Probable cause: Joplin family members forced autistic child to sleep in dog kennel

Four members of a family that allegedly kept an autistic 12-year-old girl locked in a kennel every night for two years are being held without bond after being charged Monday with two felony counts of child abuse or neglect.

During the investigation, the Joplin Police Department came across 83 animals, including dogs, cats, rabbits and a pig that were also being mistreated, according to probable cause statements filed in Jasper Country Circuit Court.

During a press conference Monday, Police Chief Richard Pearson described the residence at 610 East Pool Street as a "house of horrors."

In addition to the felony charges, Shane Michael Ross, 50, Crystal Dawn Ross, 46, Hannah Marie Ross, 25, and Megan Olivia Ross, 19, were charged with a misdemeanor animal neglect or abandonment.

From Shane Ross' probable cause statement:

On 8/9/2026, I was dispatched to 610 E Pool St in reference to a reported runaway. Due to being them on call detective, I responded to the area of Landreth Ave/ Pool St where a command post had been set
up. After speaking with Officer's at the command post, I responded to 610 E Pool St which is the
address where the juvenile female had run away from. 

I photographed the inside of the residence after receiving verbal consent from Crystal Ross who is the juvenile's adoptive mother. Inside the residence, I observed there to be clutter, trash, food and clothing all over the inside of the residence making it difficult to walk through the residence. I also observed several animals inside the residence in cages and walking freely about the residence. There was a strong odor of spoiling food, urine and ammonia.

I also observed a dog cage in the hallway leading to what appeared to be the master bedroom. After
photographing the inside and outside of the residence, I was notified that Mr. Ross was going to be
transported to the Joplin Police Department to be interviewed due to information being gathered that
the juvenile female V1 had been locked in a dog cage inside the residence. I cleared 610 E Pool St and
responded to the Joplin Police Department Investigations Bureau. 

Upon my arrival, I contacted Shane Ross in interview room 115. I advised Ross of the reason for the interview and advised him of his Miranda Warning. Ross advised he understood his rights verbally and signed the Joplin Police Department Miranda Warning form. After signing the form, I began to ask Ross questions about V1.

Ross advised that V1 was actually his niece and had been living with him, his wife and two daughters
for about 10 years. Ross advised V1's father had lost custody of her and she had been placed with him
by a local Baptist organization. 

Ross advised that they had also adopted V1 after her fathers custody rights had been taken away. I asked Ross about V1 being locked in a cage and he acknowledged that V1 had been locked in a cage due to her behavior. 

Ross advised that V1 had several mental issues and had been in counseling and also was currently taking medication for those issues. Ross advised that V1 would always get out and would always be found eating food wherever she would be located. Ross advised that V12 had never ran from the house before, but had made statements about burning the house down. 

Ross advised they had reached out for help several times and had even been told that V1 needed to be in some kind of care facility but they had not followed though with that after one facility asking if they wanted V1 back. 

Ross advised that he knew that it was wrong to lock V1 inside a cage and he didn't want to do it but they had too in order to be able to sleep. Ross advised that they would also lock V1 in the cage when they would leave the house even though both of his adult daughters would be at the house when they left. 

Ross advised the would be gone from the house no more that two hours at a time and if they would be gone longer, they would take V1 with them. Ross advised they would lock V1 in the cage over night and sometimes in the evenings depending on what they were doing. 

I was able to observe the cage that V1 would be locked in and confirmed the location with Ross when interviewing him. The cage appeared to be a cage for a large dog and there were two padlocks on the cage. There were also several zip ties connected to the cage to enhance the security of the cage.

There were also 80 animals removed from the residence. Several of the dogs that were located in cages
did not have adequate shelter from the elements outside and had algae growing in the 5 gallons buckets
used for water. A dog that was located inside a cage inside the residence had hair that was matted all the way to the skin and feces and urine inside the feeding bowl. There was also no water available for the dog inside the cage with it. The cage also had fecal matter smeared all over the inside of the cage.

From Crystal Ross' probable cause statement:

V1 was found to have been sleeping in a dog cage outside of Crystal's bedroom, to prevent her from hurting her family during the overnight hours. She was made to sleep only in a diaper with a pillow and a blanket. Multiple pad locks were located on the cage to prevent her from escaping. 

Crystal admitted she knew that was wrong and advised it was likely causing emotional and mental damage to V1 but she continued to make V1 sleep in the cage for close to 1 year.

According to other family members V1 had been sleeping in the cage for closer to 2 years. Crystal
admitted there had been opportunities to place V1 in a care facility, where she would be properly cared
for by medical professionals but she did not feel comfortable doing so and thought she could provide
better care for her at home. 

When the juvenile was located, she was only 4 feet tall and weighed approximately 50 pounds at 12 years old.

The statement also included the following description of how the victim was kept shielded from everyone:

Crystal has been allowed to maintain care of V1 for many years and has failed to do so. Several
neighbors in the area did not even know there was a young child living in the home. Crystal has isolated
the child to the point she has not attended school in at least 5 years, and she does not take her anywhere
because of her "behavioral outbursts." 

Crystal has many church family members and other family who came to the scene and supported her behavior, indicating they would likely help her leave the area to avoid prosecution if she were to be released. She should not be allowed to be around children, she should most certainly not be allowed to have access to V1, and she should not be given the freedom to obtain more animals so she can fail to care for them as well.

Arrest made after woman stabbed in Carthage

(From the Carthage Police Department)

On August 10, 2026, at approximately 0923 hours, the Carthage Police Department responded to the 1400 block of Kimberly Ln, in Carthage, Missouri, for a reported medical emergency. The reporting party advised that a female inside the apartment had sustained serious injuries and was bleeding.

Upon arrival, officers located the victim, a 56-year-old female, who had sustained multiple stab wounds and lacerations to her face, neck, torso, and arms. Emergency personnel immediately provided medical assistance. The victim was transported by EMS to a local hospital for further treatment and is currently listed in critical condition.

Prior to officers' arrival, the suspect had fled the scene. Through the course of the investigation, officers identified the suspect as 32-year-old Nathan Michael Roberts of Kansas City, Missouri.

With assistance from the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office and the Missouri State Highway Patrol, along with information obtained from Springfield’s Flock cameras, investigators determined that Roberts had fled the area in the victim’s vehicle and was traveling toward Springfield, Missouri.

With assistance from the Springfield Police Department, Greene County Sheriff's Office, Missouri Department of Probation and Parole, and the United States Marshals Service, Roberts was located and taken into custody at approximately 1530 hours.

Charges were submitted to the Jasper County Prosecutor's Office for Domestic Assault in the First Degree, Armed Criminal Action, and Unlawful Use of a Weapon. The Jasper County Prosecutor's Office subsequently charged Roberts with Domestic Assault 1st and Armed Criminal Action, and a no-bond warrant was issued.

Roberts is currently being held in the Greene County Jail. He was also taken into custody on outstanding warrants from Webb City, Carthage, and the Missouri Department of Probation and Parole.

The Carthage Police Department would like to thank the citizens who reported the incident and all of our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners who assisted in the investigation and the quick apprehension of the suspect.

This remains an active investigation. No further information will be released at this time.

McDonald County Commission seeks input on organized cycling events

(From the McDonald County Commission)

MCDONALD COUNTY — THIS IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO BE HEARD!

You’ve been asking. You’ve been talking. And now, your voice can help influence what happens next.
One of the hottest conversations McDonald County has had recently is the future of organized, sponsored competitive cycling events that travel through our County roads.

 A VERY IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION:
This survey is NOT about casual cycling, individual cyclists, or recreational riding. It is specifically focused on organized and sponsored cycling races/events that travel through County roads.

As County Commissioners elected by you, the people of McDonald County, we genuinely want to know where our residents stand. Whether you support these events, have concerns, or have an opinion somewhere in between — we want to hear it.

Your input will carry weight. The responses received will be considered as us Commissioners evaluate the future of these organized competitive cycling events in McDonald County.

To help ensure the results accurately reflect the residents of our County, each survey response will require you to attest that you are a resident and registered voter of McDonald County, Missouri.

 **The deadline to make your voice heard is August 24th.**

And here’s why YOUR participation matters: If only a small number of residents respond, the results cannot provide an accurate representation of where McDonald County truly stands. The more residents who participate, the clearer the picture becomes. We will be validating responses to review County Residents and leave outside input out. 

So please — **don’t assume someone else will speak for you.**

 Complete the survey here:
https://tinyurl.com/5be924zz

Your county. Your community. Your voice. Your opportunity to help shape the decision.

Please take the time to complete the survey and share it with other eligible McDonald County residents.

Jason Smith: Working Families Tax Cuts delivers big win for Second Amendment

(From Eighth District Congressman Jason Smith)

A federal judge in Texas handed down a ruling this week that is a massive victory for gun owners in Southeast and South Central Missouri. The ruling dealt a major blow to the legal foundation for the tedious, bureaucratic paperwork required for short-barreled guns and suppressors — all because we got rid of the tax used to justify those requirements.

The judge ruled that key parts of the National Firearms Act of 1934 can no longer be enforced against the Americans who brought the case — because the tax that supposedly justified all that registration paperwork, fingerprinting, and federal record-keeping no longer exists. The One, Big, Beautiful Bill, which I authored, got rid of it.

When writing that legislation, I worked with Congressman David Kustoff, whose district borders Missouri’s 8th Congressional District, to include a provision zeroing out the $200 federal tax the NFA had slapped on suppressors, short-barreled rifles, and short-barreled shotguns since 1934. Every House Democrat voted against it, but Republicans still got it across the finish line — because Southeast and South Central Missouri didn’t send me to Washington to protect a Depression-era tax on our firearms.

That provision delivered the largest Second Amendment-related tax cut in American history. The $200 tax hadn’t budged in nearly a century. You have to go all the way back to the Revenue Act of 1928 to find the last time Congress actually cut a federal firearms tax instead of raising one. Every change since then — 1932, 1940, 1941 — was a tax increase. This is the first time in almost a hundred years that Congress moved it the other direction.

Now the courts are catching up to what we got done. This ruling recognizes a simple truth: the government based years of paperwork designed to limit your Second Amendment rights on its taxing power. Take away the tax, and you take away the legal foundation for the paperwork that came with it. The Justice Department has a week to ask a federal appeals court to step in, so this fight isn’t over — but it’s an important step toward ensuring that a law-abiding gun owner in West Plains or Eminence shouldn’t need Washington’s permission slip to buy a suppressor to protect his hearing on the range.

This isn’t complicated for the people I represent. Owning a suppressor or a shorter barrel is nobody’s business but your own, and it shouldn’t come with a federal fee and a stack of paperwork attached. I eliminated the tax, and it’s already paying dividends. I’ll never stop fighting to protect your Second Amendment rights and make sure Washington stays out of your gun cabinet.

Missouri voters crushed two Kehoe priorities, November brings another test

By Rudi Keller

Missouri Independent

Gov. Mike Kehoe wasn’t on the ballot Tuesday. Two of his biggest priorities were, and voters handed them a historic defeat.

Kehoe made the measure that became Amendment 5, which sought to put Missouri on a path toward eliminating its individual income tax, the centerpiece of his agenda for the year. Only two proposed constitutional amendments have fared worse in the past 118 years.

And he used the pure partisan power of the Republican supermajority to muscle Amendment 4, which would have changed how majorities are counted on constitutional amendments proposed by initiative, through the legislature in a special session last year.

For Kehoe, the question now is whether voters were rejecting two unpopular proposals on their merits or sending a broader message about his agenda.

November could offer another test.

Kehoe has put his political clout — and his wife, Claudia Kehoe — behind Amendment 3, which would make abortion illegal in MIssouri in almost all instances.

Claudia Kehoe is the treasurer of Her Health, Her Future, the political action committee formed to campaign in favor of Amendment 3. So far, the committee is lagging behind the main opposition committee, Stop the Ban, in fundraising.

Her Health, Her Future has reported about $1.1 million in donations. Stop the Ban has reported raising $6.5 million, including $1.25 million this week from former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Bloomberg gives $1.25M to Missouri abortion rights campaign as fundraising gap grows

Tuesday’s defeats also come as Kehoe’s approval rating has narrowed during his first two years in office.

A February St. Louis University/YouGov poll found 47% of likely Missouri voters approved of Kehoe’s job performance and 42% disapproved. A year earlier, the same poll showed 50% approved and 31% disapproved.

 Kehoe won office with 59% of the vote in 2024 after a bruising Republican primary that cost far more than the general election.

What Tuesday’s results mean, if anything, for Kehoe and other Republicans on the ballot in 2028, is uncertain.

“The repercussions from these two votes are going to last more than two years,” said Bob Priddy, longtime Capitol correspondent and Missouri historian. “And if I’m a Republican incumbent, not only this year but in two years, I am going to have to play a lot of defense, especially if I voted for either of these things.”

Republican campaign consultant John Hancock, whose firm advised Kehoe’s 2024 campaign, isn’t convinced. 

“This will be in the distant rearview mirror at that point, and being committed to a policy of reducing taxes is not a bad place to be,” Hancock said.

Kehoe did receive one benefit from Tuesday’s results. Republican voters in St. Charles County nominated Steve Ehlmann for another term as county executive, defeating Kehoe’s closest competitor from the 2024 primary and potential 2028 rival, former state Sen. Bill Eigel.

Eliminating the income tax was one of Eigel’s signature issues in the 2024 campaign. Kehoe was the last of the three major Republican candidates to embrace the idea.

“He gets credit for attempting something big and bold,” Hancock said. “I don’t think the loss of Amendment 5 is going to have any kind of lasting impact on his political viability. And the elimination of one of his chief critics in the Republican Party is politically helpful for him.”

Whatever the political consequences, the failure of Amendment 5 leaves Kehoe facing an immediate policy challenge: Missouri’s increasingly difficult finances.

After he cast his ballot in Jefferson City on Tuesday, Kehoe said he would seek ways to cut taxes if Amendment 5 were defeated. Other Republicans have said the same thing.

Voters “like the idea of tax relief, but they didn’t like this package,” said Republican state Rep.  Alex Riley of Springfield, who is in line to be House speaker next year.

Additional reductions in Missouri’s top individual income tax rate, currently 4.7%, are already written into state law but depend on revenue reaching certain thresholds.

To trigger the cuts, of one-tenth of 1% each, revenue must meet two conditions — receipts at least $200 million more than the highest of the previous three years and more than the revenue from five years prior, adjusted for inflation.

The official revenue forecast for the current fiscal year is not enough for a cut to occur Jan. 1, 2028, the next possible date. At $13.65 billion, it is enough to meet the $200 million threshold but less than the inflation-adjusted revenue from fiscal year 2022.

More immediately, projected revenue isn’t enough to cover the state’s current spending.

Kehoe vetoed and restricted $500 million in appropriations for the current year. That left a general revenue deficit of $2.3 billion after Kehoe’s vetoes, money that will come from accumulated surpluses.

Those reserves are dwindling, meaning the budget lawmakers write next year will have to align much more closely with actual revenue. And that will be Kehoe’s biggest test yet, said Sophia Shore, a Republican consultant who ran Eigel’s 2024 primary campaign.

“Until Kehoe is willing to take the state budget by the horns and clean up some of the waste, his popularity will continue to go down,” Shore said.

Democrats are eager to interpret Tuesday’s results as evidence of a broader opening in a state where they haven’t won a statewide election since 2018 and where the party’s candidates running statewide in 2024 received about 40% of the vote. 

“I can’t think of a parallel in my years in Missouri politics where there’s been such a broad repudiation,” said Russ Carnahan, chairman of the Missouri Democratic Party.

Historic defeats for Missouri GOP priorities raise questions about what comes next

The bitter primaries in some state Senate districts show the fragmentation of the GOP, said state Sen. Stephen Webber, a Columbia Democrat.

“They’ve got a bigger coalition, and that coalition is hard for them to hold together, and they’re struggling with that,” Webber said.

State Rep. Betsy Fogle of Springfield, who is running for state Senate in hopes of flipping a Republican-held district, said she expects Kehoe to turn to less controversial issues rather than quickly revisit the fights that produced Amendments 4 and 5. 

“If I’m Gov. Kehoe and I expended a lot of political capital to twist the arms of Republicans who knew that this wasn’t what was right, I would be very hesitant to put my teammates in a position to have to go on record as voting on it again so quickly,” Fogle said.

Voters are frustrated that Republican lawmakers worked so hard on Amendments 4 and 5 when other issues were not addressed, she said.

“What you saw,” Fogle said, “was how disconnected every single elected official who voted in support of the income tax replacement proposal is from their constituency that went to the ballot box and voted it down in every county.”

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.

Racine man sentenced for DWI after hitting, killing pedestrian

(From the Newton County Prosecuting Attorney's Office)

A Racine man was sentenced to 15 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections on August 10, 2026, the maximum sentence permitted by law for driving while intoxicated involving the death of another.

Richard Scott Taylor II, 37, was sentenced by Judge Charles Gensisio of the 40th Judicial Circuit, following his June 1 plea admitting to his role in the fatal hit-and-run crash that claimed the life of Sheldonna Wood, a pedestrian, on July 5, 2024.

According to the investigation conducted by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Taylor was operating a 2004 Dodge Dakota westbound on Douglas Fir Road in Newton County when he drove off the roadway and struck a pedestrian. The victim died at the scene as a result of injuries sustained in the collision. 

After striking the victim, Taylor fled the scene without reporting the crash or rendering aid.

Investigators located Taylor the following morning at a residence in Carterville. During the investigation, Taylor admitted he had been driving the vehicle involved in the crash and had consumed alcohol prior to the collision. A preliminary breath test administered by law enforcement indicated a blood alcohol concentration of .131 percent. 

Remains of the victim were located on the vehicle as well as damage consistent with the collision, further connecting Taylor to the fatal crash.

"There is nothing the justice system can impose to undo the pain caused by the defendant’s actions, nor can it restore the life that was lost," said Prosecuting Attorney William Lynch. "But accountability matters. While this conviction and maximum sentence cannot erase the past, it can provide some measure of closure by holding the defendant accountable and affirming that the life lost mattered and the suffering of those left behind is not forgotten."

The case was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol and prosecuted by Sarah Crites and William Lynch of the Newton County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

Newton County man sentenced to 15 years for molesting two children

(From the Newton County Prosecuting Attorney's Office)

A Newton County man has been sentenced to 15 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections after entering a guilty plea to two counts of Child Molestation in the First Degree.

Cortoney Rogers, 43, of Fairview, was sentenced by Judge Charles Genisio of the 40th Judicial Circuit after pleading guilty as charged.

The investigation into Rogers began in December of 2025 after a juvenile reported that Rogers had sexually abused her over an extended period of time. 

During the investigation, Rogers admitted to detectives that he had molested the victim. Five months later, another individual reported that Rogers had sexually abused her as a child, approximately 18 years earlier. Those investigations resulted in the Prosecutor’s Office filing two counts of Child Molestation.

“This 15-year sentence sends a clear and unmistakable message: those who prey upon children will be held accountable,” said William Lynch, Newton County Prosecuting Attorney. 

“The defendant’s actions caused profound and lasting harm, and while no sentence can undo that harm, justice requires a significant prison sentence. Given the defendant’s serious and ongoing medical condition, it is entirely possible that he will spend the remainder of his life in prison.

"That is a consequence of his own choices and actions. Our office will continue to stand with victims and pursue justice without hesitation. When someone commits these kinds of offenses against a child, we will hold them accountable, no matter how much time has passed since the offense.”

This case was investigated by Detective Daniel Martin with the Newton County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Nate Dally and William Lynch of the Newton County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Kayla McQuigg of the Newton County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office provided integral victims' services throughout the pendency of the case.

Mount Vernon pedestrian killed on I-44

 A Mount Vernon man was killed in a car-pedestrian accident 9:17 p.m. Saturday on I-44 in Mount Vernon.

According to the Highway Patrol report, a 2017 Nissan NV3500 driven by a 49-year-old Greenwood, Indiana man struck a 21-year-old Mount Vernon man who was in the roadway.

Lawrence County coroner Scott Lakin pronounced him dead on the scene at 9:28 p.m.

The fatality was the 76th this year for Highway Patrol Troop D.

Arrest made in shooting death of Springfield man

(From the Springfield Police Department)

Paxton Barnett, 32, died last night after being shot. 

Detectives identified 36-year-old Darvin Toman as the suspect. Toman was located and arrested by Greene County Sheriff's deputies.

This is Springfield’s eighth homicide investigation in 2026.

Incident details

On August 9, 2026, at 7:52 p.m., Springfield police officers responded to a report of a shooting in the 2500 block of West Water Street.

When officers arrived, they found Paxton Barnett, 32, from Springfield, with gunshot wounds. Barnett was transported to a local hospital where he died. Barnett’s family has been notified.

Investigators with the Springfield Police Department identified the suspect as Darvin Toman, 36, from Springfield. Deputies with the Greene County Sheriff’s Office located Toman and he was arrested. The case will be presented to the Greene County Prosecutor’s Office for review and determination on the filing of charges. 

Detectives continue to investigate and ask anyone who has information about this incident to contact the Springfield Police Department at 417-864-1810 or make an anonymous call to Crime Stoppers at 417-869- TIPS (8477).

Medical resident sues Freeman

A medical resident who was injured when she slipped on a wet spot on the stairs leading to the cafeteria is suing Freeman Health for negligence.

In the lawsuit, Rebecca Centeno alleges the hazardous area was unmarked.

From the petition:

On or about April 30, 2025, Plaintiff Rebecca Centeno was a medical resident at Freeman West Central Hospital. As Plaintiff was walking down the stairs leading toward the hospital’s cafeteria and dining hall, she slipped on the unmarked wet stairs/flooring.

Plaintiff fell violently to the ground and landed on her right upper extremity, causing severe injuries to Plaintiff’s right wrist, including a carpal bone fracture.

The wet stairs and flooring constituted a dangerous and hazardous condition for anyone walking up or down the staircase located in the hospital’s common area.

Defendant provided no warning or indication of the wet stairs/flooring.

Centeno, who is represented by Charles J. Sticklen of the Sticklen & Sticklen Law Firm of Joplin, is suing for negligence and premises liability and ia asking for "fair and reasonable damages" and costs.