Autopsy scheduled as investigation continues into death of Travis Wyrick

(From the Jasper County Sheriff's Office)

An autopsy has been scheduled for Thursday (3-28-2024). The investigation is ongoing, and more information may be released as it becomes available.

Original news release

On 3-25-2024 at approximately 9:24 AM, Jasper County Deputies received a call of a disturbance with shots fired on Pump Ln, near Zora and Schifferdecker in Joplin, Mo. When Deputies arrived, they located a deceased male on the property.

Detectives arrived on scene and began gathering evidence and statements from witnesses who were on scene on what had occurred. At this time there is no threat to the public and all involved persons have been contacted and are being interviewed.

Next of kin has been notified and the deceased male has been identified as Travis S. Wyrick, 37, of Joplin.

The investigation continues and more information may be release when appropriate to do so.

Truman Pageant to be performed at Truman Day celebration in Lamar

(From the Barton County Chamber of Commerce)

On May 5,1984 the Truman Pageant was held in Lamar at the High School Football Stadium. Several local people participated in pageant that told the story of the birth of President Harry S Truman and the city of Lamar during the 1880's. The script was written by Randy Turner and the pageant was presented by Lamar Community Betterment.

 
Did you participate in the pageant?

Did you sit in the stands and watch the pageant in May of 1984?

We want to hear your stories. Please respond below or call Beth at the Truman Birthplace 417-682-2279 or the Barton County Chamber 417-682-3595

The Lamar High School drama class has agreed to bring back the Truman Pageant on May 4, 2024 during the Truman Day celebration! Please mark your calendars to join us!

(The photo was taken by the Lamar Democrat during the May 5, 1984 Truman Pageant.)

Granby woman to stand trial for fifth DWI

Tammy Sifferman, 51, Granby, waived her preliminary hearing today in Jasper County Circuit Court and will stand trial for driving while intoxicated.

Sifferman will be arraigned 9 a.m. April 22 in the trial division.

The DWI charge is the fifth for Sifferman, who was on probation for her fourth DWI when she was arrested October 29 outside of Carthage by the Highway Patrol.

Sifferman was arrested by the Highway Patrol on December 20, 2010 and February 20, 2011 and was found guilty on both charges July 26, 2011 in Jasper County Circuit Court.

The Highway Patrol arrested Sifferman March 8, 2012 and was found guilty September 14, 2012 in Jasper County Circuit Court and the Newton County Sheriff's Office arrested her December 7, 2019 and she was found guilty in Newton County Circuit Court October 20, 2021.

Newton County Circuit Court records indicate Judge John LePage sentenced Sifferman to four years in prison for her fourth DWI and suspended the sentence, placing her on supervised probation for five years.

Conditions of her probation include staying away from alcohol and any location where alcohol is sold to be consumed on the premises, not possessing or using any controlled substance that is not prescribed for her by a doctor and successfully completing a court-ordered program.

Judge LePage restored Sifferman's driving privileges December 19, 2022, according to Newton County Circuit Court records.

Under LePage's order, Sifferman was required to have an ignition interlock device installed. The probable cause statement for her most recent arrest indicates the vehicle she was driving had an ignition interlock.

Joplin man bound over for trial on meth, fentanyl, heroin trafficking, escape charges

A Joplin man who was arrested on drug trafficking charges after allegedly trying to pass counterfeit $10 bill at the Webb City Wendy's and later attempted to escape from the Webb City Jail waived his preliminary hearing today in Jasper County Circuit Court and was bound over for trial.

The trial court arraignment for John Austin Zippro (DOB 1994) is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. April 3.

In addition to the drug trafficking and escape charges, Zippro is charged with two felony counts of possession of a controlled substance.

According to the probable cause statement, when Zippro was arrested, a search revealed additional counterfeit bills, a substance that tested positive for meth and fentanyl, foil strips that tested positive for heroin and alprazolam tablets.

More information can be found at the links below.

The Turner Report: Probable cause: Attempt to pass counterfeit $10 bills at Wendy's leads to drug trafficking charge against Joplin man (rturner229.blogspot.com)

The Turner Report: Joplin man faces new felony charge after brief escape from Webb City Jail (rturner229.blogspot.com)

Big bucks continue to pour into Carthage City Council races

Carthage Citizens United passed the $20,000 mark in money raised in an effort to make changes on Carthage City Council.

In the 8-days-before-election report filed Monday with the Missouri Ethics Commision, the group, which has been critical of the City Council since its 2023 decision to remove all members of the Carthage Water and Electric Plant Board and has also been critical of the performances of Mayor Dan Rife and City Administrator Greg Dagnan, reported raising $7,250 since the 40-days-before-election report.

Carthage Citizens United is supporting the candidacies of Derek Peterson in Ward One, Dustin Edge in Ward Three and Jana Hunter Schramm in Ward Five.

Those contributing $100 or more to Carthage Citizens United since the last report include:

Harry Kester, retired, $200

Marty Lown, Coachlight RV, $750

Bill Putnam, retired, $500

Gary Cole, retired, $200

Stan Schmidt, retired, $100

Mary Beimdiek, retired, $500

Brian Schmidt, Schmidt CPA $250

Debbie Smallwood, retired, $200

David Flanigan, retired, $500

Danny Lambeth, retired, $500

James Seitz, retired, $150

Alexander Boyer, retired, $200

Allen VanDenBerg, retired, $100

Ronald Ross, retired, $300

Larry Aschermann, self-employed, $200

Robert Oexman, SOMLY, $200

Freeman Liquidators, Joplin, $500

Heather Collier, nonprofit advisor, $250

Kelly Hartley, Jasper County CASA $250

Phillip Smith, retired, $250

Liz Payne, retired, $500

Lillian James & Co. $100

Jack Crusa, retired, $200

Total Transition Management Company, Lenexa, Kansas, $487.58 (in-kind contribution)

The committee spent $5,227.59 during the reporting period including the following:

Joplin Globe $586.80

Carthage Printing $834.47

KDMO Radio $1,127

fStop Publishing (Carthage Chronicle) $396.80

United States Postal Service $2,173

***

Ward One

In Ward One, incumbent Brandi Ensor has not filed with the Ethics Commission, indicating she will not spend more than $1,000 in her campaign.

Derek Peterson received $950 in contributions and spent $1,247.77, leaving him with $1,206.58 in the bank.

Peterson received $300 from Steven and Mary Jean Beimdiek, $200 from Jack and Terri Crusa, $200 from Daniel Lambeth and $250 from Joseph and Melynne Ryder.

Peterson's biggest expenditures were $774.72 to Dynamic Signs and Graphics, Carthage, and $438.05 to Next Day Flyers, Van Nuys, California.

Ward Three

Two of the three Ward Three candidates, incumbent Robin Blair and former council member Mike Daugherty have not registered campaign committees.

Dustin Edge received $650 in contributions and spent $2,756.95, leaving him with $843.05.

Edge received $250 from Joseph Ryder and $200 apiece from Daniel Lambeth and Jack Crusa.

Ward Five

Incumbent Mark Elliff loaned his campaign $1,000, did not have any expenditures, spent $1,698.92 and has $483.55 in his account.

Elliff paid $426.10 to Dynamic Signs and Graphics, $520.22 to Carthage Printing, $752.60 to the U. S. Postal Service.

Jana Hunter Schramm received $650 in contributions and spent $1,098.21, leaving her with $2,943.20.

Schramm's contributions included $200 from Daniel Lamberth, $250 from Joseph Ryder and $200 from people giving less than $100.

Schramm paid $645.60 to Dynamic Signs and Graphics for yard signs and $406.31 to Carthage Printing for postcards.

More opposition for Ben Baker- Rebecca Stipp Jensen filed in 160th District

When Ben Baker, R-Neosho filed for re-election on the first day of filing, his social media announcement contained a note of certainty.

Just filed for my final term in the Missouri House of Representatives. It's been an honor to serve the great people of the 160th District and I will continue to work hard to serve the best district in the state.

That may very well be what happens, but in order to serve that fourth and final term, Baker will first have to win two elections.

That was guaranteed Monday when Rebecca Stipp Jensen, Neosho, filed on the Democratic ticket, the first candidate to do so.

Joplin City Council member Mark Farnham filed March 20 to oppose Baker in the Republican primary.

Joplin father, whose 2-year-old tested positive for meth, loses appeal of loss of parental rights, mother never appealed

In a decision handed down today, the Missouri Southern District Court of Appeals rejected a Jasper County man's appeal of a decision stripping him of his parental rights after his 2-year-old child tested positive for methamphetamine.

The panel rejected the claim of M. P. G., the name used in the court file that he had not been issued a proper court summons before the bench trial in which he lost his parental rights. The claim was not made when it should have been, the decision said.

The court also stripped the child's mother of her parental rights, but the mother did not appeal the decision.

From the decision:

On March 9, 2021, the Juvenile Division of the Circuit Court of Jasper County (“juvenile court”) found Child to be without proper care, custody, and support after Child, being two years old at the time, tested positive for methamphetamine. 

The juvenile court ordered Child to remain in foster care, with the case goal being reunification of the family. As the Children’s Division (the “Division”) attempted to reunify the family, Father refused to work on a case plan or cooperate with the Division, and he further refused to take two separate drug tests in January and April of 2021. 

Father also reported that he was self-employed but provided no documentation of income, did not provide documentation of attending or completing a drug treatment program, and he had a pending felony charge for possession of a controlled substance. 

On April 11, 2022, the juvenile court issued a judgment modifying the case goal to termination of parental rights and adoption. B.L.M. and C.T.A.M. (collectively, “Adoptive Parents”) filed their petition to terminate Father’s parental rights over Child and to adopt Child on September 26, 2022.

The trial court appointed a special process server to serve Father with the Adoptive Parents’ petition, and a Juvenile Summons for Personal Service Outside the State of Missouri was issued for Father at an address in Baxter Springs, Kansas. 

The special process server served the summons on Father by
personal service at a Joplin, Missouri address on October 7, 2022, as evidenced by the returned summons.

The summons included the following notice: You have the right to have an attorney present to assist you at all court hearings, or you may waive your right to an attorney. If you do desire to be represented by an attorney, you should begin now to obtain legal counsel. If you cannot afford to pay an attorney and you wish to have an attorney to represent you, the court has the power to appoint an attorney to represent you, without charge. 

However, in the event the court does appoint a public defender or other appointed counsel for the juvenile, the court may, after notice and hearing, order the custodian to make reimbursement for all or part of the cost of representation of the juvenile. You should make known to the court your desire to have an attorney appointed for you. (Emphasis added). 

The termination of Father’s parental rights proceeded to a bench trial on June 27, 2023, where Father appeared in person and with appointed counsel. Father testified at trial, and, when his counsel asked whether he had ever been served in the case, he said, “I did get served I think through – well, I got served on the TPR.” 

After considering the evidence presented, the trial court issued its amended judgment terminating Father’s parental rights on August 1, 2023. The trial court terminated Father’s parental rights on the bases of abuse or neglect, failure to rectify harmful conditions, and parental unfitness under subdivisions (2), (3), and (5) of section 211.447.5, respectively; and it found termination of Father’s parental rights was in Child’s best interests. 

In its judgment, the trial court recounted the evidence of Father’s chemical dependency which prevented him from consistently providing the necessary care for Child, failure to provide Child with adequate care despite being physically and financially able to do so, and refusal to participate in services offered by the Division. 

It also noted Father was “served on October 7, 2022, by personal service at [a Joplin, MO address].” Neither Father nor Adoptive Parents filed a post-trial motion for a new trial following the trial court’s judgment, and Father’s timely appeal followed.

Government wants Joplin man held without bond on fentanyl trafficking, weapons charges

In a detention motion filed today in U. S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, the government asked that Landon Lee Laurance, 21, Joplin, be held without bond while awaiting trial.

A grand jury indicted Laurance on fentanyl trafficking and weapons charges.

According to the indictment, Lawrence possessed fentanyl with intent to distribute on August 30, 2023, possessed a firearm on the same day. 

 

Joplin man ordered held without bond on meth, weapons charges

A Joplin man was ordered held without bond on methamphetamine possession and weapons charges following a detention hearing this morning in U. S. District Court in Springfield.

Jock Odell Gray, 44, was arrested by the Joplin Police Department October 15 and November 23, both times while riding a bicycle and both times while having meth in his possession according to the probable cause statements.

During the November 23 arrest, he also had a loaded handgun, the statement said.

 

During NAACP forum, Joplin R-8 Board candidates dwelt in the land of Nodding

A few observations about tonight's Joplin R-8 Board of Education candidate forum, which was sponsored by the newly formed Missouri Southern State University NAACP chapter:

-The forum ran as smoothly as any candidate forum I have seen, and I have been covering candidate forums since 1977. Serving as moderators were McKinzie Peterson, the chapter's second vice president, and Taija Jones, chapter president.

-The candidate agreed with each other on so many things that it almost seemed like they dwelt in the land of Nodding.

-None of the candidates really answered the question on DEI, but they all gave it a game effort.

-The candidates, incumbents Rylee Hartwell and John Hird and former board member Derek Gander (Victor Sly was a no show) agreed on the need to increase students' use of Franklin Tech, increase parental participation and none of them were in favor of vouchers, even though Derek Gander left an open option for them in the case of a victim of bullying or a pregnant teen needs to transfer to another district.