Thursday, August 27, 2020
Greene County reports 18th COVID-19 death in month of August
(From the Springfield-Greene County Health Department)
The Springfield-Greene County Health Department is heartbroken to announce the death of a Greene County resident from COVID-19. This individual was associated with long-term care.
Our community lost a man in his 80s with underlying medical conditions.
The Health Department extends our condolences to loved ones at this tragic time.
“It’s not unexpected to have a number of deaths follow a case surge in long-term care facilities—but that does not make these losses any less tragic,” Director of Health Clay Goddard reiterated.
“COVID-19 doesn’t get into these facilities on its own—it’s sneaking in with workers and visitors. We all have to be vigilant about masking and all of our prevention tools, including one of our most important: staying home when we are sick to protect our neighbors and our vulnerable loved ones.”
Long-term care facilities are required to notify the families of all residents when there is a positive case in the facility as well as when a death occurs.
Institutional settings, like long-term care, are environments where a respiratory illness can easily spread. This can be especially devastating in a long-term care facility, where residents are more susceptible to disease.
There have been 18 deaths from COVID-19 in August. A total of 29 Greene County residents have died from COVID-19.
Family Pharmacy closing all locations, including Joplin store
Walgreens has purchased the inventory and records for the stores, including the Joplin location at 3202 Indiana.
The Family Pharmacy stores in southwest Missouri first opened in 1977 and were locally owned until two years ago when they were sold to Smith Management Services.
Jasper County Clerk's office well represented as Annie White Baxter inducted into Hall of Famous Missourians
(From Sen. Bill White, R-Joplin)
On Wed., Aug. 26, Annie White Baxter was inducted into the Hall of Famous Missourians.
A bronze bust made in her image will join the tributes to eight other Missouri women and 37 men in the “hall,” located on the third floor of the State Capitol.
Baxter’s trailblazing success as Missouri’s first female elected official and the nation’s first woman county clerk earned her the prestigious spot.
She was elected as the Jasper County Clerk in 1890, thirty years before women were allowed to vote. After her graduation from Carthage High School, Baxter started her career in the Jasper County Courthouse as an assistant clerk and deputy clerk before being formally elected to serve the entire county.
Current Jasper County clerk and former state representative, Charlie Davis, provided some historical context at the dedication ceremony. This photo was taken on the House dais after Speaker Elijah Haahr publically unveiled the bust during Wednesday’s ceremony. Standing on the top row, from left to right, are Mary Lou Newman-Teel, Carla Palmer, Lisa Perry, Charlie Davis and Speaker Haahr. The lower row consists of Cathy Loy, Patty Moss, Shala Cochrane, Chrystal Fast, Terrie Dawald, Crystal Lees and Annie Golden.
Ace Mohr captured hiding in his mother's closet
Two days after he failed to show for his sentencing in Jasper County Circuit Court, Ace Mohr, 27, Carthage, is behind bars.
In a news release issued this afternoon, the Jasper County Sheriff's Office said deputies, after receiving information about Mohr's possible whereabouts, arrested him as he was hiding in his mother's closet at her Carthage home.
Mohr had been scheduled to be sentenced Monday on robbery and assault charges.
Mohr pleaded guilty January 24 to a reduced charge of robbery in the second degree. He was originally charged with first degree robbery after beating a Carthage man with brass knuckles and stealing his wallet, phone and watch on October 27, 2018, according to the probable cause statement.
The domestic assault charge was in connection with an August 18, 2018 incident.
According to the probable cause, Mohr allegedly pushed a woman's face into a wall, "causing her upper lip to break and bleeding to occur. Ace then locked (the victim) in the bathroom taunting (her) to kill him. He then shoved (her) face into broken glass on the floor causing a laceration on the forehead and serious bleeding to occur."
The domestic assault charge was in connection with an August 18, 2018 incident.
Public hearings scheduled on Missouri-American Water's $73.5 million rate increase request
(From the Missouri Public Service Commission)
The Missouri Public Service Commission will hold formal evidentiary hearings starting in late February in water and sewer rate cases filed by the Missouri-American Water Company (MAWC).
Formal evidentiary hearings are scheduled for February 22-26, 2021 and March 1-5, 2021, in Room 310 of the Governor Office Building, 200 Madison Street, Jefferson City, Missouri. Due to the COVID-19 emergency, further accommodations for an electronic hearing may be arranged closer to the hearing upon request of the parties or by the Commission on its own motion.
These hearings will be held in a building that meets accessibility standards required by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Any person requiring additional accommodations to participate in these hearings should call the Missouri Public Service Commission’s Hotline at 1-800-392-4211 (voice) or Relay Missouri at 711 before the hearings. Hearings will be streamed live on the Commission’s website (psc.mo.gov).
On June 30, 2020, MAWC filed water and sewer rate cases with the Missouri Public Service Commission seeking to increase current annual water and sewer revenues by approximately $73.5 million.
MAWC serves approximately 470,000 water customers and 15,000 sewer customers in Missouri.
Quapaw man sentenced to 30 years in prison for sexually abusing child- already spent 14 years in prison for abusing two other children
(From the U. S. Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma)
U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced Wilkie Bill Burtrum, 60, to life in prison for the aggravated sexual abuse of a minor in Indian Country and to 360 months for abusive sexual contact with a child under 12 in Indian Country. Burtrum previously spent 14 years in federal prison for sexually abusing two other children.
“After repeated convictions for child molestations, a life sentence of imprisonment was the only way to protect children from this monster. I am so proud that a young victim bravely spoke up and helped us stop Burtrum from hurting any other children,” said U.S. Attorney Trent Shores. “Because of a team of committed investigators, prosecutors, and victim specialists, Wilkie Burtrum was brought to justice. We stand ready to help any other child victim who may want to come forward.”
Burtrum was convicted of abusing the victim between August 2018 and October 2019. During his March trial, the prosecution contended that the defendant paid extra attention to the victim and offered him special privileges in order to gain the child’s trust. During the time the defendant and victim were together, Burtrum purposefully touched the victim sexually both over his pants and under his clothing. The child eventually confided in a relative then his father, who reported the crimes to authorities.
During the trial, an additional victim, who came forward during the investigation, also testified about abuse he suffered at the hands of Burtrum approximately five years ago. The prosecution further introduced into evidence a 1993 sexual abuse conviction, establishing a pattern of behavior by the defendant. In that case, Burtrum served 14 years in prison for four counts of aggravated sexual abuse in Indian Country with children under 12.
Restitution will be determined at a later hearing set for Sept. 10, 2020. Burtrum remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service until transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility.
The Quapaw Tribal Marshals Service and Miami Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shannon Cozzoni and Scott Proctor prosecuted the case.
Joplin man who raped 4-year-old girl receives life sentence for sex trafficking of a minor, sexual exploitation of a child
(From the U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri)
Anthony Leon Helsel, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool on Tuesday, Aug. 25, to life in federal prison without parole.
On Sept. 24, 2019, Helsel pleaded guilty to one count of the sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of the sex trafficking of a minor.
The investigation began in September 2018 when law enforcement received two CyberTips that Helsel was offering a 4-year-old child for sex through the KIK application, and that Helsel had uploaded suspected child pornography to his Facebook account. In October 2018, Kentucky law enforcement provided information that Helsel also offered images of child pornography to an undercover law enforcement officer in Kentucky, as well as to other members of a KIK group.
Officers executed a search warrant at Helsel’s residence on Oct. 2, 2018. Helsel admitted that he had taken pornographic photos of the child victim, that he had been sending child pornography to others and receiving child pornography from them, and that he had talked to others about them having sex with the child victim. Helsel also admitted that he had shared videos of him sexually assaulting the child victim to multiple users on KIK.
According to court documents, Helsel created hundreds of images and videos of the child victim’s sexual abuse. He repeatedly sent images and videos of him sexually assaulting her to many other KIK users over the internet. Investigators also found images of child pornography produced by Helsel with a one-year-old infant.
At the time officers arrived at Helsel’s residence to execute the search warrant, he was conversing with another user on KIK, Gary McKinney of Joplin.
McKinney was sentenced on Feb. 26, 2020, to 15 years in federal prison without parole. McKinney, who pleaded guilty to receiving and distributing child pornography, was an officer with the Joplin Police Department for about seven years until May 20, 2006. He also worked for a short time as a police officer in Webb City, Missouri, and Duquesne, Missouri. He owned and operated Gary McKinney Plumbing Services at the time of his arrest.
According to court documents, the child victim reported that both Helsel and another individual sexually assaulted her.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force and Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Joplin, Mo., Police Department.
Lamar High School student tests positive for COVID-19
The Barton County Health Department is announcing that a student at Lamar High School has tested positive for COVID-19.
The student was last in class on August 25th and was asymptomatic while at school.
The BCHD is working closely with the school district to identify all close contacts. Those who are identified as close contacts will be contacted by health department representatives and advised on how to proceed.
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