For every Wallace Bajjali or $100,000 for the wrong high school gymnasium bleachers I discover on my own, I probably have three or four cases that are put on my rader thanks to information you give me.
I do not make it a habit to check all of the drunk driving stories out of Tulsa, but when a reader left a fresh comment on a post about former KODE and KSN anchor Tiffany Alaniz from years ago, it did take long for me to get the information and post it on the Turner Report.
Readers have brought other stories to my attention. As I have noted before, I had never heard of Ace Mohr until a couple of you sent me messages telling me that he was still walking the streets despite committing a number of crimes.
It was probably about two months after I received those tips that I received a Joplin Police Department news release saying that Ace Mohr had been arrested on an armed robbery charge. After I read the news release, I recalled that when I checked out Ace Mohr's background I had learned then Jasper County Prosecuting Attorney Dean Dankelson had dropped two armed robbery charges against him. The story turned out to be much more than a JPD news release and has led to many more after that armed robbery charge was dropped and Mohr was charged with one crime after another (and is currently awaiting trial on a number of crimes).
It was that Ace Mohr tip and the information about Dankelson that led me to start examining his campaign finance records more closely, which also led to a couple of investigative reports on Dankelson's contributors and their connection to an ongoing case being handled by his office.
Neosho readers have given me tips that led to reports on the Neosho R-5 School District and former Mayor (now state representative) Ben Baker.
Many times you point out to me people who are prominent in your communities but whose names are unfamiliar to me who are involved in criminal or civil court cases.
The process continued again this week when your tips led to the most visited post on the Turner Report. I was not familiar with the Oil of Joy Ministry in Diamond, though I did recall there had been a news story involving Larry Edens and the mobile home park he and his wife manage.
While much of my reporting comes from public records, I always appreciate the help you give me in bringing to light information that many times would not come to light otherwise. While I am not always able to do anything with the tips I receive, I take each one seriously and keep the ones I am unable to use filed away and as in the case of Ace Mohr, sometimes that information plays a key role in major Turner Report stories.
Thanks for your help in continuing to keep the Turner Report growing even as it is well into its 16th year.
Joplin R-8 and FEMA
Government documents have always been a key to what I do on this blog and to much of my reporting for the past 42 years.
Eight days ago, the U. S. Postal Service delivered a small package to me from FEMA. I was not expecting anything, but the package contained a CD and an accompanying letter explaining that the CD contained the information I had asked for in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for all correspondence between FEMA and the Joplin R-8 School District about the massive buiilding project the district undertook following the May 22, 2011 tornado.
The reason I was not expecting it is because I made the request more than two years ago.
The CD contained more than 1,200 pages of information and while it was interesting, I had already received information on the main points it contained thanks to a Sunshine Law request to the school district.
In order to cut down on the amount of money I would have to pay (and at the strong suggestion of R-8 Administration, i had narrowed my request to denial letters from FEMA and SEMA. Some of those also included information from R-8's side of the correspondence, so I was able to get the information I needed.
The documents provided me with more insight into why FEMA responded as it did to the district's requests for reimbursement and while I found it interesting, I saw no reason to write any more on the subject.
I will hold on to the documents, however.
Lost Angels and Newton County Memories
The first signing for my latest book, Lost Angels: The Murders of Rowan Ford and Doug Ringler, is scheduled for 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 6 at Always Buying Books in Joplin. I will also be participating in the annual Local Authors Symposium at Crowder College in Neosho Saturday, April 27. I will not only be signing books, but I will have a presentation about Lost Angels.
The Crowder signing will also be the first in Newton County for my book Newton County Memories.
Signed copies of both books are available locally at Changing Hands Book Shoppe and Always Buying Books in Joplin, Pat's Books in Carthage and Granby Auto Supply and Hardware in Granby.
The books are available in paperback and e-book formats from Amazon at the links below.
Thanks again to those of you who have bought subscriptions or made contributions to the Turner Report/Inside Joplin.
Your contributions make it possible for me to continue providing free obituaries, offering news and commentary on this area and the state of Missouri, and cover the expenses of obtaining many of the court records that are used on the Turner Report.
Contributions may be made to the PayPal buttons below or by sending them to Randy Turner, 2306 E. 8th, Apt. A, Joplin, MO. 64801
Your support is greatly appreciated.
This week's top posts for the Turner Report, Inside Joplin and Inside Joplin Obituaries and links to them are featured below.
The Turner Report
1. Diamond church director charged with felony child molestation, statutory sodomy claims "the devil uses me"
2. Joplin High School principal announces resignation
3. JC Penney to close 27 stores, Northpark Mall location not on the list
4. Joplin man who lived at unlicensed day care center sentenced to six years on child pornography charge
5. Bond reduced for mobile home park manager, Oil of Joy director on child molestation, statutory sodomy charges
6. Webb City R-7 Board promotes Shawn Mayes, accepts six resignations
7. Parson praises Ivanka Trump's leadership, says it is wrong Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to smear First Daughters
8. Tiffany Alaniz, Mark Rohr and all those other people I am supposed to have a grudge against plus this week's top posts
9. Graves: I stand in support of President Trump and the emergency on the border
10. Court document: Man with 25-year record of sexually abusing children had lived in Joplin since October
Inside Joplin
1. Winter storm watch issued for Joplin
2. School closings for Thursday, February 28
3. Arrest of Joplin Honky leads to Jeffrey Flener being named JPD Officer of the Month
4. Joplin man arrested for smoking meth in Cherokee County Sheriff's parking lot
5. Jasper County Dissolution of Marriage Petitions
6. Joplin Police Department Weekend Arrests
7. Jasper County Sheriff's Arrests
8, Jasper County Marriage Licenses
9 Highway Patrol Arrests February 27-28
10. Joplin Police Department Arrests February 28-March 1
Inside Joplin Obituaries
1. Amanda Sharp
2. Greyson James
3. Ariah Tackett
4. Bobby Adams
5. Carl Biggers
6. Dale Marti
7. Doug Myers
8, Bill Lucky
9. Regina Reid
10, Binh Tan Tran
1 comment:
Speaking of tips-maybe you should look into Neosho School Districts hiring history of administrators about 4 years ago they had several admin positions open and Decker only interviewed 1 or 2 people in district even though they had more than 75 internal applicants. They either hired from outside the district or promoted one up. Decker hand picked Central's principal because he knew her from Aurora and he was her professor (she was working on her specialist degree and yes he was her professor) during the hiring process. Talk about a conflict or coincidence. On Feb 20 of this year the district sends out a list of openings including an assist principal with a form to complete if you are interested in transferring within the district stating the form was due March 1. They had already hired the new admin within 2 days and announced it to Benton staff. FYI-they already knew they were giving him the job because he currently works at Central office and knew all about the opening before anyone else.They should have just gotten rid of the principal instead of the assistant at Benton.
You know there are major issues when over a dozen of the Benton staff members asked for a transfer out of the building. I thought we were equal opportunity around here. It is disappointing for teachers who have made their home in Neosho to never have the opportunity to advance their careers in the district. They dont even get an interview. That's why they have lost several excellent people in the past few years. What is the School Board doing??? Are they that naive?
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