations and 15 core violations.

The priority violations were for the following reasons:

-Evidence of employee vaping was observed in the food prep area.

-Potentially hazardous foods in the coolers have missing or improper date marking.

-Questo in the hot well was being hot held below 135 degrees.

-Containers of Windex are not labeled as to their contents.

The core violations can be found at this link.

Joplin High School: Jo Joe's Coffee/Eagle Pantry

Jo Joe's Coffee/Eagle Pantry received a priority violation for having mouse droppings in the cabinet underneath the three-compartment sink.

***

The following establishments passed inspection:

On The Hook Fish and Chips (mobile)

Taco Bell, 1029 S. Range Line Road

Old Broadway Club, 702 E. Broadway Street

Jersey Mike's Subs, 1702 S. Range Line Road

Texas Roadhouse, 3317 S. Range Line Road

McAuley Catholic High School, 920 S. Pearl Avenue

Club 609, 609 S. Main Street

New York Pizza and Deli, 524 S. Joplin Avenue

Eden's Garden (mobile)

Bites N Pipes, 110 N. Range Line Road (re-inspection)

Wendy's, 1625 S. Range Line Road

Aldi Food Market, 2630 S. McClelland Boulevard

Nancy Hughes: Does God grade my prayer?

“Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!”

Psalm 66:20 (NIV)

The first time I had to give a speech at school in front of the whole class, I was in the 4th grade, and I was scared to death. There were certain requirements on a speech checklist. Each of my classmates had that list, pens in hand, ready to mark either “yes” or “no” in the box beside each bullet point, depending on how the speaker did. A total of 30 points was possible.

Some of the questions included “Does the speaker capture the attention of the listener?” and “Does the speaker use logical transitions to move from one point to the next?” plus “Will the audience understand the main points of the speaker?”

As I sat waiting for my turn to speak, a million thoughts ran through my head: “What if I forget to stand up straight or mispronounce a word? What if they don’t like the subject I’m talking about, or what if they don’t like ME? Is my outfit a good choice for what I am doing, or should I have worn something else? If everything isn’t just right and they don’t approve of me or what I am saying, they will give me a low score, and I will fail! I have to get this right the first time – no second chances!”

The time came for me to speak, and I walked to the front of the classroom, smiling bravely on the outside but anxious and worried on the inside. Thankfully, I was able to complete my speech and breathed a sigh of relief as I received each list with a majority of check marks in the “yes” box.

Have you ever come before the Lord to pray and felt a bit like I did as I shared my speech? What if my words aren’t right when I pray? What if God doesn’t approve of what I am saying? What if my prayer is too long or too short? Does God ever see me as a failure in my prayer time? Does He get tired of me praying the same thing over and over or stumbling over what I want to say?

How thankful I am for Psalm 66:20. I never have to dread meeting the Lord in prayer because I don’t know how to express myself to Him with the right words. I don’t have to wonder if He will still love me if I share all my thoughts and fears, or if He will check the “no” box. The truth is this: He hears me when I call. He sees my heart. He understands what I say, what I don’t say, and what I am trying to say. Completely.

No matter what, God does not withhold His love from us, nor will He reject us or grade us when we come to Him in prayer. That truth gives us the confidence to simply say “Father” or “Daddy” or “Jesus” and know without a doubt that He listens, loves, and answers.

Father, thank you for hearing me when I call, listening to my simple words, and answering me with love. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

Have you ever felt like you were being critiqued by the Lord as you prayed?

What led you to believe there was a list of right and wrong ways to pray?

Apply

Underline Psalm 66:20 in your Bible and memorize it.

Pray this Scripture at the beginning of your prayer time, thanking the Lord for hearing what you are sharing with Him.

Power

Psalm 66:20 (NIV) “Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!”

Romans 8:26 (NIV) “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”

Isaiah 65:24 (NIV) “Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.” 

(For more of Nancy Hughes' writing, check out her blog, Encouragement From the War Room.)

Grand jury indicts Thomas Ross on three felony charges

A grand jury indictment of Thomas Christopher Ross, 36, Joplin, the former 161st District Republican state representative candidate, was unsealed September 22 in U. S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri.

Ross faces three felony charges- conspiracy to distribute cocaine and amphetamine, distriction of cocaine and amphetamine and unlawful use a communication facility (a telephone) in connection with the conspiracy.

The charges are all related to an alleged plot by Ross to plant drugs on his primary opponent Louise Secker.

After his arrest earlier this month, Ross dropped out of his campaign and the Jasper County Republican Central Committee selected Secker as his replacement.

Ross' initial appearance is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. October 1 in U. S. District Court in Springfield.

Joplin's North Heights neighborhood seeks historical designation

(From the City of Joplin)

Efforts to preserve and improve one Joplin neighborhood through a national historical designation are underway.

The City is working with the North Heights neighborhood to designate it as an official historical district, which will bring that area a nod of prestige as well as new opportunities for grant funding and tax credits that could restore homes and businesses.

Thomas Walters, a planner with the City’s Planning, Zoning and Neighborhood Development department, discussed Joplin’s progress in the effort that would bestow this official designation on the neighborhood, which is located between Main and Jackson Streets, and C and F Streets. 

The process of becoming a historically designated neighborhood is thorough, and in many cases, quite fascinating. The City has partnered with Urbana Preservation Planning to first conduct a neighborhood survey that assesses each home and property (even vacant lots) and conducts historical research. More than 40 homes have been deemed potentially “historic” with architectural integrity that will qualify for the honorary designation.

“Their job is to look for those avenues to create a historical district,” Walters said. “Most of the time the neighborhoods love it because they get to learn all about the history of their properties and neighborhood. And it’s amazing how useful that information can be.”

All neighborhoods go through evolutions, Walters said, and North Heights has its own interesting story. What began as a miner’s camp turned into homes built by and for some of Joplin’s industry leaders. Where the upper-class, historical neighborhood of Murphysburg was built for mine owners and financers, the North Heights neighborhood was populated by the middle class – a skilled, educated workforce considered more of the “middle management” level.

“You notice the North Heights neighborhood scale is a little less grandiose, but still has a high level of architectural detail,” Walters said, describing the intensive architectural surveys being conducted. The firm is currently developing its report, with the final survey for Phase 1 to be finished in April 2027. The full process is expected to be complete by 2030.

North Heights homeowner Angela Hudson said a major draw of the neighborhood is its sense of community. The neighborhood hosts multiple festivals throughout the year including the incredible Porchfest celebration (presented by Sparklight), which features musical groups of all different genres performing on front porches throughout the neighborhood. Modeled after the original Porchfest in Ithica, N.Y., the North Heights celebration was introduced 10 years ago. Today, more than 10,000 people attend. This year’s Porchfest is scheduled for Oct. 10 and will feature more than 60 bands.

“I bought my house because of Porchfest,” said Hudson, an IT consultant who relocated to Joplin from Texas three years ago. “My mom found out about the event and invited me, and I thought it was the coolest thing. This house came up for sale and it’s right in the center of the event. I knew I had to have it.”

As Hudson and her neighbors have participated in the historical designation process, she’s learned fascinating things about her home. Formerly owned by the family that ran a popular, upscale restaurant in town, the home features a hidden moonshine cellar, presumably used during the prohibition era.

In addition to her time spent organizing Porchfest, Hudson is contributing to the neighborhood by restoring the old Richard’s Food Mart at 610 W. E Street. The home goods store will open to the public under its new name, Hudson’s Market, this November.

As North Heights residents organize themselves for historical designation, they understand the need to work together and have already formed the North Heights Neighborhood Group – a nonprofit that has become responsible for maintaining and improving their neighborhood park. Murphysburg set an excellent model for neighbors working together under a common goal – the neighborhood organized the nonprofit Historic Murphysburg Preservation and feature walking tours and historical preservation education and support.

Other neighborhoods in Joplin that have historical designations include Downtown and East Town. Going through the historical designation process can be transformative to a neighborhood in so many ways, Walters said.

“When modernization is done right without impacting the character of a home, you’re not just preserving a building – you are preserving people’s attitudes and interest in their neighborhoods,” he said. “You create an investment in it, which leads to neighborhood appeal and stability. This isn’t just about academics and history. It's a tool for community development.”

For more information about the historical preservation process, visit https://www.joplinmo.org/990/Historic-Preservation.

Cause of fire at Joplin's "House of Horrors" under investigation

(From the Joplin Police Department)

Joplin police and fire officials are collaborating on an investigation into a house fire that occurred Sept. 24 in north Joplin.

The fire at 610 N. Pool was called into Joplin 911 at 7:39 a.m. The house had received national attention in August of 2026 as the location where a 12-year-old child with special needs had escaped after having been kept in a dog kennel. Health department officials rescued and recovered more than 80 animals from the home following that incident, removing all animals from the residence. Four adults living in the home were arrested and charged with felony child abuse and neglect and animal neglect and abandonment.

On Thursday morning, Joplin firefighters responded to the blaze, which engulfed the backside of the home. The Joplin Police Department and METS Ambulance also responded.

Captain Austin Wolf with the Joplin Police Department said that detectives are actively working with the Joplin Fire Marshal’s office to investigate the situation. Wolf said investigators believe the home was unoccupied as the four adults who were charged in the case are all still in custody, and no other individuals were authorized to be in the home.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

“We’re assessing every possibility and will continue to work with the Fire Marshal to determine how this occurred,” Wolf said.

Deputy Fire Chief Andy Nimmo said despite its complexity, the fire was controlled within 30 minutes of the arrival of fire units. The fire was free burning on all three levels of the home – the basement, main floor and attic – and there were contents in the home.

“Having a fire above, below, and coming at you is not a good place to be,” Nimmo said. “Despite the situation with this house, you never know when you’re responding to a fire where someone could have been inside.”

While there were no occupants in the home, one cat was found dead inside the residence. Nimmo said officials suspect it was a feral animal that had found a way into the home after all animals had been removed from the home during the investigation in August.

The departments will continue to collaborate on this investigation and are asking anyone with information to contact the Fire Marshal’s office, the Joplin Police Department or the tip hotline at TIP 411.

Child endangerment charges dropped against grandparents who allegedly left child in car in 100 degree heat

The Newton County Prosecuting Attorney's office dropped child endangerment charges against a Neosho couple who allegedly left their grandchild in the car in the Neosho Walmart parking lot during 100 degree heat in August 2025.

According to a KSN report, the charges were dropped against Billy Joe Powers (DOB 1969) and Staci Deanne Williams (DOB 1969) after a witness suffered a medical issue and was unable to recall details of the incident.

The allegation against Powers and Williams was detailed in the probable cause statement:

The reporting party called in stating that she had found a child left in a vehicle that was not running and had its windows rolled up. She advised that the child was not responding, so she checked the vehicle and discovered it was unlocked. Upon opening the door, the child did not respond to her, so she called 911. The temperature at this time was 100 degrees

Josh Hawley raises privacy alarms over nationwide AI camera network

By Ariana Figueroa

Missouri Independent

WASHINGTON — A vast and growing network of artificial intelligence-driven Flock cameras could violate constitutional privacy rights, U.S. senators on a Judiciary Committee subcommittee said during a Wednesday hearing.

GOP Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, the chair of the Crime and Counterterrorism Subcommittee, said the point of the hearing was to find out “what is going on with the expanding surveillance network that appears to be going coast to coast in this country.”

Hawley said he invited the CEO of Flock Safety to testify, but he did not appear. 

Senators heard from a woman wrongly arrested over a fatal car crash after a Flock camera captured a photo of her vehicle three miles from the crash site.

They speculated that more people could be falsely accused based on inaccurate information gathered by the devices. They also said Fourth Amendment violations were likely because the law enforcement agencies that use the service are able to use the data to track movements without a warrant.  

“If you haven’t heard of Flock, all I have to say is Flock’s probably heard of you,” Hawley said. “I’m sure we’re all in the database.”

Flock did not respond to States Newsroom’s request for comment. 

What is Flock?

Flock cameras track and record every motor vehicle that comes into view, including its license plate number, make, model, bumper stickers and color. They can also capture images of people.  

The information is then uploaded to a database that any law enforcement agency that contracts with the company can access without a warrant. 

There are more than 120,000 Flock cameras installed across the country from highways to outside grocery stores, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. The only U.S. state that does not have a Flock camera is Hawaii.

Media outlets such as The Washington Post have documented abuses of the service, including law enforcement officers using the devices to stalk ex-girlfriends.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has also tapped into Flock data through local law enforcement officials to read license plates for immigration-related searches, even though Flock denies having a contract with ICE. 

The backlash to the possibility of mass surveillance has been strong, with NPR reporting vandalization of Flock cameras.

Arizona sheriff brushed off, he says

One of the witnesses at Wednesday’s hearing, Ross Teeple, the sheriff of Pinal County, Arizona, said he ultimately decided to end a contract with Flock because he had raised privacy concerns the company did not adequately address. 

Some of his constituents said they were worried that people could be identified in images taken by Flock cameras. He said when he asked the company about how people could be clearly seen in the images, he felt the company brushed aside his concerns and told him the image resolution was not good enough to recognize a person.

“I’m looking at camera pictures where I could recognize the person on the camera, but that was their claim …, and there was just too much disinformation from them and dishonesty,” he said. “I was trying to get answers from them, and they would not give me answers… and there were too many concerns. So we just decided not to continue our contract.”

False accusation

Hawley said his main worries were personal privacy and that people have the right to be treated as innocent until proven guilty. 

He pointed to one of the witnesses, Lindsey Isaacs of Florida, who was wrongly accused of being involved in a car accident that killed three people because a Flock automated license plate recognition camera saw her vehicle about three miles west of the crash scene. 

The car involved in the crash was a Dodge Durango, the same make and model as Isaacs’. But hers was black, while the car in the crash was maroon, as described by a witness. 

Law enforcement still arrested her at her home. 

She spent three days in solitary confinement and then moved to another maximum-security unit for 10 days before she was released and state prosecutors dropped charges, she told the panel.

“In my case, a Flock camera captured my vehicle a few miles from the scene of a terrible crash,” she said. “That piece of information became part of an investigation that ultimately led to my arrest on three counts of vehicular homicide and 13 days in jail for a crash I had nothing to do with.”

Hawley said what he finds “so troubling” is that many drivers or people walking by are being surveilled and they’ve done nothing wrong. 

“It sounds as if, based on the reports we’ve heard, it’s treating every citizen in America, I mean, by now, surely almost all of us have been scanned and logged as if we are criminals, yet without any due process, without any reasonable suspicion, without any articulable suspicion whatsoever,” he said. “This just seems very, very strange, to put it mildly, and something I think this committee really needs to hear about.”

Abortion tracking

New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker asked if Flock cameras could be used to track women in states with strict abortion laws.

ACLU’s Chad Marlow, senior policy counsel, said that it would be easy to track people searching for those services. 

Hawley agreed with Booker and also questioned how easy it would be to create a database of certain people, such as those who attend gun shows.

“When you have this amount of data available, the temptations to use it are going to be absolutely incredible, if not irresistible,” he said. 

Marlow said the scenarios that Booker and Hawley cited are closer than they think. 

“If you build it, they will come,” he said. “I so much appreciate that you’re bringing (up) abortion care seekers and gun owners because they are part of the same community when it comes to the threat of mass surveillance. This is something we need to be worried about because when you create the temptation, when you create the option for population control, at some point someone’s going to use it.”

Missouri Independent is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Missouri Independent maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jason Hancock for questions: info@missouriindependent.com.

Crowder College records largest enrollment totals in seven years

(From Crowder College)

Crowder College has recorded its largest enrollment totals since 2019.

Crowder reported Fall 2026 enrollment as 4,424 students taking 40,995 credit hours, representing increases of 2.01% in headcount enrollment and 3.02% in credit hours compared to Fall 2025. The college also experienced growth among new students, with first-time student enrollment increasing 5% over the previous fall.

Academic programs showing the largest increase were Allied Health programs with 18.6% more students enrolled. Students declaring nursing majors also increased by 7.61%. Technical education programs, excluding health sciences, are up 2.8%. This is also the first fall semester at the new Joplin Advanced Training and Workforce Center (ATWC) location. The workforce-aligned programs at the Joplin ATWC saw an 8.3% increase in student headcount. 

“These trends suggest overall value and that relevant programs of study at community colleges are shaping where students enroll. Faculty and staff at Crowder continue to innovate finding more ways to offer flexible course offerings and student services at multiple locations. 

"This provides more pathways for students to enroll and complete programs in high-demand workforce options in the southwest Missouri region,” said Crowder College President Dr. Chett Daniel.

Crowder College provides over 90 degree and certificate programs creating pathways into the workforce and transfer opportunities to continue educational pursuits. With six locations across southwest Missouri, online classes, and no out-of-state tuition, Crowder is a great place to obtain higher education.

The main campus in Neosho provides on-campus housing and NJCAA Division I sports programs, with additional locations in Cassville, Joplin Advanced Training & Workforce Center, McDonald County, Nevada, and Webb City. The Joplin ATWC moved last spring to the newly remodeled larger facility providing specialized career programs.