Hiding in plain sight.
The term has been overused and become somewhat cliche over the years, but how else can the story of David Spears, the stepfather of murdered 9-year-old Triway Elementary student Rowan Ford, be described?
Only that description would be inaccurate.
Except for the news team at KSNF-KODE.
Let me clarify that a bit. Other news organizations took a cursory glance at Spears, couldn't find him and under deadline pressure, figured there were better ways to spend their time.
It's an understandable problem but a lot of good stories are overlooked that way.
That was not the approach taken by the KSNF-KODE news team. They looked for Spears until they found him.
Their discovery that Spears was working in a $40,000 plus job for the Missouri Public Defender's Office was a scoop of the highest magnitude for this area- the idea that Rowan Ford's family, teachers, classmates and the people of Stella were paying for the salary and benefits of a man who pleaded guilty to child endangerment and hindering prosecution in connection with her death sent a shock wave through this area.
Not only was Spears working in a taxpayer-funded position, but he was hired, as the report revealed, during a time when he was still on probation after his release from prison.
The KSN-KODE report also had an effect that we often see as a result of solid investigative reporting- it drew the attention of legislators, in this case, one in particular, Rep. Lane Roberts, R-Joplin, who was Joplin's police chief at the time of Rowan Ford's murder.
Roberts forcefully, and at time eloquently, spoke of his outrage about Spears continuing to hold his job. The committee made it clear to Public Defender's Office Director Mary Fox that it would not entertain her budget requests until Spears was no longer an employee.
The ultimatum paid off.
The Missouri State Public Defender's Office fired Spears Monday.
I was reading the article on Four States Home Page (KODE and KSNF's website) earlier this morning that reflected on the disagreement between Roberts and Fox during the Budget Committee hearing about the level of Spears' involvement in Rowan Ford's murder.
When Roberts said it was Spears who led authorities to the cave where Rowan's body was found, Fox told him he was wrong.
As the Four States Home Page story notes, Newton County Commissioner Mark Bridges, who was coroner at the time, was there.
Bridges said it was Spears who led them to the little girl’s body. He told us he was even wearing an FBI wire and there is a recording “somewhere.”
It was also Bridges who obtained the original confession from Spears. He was brought in because he knew Spears and Collings. Both Bridges and Roberts agree that court filings in the Collings appellate cases, describe details and testimony about Spears that can’t be ignored.
Of course, we live in a world where litigation is a given, so the story may not be over yet. Spears may well file some kind of wrongful termination lawsuit.
That's in the future.
Right now, we've seen a textbook example of the way the system should work to correct injustices. The media, in this case KSN/KODE, played the watchdog role, uncovered a wrongdoing, and alerted the public. An outraged public and its elected representatives took action and brought about change.
Sometimes justice moves at a glacial pace, but it's always welcome when it arrives.
5 comments:
David Spears - Who should be in Jail for Life or on Death Row - is feeling again the Pressure - as finally another door closes on him as he is Fired from his $40,000 Plus a Year Job in the Public Defender's Office - the shear gall of this Governmentally Taxpayer Funded Office to Hire and Support this Murderer is beyond Ridiculous -
This is yet, just another case of the Fraud, Waste, Abuse, Corruption, and Mismanagement - inside our Government - so for all you Leftists Liberal Democrats - Who supports this and other types of Woke, DEI, CRT, and Pronoun Shaming Practices - and the Billions and Trillions of Dollars that are being Found in each and every Agency of the Federal Government - Should be Realizing what your Government has really been up to - for Decades - But now we are going to be Putting a STOP To this outlandish Waste of Taxpayer Dollars - - While the Democrats are willing to continue to pad their pockets.
WOW! Having a little trouble following your chain.
Now he will file suit and we can pay him even more
Anonymous 1:20
According to the Missouri Public Defender Commission website, 4 of the 6 commissioners are Republican. Don't see how this is a "Leftist Liberal Democrat" issue.
If all a person is smart enough to do is hold a hammer and bang on nails; then they tend to think they see nails needing to be hammered everywhere!
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