This blog features observations from Randy Turner, a former teacher, newspaper reporter and editor. Send news items or comments to rturner229@hotmail.com
(From the Jasper County Prosecuting Attorney's Office)The Jasper County Prosecutor’s Office announces that the defendant, Jarrod Barnes, pled guilty to the class A felony of Assault in the First Degree and was sentenced to the Missouri Department of Corrections for a term of ten years.
On May 21, 2025, Joplin police responded to a report of an assault in the woods near 110 North Range Line Road.
The initial victim reported that she had been struck in the face by her boyfriend Jarrod Barnes. The woman then called her fourteen-year-old son who responded to the scene.
When he arrived, the defendant struck him in the back of the head with a machete. The boy suffered a gash to his head behind his left ear and was bleeding profusely. He received medical care and treatment for a significant head laceration but has since recovered from his injuries.
As part of the plea agreement, charges of Armed Criminal Action and misdemeanor Assault were dismissed.
Defendant was a homeless person who had previously pled guilty to the felony crime of property damage for setting a dumpster on fire and was placed on probation. When this crime occurred, the State moved to revoke the defendant’s probation. The Court ordered his probation revoked and his sentence executed.
The assault occurred at a homeless camp on Range Line Road which has since been removed. We understand that homelessness is a serious issue in Jasper County which we as citizens must work together with both strength and compassion to resolve. However, where there is danger, the Jasper County Prosecutor’s Office will not hesitate to seek justice and protect the community.
A 5-year-old Sheldon girl died at 5:27 this morning at Children's Hospital in St. Louis.
The child had initially been reported missing Monday at Ruark East Campground on Stockton Lake.
According to the Highway Patrol report, a boater located the child in five feet of water and administered CPR. Dade County Sheriff's Office deputies assisted with the lifesaving efforts until the ambulance arrived.
The child was taken to Citizens Memorial Hospital, then transferred to the St. Louis facility.
A Carl Junction man with three previous DWI convictions was charged today in Jasper County Circuit Court with driving while intoxicated.
An arrest warrant was issued for David Shryock (DOB 1962) with bond set at $20,000 cash or surety.
In addition to DWI, the Jasper County Prosecuting Attorney's office charged Shryock with possession of a controlled substance, a felony and three misdemeanors, failure to yield (two counts) and driving while revoked.
On 06/23/2026 Officer Langham and I were conducting routine patrol driving southbound in Joplin, Jasper County, MO near W B St and N Main St when I saw a black Chrysler 300 with MO plates XE5D0G stopped at the eastbound stop sign of W B St.
The black Chrysler made a right, southbound turn into the left lane of travel and did not maintain the right hand curb. When the black Chrysler did this, it pulled directly in front of my patrol car, causing Officer Langham to hit the brakes to avoid a collision.
Officer Langham initiated his emergency equipment to stop the vehicle near E Broadway St and S Division Ave. The vehicle drove over 2 more blocks eastbound on E Broadway St without slowing down and pulling to the right side of the roadway.
David Shryock was contacted as the driver and only occupant of the vehicle. Shryock immediately told officers he did not have a valid driver's license and has not had one for 20 years. After running Shryock's information through dispatch, I heard Shyrock was a revoked driver in Missouri. Shryock was arrested for driving while revoked.
After Shryock was arrested, a 50ml alcohol bottle and two round white pills, identified later using the TrueNarc system as Oxycodone a Schedule II Controlled Substance, was seen in plain view in the vehicle.
Shryock had bloodshot, watery eyes, and I could smell a strong odor of intoxicants coming from his person. Shryock had slurred speech.
At the Joplin City Jail, I administered Standardized Field Sobriety Tests to Shryock and saw multiple clues of impairment. Shryock refused to provide a sample. While reviewing Shryock's criminal history I could see Shryock has been convicted of three prior DWIs, has been arrested for DWI as a chronic offender. Shryock provided a PBT sample of .161 BrAC at the Joplin City Jail.
The case was investigated by the Joplin Police Department.
ESPN NFL draft analyst Matt Miller's arm was amputated following a two-vehicle accident 3:50 p.m. June 17 on MO 96, a mile and a half west of Oronogo.
Miller, 42, Webb City, was driving a 2023 Ford Bronco that crossed the center line and was struck by a 2024 International driven by a 28-year-old Springfield man, according to the Highway Patrol report.
Miller was flown to Mercy Joplin with serious injuries.
Miller issued the following statement on X:
Last week, I was involved in a serious car accident in Missouri and was airlifted to Mercy Hospital. I’m deeply grateful for the exceptional care I have received, from the first responders to the doctors, nurses and medical staff.
I’m incredibly fortunate to be writing this.
As a result of the accident, I sustained significant injuries, including multiple fractures and broken ribs. I also underwent a life-saving amputation of my left arm.
While I have a long road ahead, I’m focused on my recovery and taking things one day at a time. Thank you for the overwhelming support, prayers and kind messages — they have meant so much to me and my family during this time. I look forward to continuing my recovery and getting back to ESPN to talk football, including what should be an exciting 2027 NFL Draft class
Secretary of State Denny Hoskins wants the courts to shield him from disclosing how his office is reviewing a disputed batch of signatures on a referendum petition challenging the state’s new congressional map.
In a lawsuit filed Monday, Hoskins is suing People Not Politicians, the political action committee pushing for a referendum. Hoskins is asking the court to declare that he does not have to fulfill a Sunshine Law request from Emily Gerber, deputy director of the PAC, because the records being sought are protected from disclosure as public records because there is ongoing litigation over the information they contain.
“The secretary’s determination that the records were closed at the time of Ms. Gerber’s request was based on the nature of the records as being related directly to pending litigation, not on the identity of the requester,” Assistant Attorney General Kate Walker wrote.
The lawsuit was filed, she wrote, because the Sunshine Law allows government entities to ask the courts whether a decision to withhold records was correct.
The lawsuit is just the latest of a dozen that have challenged the gerrymandered redistricting map that Republicans forced through the Legislature in September. People Not Politicians began collecting signatures to force a statewide vote on the map as soon as the special session adjourned and submitted more than 300,000 signatures to Hoskins’ office on Dec. 9.
Hoskins, however, decided he only needed to send pages with signatures added Oct. 14 or later to local election authorities for validation.
Preliminary reports posted on Hoskins’s office website and tallied by People Not Politicians indicate the referendum has surpassed the minimum number of signatures needed in enough congressional districts to qualify for the ballot.
Gerber’s Sunshine Law request asked for records detailing what had been done — if anything — to check signatures on the pages Hoskins withheld.
When Hoskins denied the request, attorney Alexander Barrett disputed the decision that the records were closed because of ongoing litigation. The records are routine and should always be considered public, he wrote.
“They are not legal memoranda, attorney work product, or privileged communications with counsel,” Barrett wrote. “They do not concern or arise from any litigation. They are precisely the type of records that document the functioning of government and that the Sunshine Law was enacted to make available to the public.”
The lawsuit means there must be something Hoskins doesn’t want the public to see, Chuck Hatfield, People Not Politicians’ attorney, said in an interview Tuesday with The Independent.
“What we’re looking for is, ‘Are you doing anything with the ones that you have not sent out?’” Hatfield said. “Apparently there are some documents that show that they’re doing something, and they won’t give them to us.”
Asked why the lawsuit was filed, Hoskins spokeswoman Anne Marie Moy noted the law allowing government agencies to initiate lawsuits over decisions to close records. She also provided the letter Hoskins sent to Attorney General Catherine Hanaway asking that the lawsuit be filed.
“My office wishes to comply with the law, but has doubts over whether the documents requested are closed pursuant to this section,” Hoskins wrote. “We ask you to bring a declaratory judgment action on our behalf to resolve these doubts and to provide clarity in future situations involving similar issues.”
The lawsuits that have been finally decided — most by the Missouri Supreme Court — have determined that a governor has broad discretion on what needs attention in a special session and that congressional district lines can be changed whenever the Legislature decides it is necessary.
The map drawn last year with the intent of flipping Missouri’s 5th Congressional District to the Republican Party meets constitutional standards, the Supreme Court ruled May 12. In a separate decision, the court decided it could not determine whether the new map is in effect or whether it was suspended on Dec. 9 when signatures were delivered.
That, the court said, will only be known when Hoskins announces whether it has sufficient signatures and that it is a legal use of the referendum power.
The map added 14 counties to the 5th District in the effort to bring in enough Republican voters to defeat U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Kansas City Democrat. Those changes forced boundaries of other districts to be redrawn. In all, voters in 28 counties will be voting in new congressional districts in the Aug. 4 primary.
The law does not require Hoskins to make his decision before Aug. 4.
The litigation cited in the new case was filed last year by People Not Politicians to force Hoskins to send the withheld signatures to local election authorities for validation. In that case, Cole County Circuit Judge Christopher Limbaugh put his decision on hold pending the results of the signature verification on the portion that was submitted to local election authorities.
Nothing in the Sunshine Law requires that any record be closed. Government agencies are allowed to close some records but can release them if they wish, Hatfield said in the interview..
“Regardless of whether the law has some technical issue that they could withhold them, why would you not want to tell the public what you’re doing?” he said. “You should be open and transparent with it.”
One of the few redistricting cases that remains pending is a lawsuit filed in May by People Not Politicians arguing that Hoskins is waiting to make a decision so that this year’s elections will use the new map regardless of whether there is a referendum on it.
“He is intentionally delaying completion of his statutory duties in order to implement (the redistricting map) without judicial review,” Hatfield wrote in the petition.
Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green has set a hearing for July 15 to schedule a trial.
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.
(From the Public Service Commission)Today, the Missouri Public Service Commission issued an Order approving an agreement and granting Certificates of Convenience and Necessity (CCNs) to Missouri-American Water Company (MAWC) to acquire, own, operate, and maintain the water and sewer systems serving customers in and around the City of Neosho, Missouri. The Staff of the Commission, Missouri-American Water Company, the Office of the Public Counsel, and the City of Neosho were parties to the case and signatories to the agreement.
When considering whether to grant a CCN, the Commission takes into consideration criteria which includes (1) whether there is a need for the service, (2) whether the applicant is qualified to provide the proposed service, (3) whether the applicant has the financial ability to provide the service, (4) whether the applicant’s proposal is economically feasible and finally, (5) whether the service promotes the public interest.
In this case, the Commission found that the proposed agreement addresses this criterion. There is a need for service to the existing customer base in Neosho and there is a lack of another provider in the area. Missouri-American Water currently operates other utility systems. It has shown its financial ability to operate and improve the systems it currently owns. The project is economically feasible in that sufficient projected revenues will be enough to cover the cost of service and Missouri- American Water has backing from its parent company, American Water. Finally, the public interest requirement is met due to the ongoing need for service and the need for investment in replacing and repairing aging infrastructure in Neosho.
Key points and conditions of the agreement are as follows:
Missouri-American Water is granted CCNs to provide water and sewer service in the approved service area;
Existing Neosho water and sewer rates will remain in effect until changed through a future general rate case;
Missouri-American Water must file tariff sheets and service area maps before closing on the assets;
Missouri-American Water must notify the Commission when the transaction closes and provide status reports if closing is delayed;
Missouri-American Water must provide customers with information regarding their rights and responsibilities and communicate details about the transition to company ownership;
Customer service personnel must receive training regarding rates and rules applicable to Neosho customers;
The Missouri-American Water must provide sample billing statements and ongoing customer service reporting to Commission Staff following the acquisition; and
Missouri-American Water must maintain separate books and records for the Neosho systems in accordance with applicable accounting requirements.
The Commission also notes that Missouri-American Water currently provides water and/or wastewater service to approximately 509,000 customers in Missouri.
That argument is at the center of Kehoe’s support for Amendment 4, a measure in the Aug. 4 primary that would make it harder for Missourians to amend their constitution through citizen-led ballot initiatives.
“Our constitution shouldn’t be the victim of out-of-state special interests who spend millions to deceive voters and pass out-of-touch policies,” Kehoe said in a video posted to the social media site X.
But when it comes to a different constitutional amendment central to his own agenda, Kehoe is benefiting from financial support provided by a Delaware nonprofit that does not disclose the identities of its donors.
Kehoe has slated Amendment 5, which would put Missouri on a path toward eliminating the state income tax, on the ballot for the August election, along with Amendment 4.
While the governor and other proponents argue that phasing out the income tax would make Missouri more economically competitive and lower the overall cost of living, opponents say it would shift the tax burden onto working-class families by imposing new sales, use taxes on products and services not currently taxed, and increase Missouri’s existing sales tax rate.
Critics also warn that the higher taxes could put Missouri retailers at a disadvantage, particularly in the Kansas City and St. Louis areas, where consumers can easily cross state lines to make major purchases. The cities are within a few miles of Kansas and Illinois, respectively.
A political action committee supporting Amendment 5, Missouri Promise PAC, has received $1.9 million from a nonprofit with almost the same name — Missouri Promise Inc. — that was incorporated late last year in Delaware. Neither the nonprofit nor the PAC discloses the identities or locations of the donors financing the campaign.
Missouri Promise PAC has placed ads online and on TV. A 30-second ad follows the governor through a city neighborhood and a manufacturing plant before ending with him on horseback in cowboy attire.
“He made a promise,” the narrator says. “Now he’s going to deliver.”
Kehoe’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
Missouri Promise Inc. is led by Garrett Lott, a longtime Missouri Republican operative and political fundraiser, and Alex Melendez, a political consultant affiliated with Ohio-based Clark Fork Group, a firm that has provided consulting for conservative campaigns.
Neither Lott nor Melendez responded to requests for interviews or to questions about the group’s operations.
Marc Ellinger, a lawyer who serves as the treasurer of Missouri Promise PAC, said that the campaign had publicly disclosed all information required under Missouri law. Ellinger’s law office is also listed as the address for Secure Missouri, a Missouri nonprofit formed last year that recently contributed $1.5 million to the PAC.
Asked about the identities of donors to Missouri Promise Inc. and Secure Missouri, Ellinger said he could not address what disclosures the nonprofits themselves may eventually make about donors in their tax filings to the Internal Revenue Service. And he questioned whether any story would also examine financing behind opponents of Amendment 5. One campaign opposing Amendment 5 has been almost entirely funded by a $1,900,001 contribution from the Missouri Realtors PAC — a dollar more than Missouri Promise Inc.’s donation to the pro-Amendment 5 campaign.
Ellinger suggested that the contribution was not necessarily more transparent than the funding behind Amendment 5, questioning whether the public knew the ultimate source of the Realtors’ money. But unlike Missouri Promise Inc. and Secure Missouri, which do not disclose their contributors, the Realtors’ political committee reports its donors in public filings with the Missouri Ethics Commission. Those filings allow the public to see who gave money to the committee and in what amounts.
Ellinger has been involved in Missouri tax-policy campaigns for years. In 2010, he served as spokesperson for a ballot initiative backed by St. Louis financier Rex Sinquefield that sought to require periodic votes on the 1% tax on wages paid by residents and workers in St. Louis and Kansas City. Missouri voters approved the measure, forcing both cities to submit the tax to voters every five years.
Sinquefield has spent millions of dollars over the past two decades supporting efforts to reshape Missouri’s tax system, including campaigns to eliminate the state income tax and curb local earnings taxes. Sinquefield did not respond to a request for comment.
Critics of both amendments said that Kehoe’s position is difficult to reconcile.
“The fact that the governor is benefiting directly from his face and image being plastered across Missouri TV screens by a dark money group from Delaware — or somewhere, not here — shouldn’t be lost on anyone,” said Mark Jones, a political strategist and spokesperson for the Missouri National Education Association, which opposes both amendments.
Ken Warren, a professor emeritus of political science at Saint Louis University and co-director for the SLU/YouGov Poll, said Kehoe’s complaints about out-of-state money shaping Missouri politics were somewhat surprising. Money from outside a state’s borders routinely flows into ballot measure campaigns and other political fights across the country.
“It’s not good for democracy for dark money to be used,” Warren said. “Voters should be privy to where the money is coming from, whether it’s in state or out of state, because voters, when they make a choice, should know. So I agree in principle but note that he’s being hypocritical. Many Republican measures have been funded by out-of-state money and candidates. I don’t hold it against them because that’s the way campaigns are run.”
Taken together, the two amendments raise the stakes of what is typically a low-turnout August election.
By placing them on the primary ballot rather than the November general election ballot, Kehoe ensured they would be decided by an electorate likely to be smaller and more Republican-leaning. The decision also separates the measures from a November ballot that will feature a high-profile fight over abortion rights, an issue that has proved capable of mobilizing large numbers of Missouri voters.
The claim that outside interests have been driving constitutional change has become a familiar refrain among conservatives in Missouri and other Republican-led states, where voters have used ballot initiatives to enact policies that diverge from the priorities of GOP lawmakers.
Republican lawmakers in Missouri and in other Republican-led states have responded by reversing voter-passed measures and making it more difficult for voters to amend state constitutions.
Under Missouri’s current system, supporters of a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment must first collect signatures from voters across the state to qualify for the ballot. Once there, the proposal passes if it wins a simple majority of votes statewide. Under Amendment 4, citizen-led constitutional amendments would have to carry each of Missouri’s eight congressional districts in addition to winning statewide. As a result, a proposal that won statewide but fell short in a single district would fail, no matter how big the statewide margin.
Critics say that requiring a measure to win in every district would require a level of political consensus that is increasingly rare in a state marked by sharp geographic and ideological divides.
Supporters counter that such a requirement would ensure constitutional amendments reflect broad statewide agreement rather than support concentrated in a handful of population centers.
“There would have to be an even greater consensus to change the state’s primary document,” said state Rep. Brian Seitz, a Republican from Branson who supports Amendment 4. “It would give a consensus.”
The new requirement would apply only to constitutional amendments proposed by citizens through the initiative process. Amendments placed on the ballot by the Missouri General Assembly — like Amendments 4 and 5 — would still pass with a simple statewide majority.
That distinction lies at the center of the debate over Amendment 4. Critics argue the proposal would create two different sets of rules for amending the same constitution. If a statewide majority is no longer sufficient for citizens to amend the constitution, they ask, why should it remain sufficient when lawmakers propose an amendment?
Supporters argue that citizen-led initiatives are especially susceptible to influence from wealthy donors and national interest groups, and therefore should be required to demonstrate support across Missouri’s diverse regions. Seitz said he is comfortable with the possibility that the higher standard could someday make it harder for Republicans to pass constitutional amendments if Democrats gain control of state government because, in his view, the goal is to make constitutional changes more difficult regardless of which party is in power.
Seitz said the legislature itself serves as a safeguard against one region of the state dominating another. Because lawmakers are elected from districts across Missouri, he argues that any proposal referred to voters has already been vetted by representatives from urban and rural areas alike.
“We’re not a democracy,” he said. “We are a representative republic.”
(From the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education)The State Board of Education (State Board) welcomed newly sworn in members Jordan Bradberry and Robbie Myers, elected a new State Board President, and heard an update from the Interim Commissioner of Education. The State Board also approved charter renewals for Hope Leadership Academy and Citizens of the World Kansas City at its June 23 meeting.
New Members
Bradberry and Myers were sworn in during the State Board’s public June 15 virtual meeting and were recognized at the State Board’s June 23 meeting, following their appointments by Governor Mike Kehoe, pending confirmation by the Missouri Senate.
Bradberry fills the seat for the 4th Congressional District previously held by Kim Bailey. Myers fills the seat for the 8th Congressional District previously held by Mary Schrag.
During the meeting State Board members elected new officers. Brooks Miller was elected as the President of the State Board, receiving seven out of eight votes. Because Miller previously served as Vice-President, State Board members elected John Otto as his replacement by unanimous vote.
DESE Update
State Board members received a briefing from Interim Commissioner Dr. Stacey Preis, who began serving in the role on June 15.
Dr. Preis emphasized momentum and measurable gains as she steps into the role, outlining immediate priorities to keep DESE moving forward — including a parent friendly A–F report card, strengthened classroom supports, targeted school improvement, and expanded real-world pathways that connect students to college and career.
“Missouri students deserve a department that is responsive, supportive, and relentlessly focused on excellence,” said Dr. Preis. “My vision is to build on our progress by strengthening classroom learning, expanding opportunities through real-world pathways, supporting schools where they need it most, and ensuring every student has access to a safe, healthy learning environment.”
Dr. Preis has 18 years of extensive statewide experience in educational leadership and policy, including roles as DESE deputy commissioner and executive director of the Joint Committee on Education.
Additional State Board Actions & Updates
The State Board approved charter renewal applications for:Hope Leadership Academy Hope Leadership Academy currently serves 110 students in grades PreK - 5. The charter school has requested that St. Louis University renew its charter for five years beginning July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2031. Citizens of the World Kansas City Citizens of the World Kansas City currently serves 404 students in grades PreK-8. The charter school has requested that Kansas City Public School District renew its charter for five years beginning July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2031.
A Purcell man was charged with felony driving while intoxicated- physical injury after a head-on collision 9:13 p.m. Monday in which a 39-year-old Jasper woman was injured.
A $20,000 bond cash or surety was set for Nathanal Dwayne James Jenks, 24, who was also charged with leaving the scene of an accident, a felony, and three misdemeanors- careless and imprudent driving, no seat belt and no valid license.
According to the Highway Patrol report, Jenks, driving a 2018 Subaru Outback, turned into the path of a 2020 Kia Sorrento driven by the Jasper woman.
The allegations against Jenks are detailed in the probable cause statement filed today in Jasper County Circuit Court:
1. On June 22, 2026, at approximately 2216 hours, I was called to a two vehicle injury crash on Grand Street and 1st Street, In Purcell Missouri. As I was arriving Troop D dispatch advised me that several witnesses of the aftermath of the crash stated that the driver and the passenger of one of the involved vehicles began walking away from the crash. I began searching the area for the suspects but was unable to locate anyone from my patrol car. I responded to the scene and I began investigating the crash.
While investigating the crash, I observed the suspect vehicle from which the driver fled from to be a 2015 Subaru Outback, bearing Missouri Registration EL4E4B. I spoke with the victim who was still on scene. Victim 1 stated she saw the suspect vehicle pass her at high rate of speed traveling northbound. Victim 1 stated, the Subaru turn around ahead of her somewhere and failed to yield by pulling out in front of her and then turning into the oncoming lane and crashing head on into her.
Victim 1 was transported to Freeman West Hospital for her injuries. After working the crash scene, I began speaking with the bystanders who saw the suspects leave the scene to attempt to locate them.
After speaking with the bystanders and getting a suspect description, several Jasper County Deputies and Missouri State Troopers and I began searching the area for the suspects who fled the scene of this serious injury crash.
While on scene of the crash, the owner of the vehicle who will be identified as Witness 1 arrived on scene and explained that her brother in-law was the one driving the Subaru and had called her and told her that the vehicle had been stolen and then hung up on her. Witness 1 stated that the driver of the vehicle was Nathanal D. J. Jenks, whom she let borrow her vehicle to go get cigarettes.
The bystanders who saw the driver exit the vehicle gave a description which matched the build of Mr. Jenks DOR photo. A manhunt was launched in an attempt to find Mr. Jenks. A drone operator was called and several leads were followed. After several hours of searching for Mr. Jenks, we eventually got a call from Jasper County Dispatch that Mr. Jenks had called 911 and told them he was walking back to the crash scene to turn himself in.
After returning to the crash scene, I contacted Mr. Jenks and detained him. After patting him down for weapons, I read Mr. Jenks his Miranda rights and began having a conversation with him. I asked him what happened and he explained to me that he was the one driving his sister's car and crashed it while being drunk.
He stated he just got out of prison and did not want to go back and that is why he ran away. He stated that his mom called him and told him the police were looking for him because he injured a woman in the crash. Mr. Jenks explained that he felt bad for injuring her and decided to face the consequences. While speaking with Mr. Jenks, I noticed he was slurring his words. I could smell the strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from Mr. Jenks' breath and person. I asked Mr. Jenks how much he had to drink and he stated he had been drunk for a day and a half because of Father's Day and he missed his kids.
I asked him if he would do some field sobriety test and he stated, "I'm going to fail them because I'm f---ed up. " I performed the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus test and observed 4 clues. I had Mr. Jenks provide a sample of his breath on the preliminary breath test instrument, which indicated he had a blood alcohol content of . 051%.
I asked Mr. Jenks how much marijuana he had consumed and he stated that he smokes weed all day every day. Mr. Jenks stated he was messed up when he crashed and that was why he ran. I asked him "On a scale from 1 to 10, 1 being buzzed and 10 being the most blasted you have ever been. What would you rate yourself right now?" Mr. Jenks stated, "5. " I asked him what he would rate him self right before the crash and he stated "4. "
I asked Mr. Jenks if he would feel comfortable driving his children around with the way that he feels now and he stated, "No, I know I f---ed up. "
Based on the totality of the circumstances, on June 23, 2026, at approximately 0003 hours, I placed Mr. Jenks under arrest for the offense of driving while intoxicated - drugs and leaving the scene of an accident.
At approximately 0009 hours, I advised Mr. Jenks of Missouri's Implied Consent Law and Mr. Jenks agreed to provide a sample of his blood.
I transported Mr. Jenks to Mercy Carthage Hospital and seized a sample of his blood. During our post arrest interactions, Mr. Jenks stated that he was on parole out of Oklahoma for 96 years. He stated he was probably going back to prison for the rest of his life. Mr. Jenks also disclosed that he makes 13,000 dollars a day as a well-known tattoo artist and was trying to make a decent living until tonight. Mr. Jenks stated, "I'm not even going to fight this s--t because I did it."
Mr. Jenks stated several times how he wanted to take responsibility for his actions because the victim was a woman. He stated, "If it was a man I wouldn't give a s--t about him, but because it was a woman I felt bad because I feel differently about men than I do women."
The Jasper woman was treated for minor injuries at Freeman West Hospital, Joplin.
(From the U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri)A Stockton, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for distributing child pornography.
Brian Lee Cox, 39, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 230 months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Cox to serve a 10-year term of supervised release following his incarceration.
Cox will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout his life.
Cox pleaded guilty on Oct. 22, 2025, to receiving and distributing child pornography over the internet. According to court documents, Cox traded child sexual abuse material with other individuals using Kik messenger, an application which focuses on the privacy of its users. A National Center for Missing and Exploitive Children (NCMEC) Cyber Tip alerted the authorities to Cox’s conduct.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the Southwest Cybercrimes Task Force and Homeland Security Investigations.
