Month: April 2022

A previously convicted sex offender is now facing new charges of sexual assault following an investigation in Texas County.

33-year-old Andrew Nix stands accused of two counts of statutory sodomy after a report of sexual assault of a child was given to police. An investigation on April 12th found Nix inappropriately touched a child on multiple occasion, and then paid the child not to tell anyone.

Nix has an extensive criminal history, and has been found of sex crimes in the past that list him as a registered sex offender. He most recently spent two years on parole on two separate convictions.

He is being held on the Texas County Jail on a $1 million bond.

Two men have had their trial dates set for a Greene County murder that occurred during the summer of 2019.

30-year old Dustin Winters and 23-year-old William Skaggs will have their trials begin later this year as they each face charges of murder and kidnapping.

Winters has had his court date set for September 10 of this year as he faces charges of first-degree murder and kidnapping. Skaggs faces second-degree murder charges and kidnapping and is due in court on November 29.

Winters and Skaggs were arrested in April of 2020 and are accused of killing 34-year-old Elijah McReynolds. Investigators closed in on the two suspects after a witness came forward saying they had committed the act inside of a U-Haul truck rented by Winters that had never been returned.

Authorities tracked down and arrested Winters, where an investigation found traces of McReynolds blood in the truck.

Another suspect in the case, 25-year-old Kaleigh Pickle, pleaded guilty to kidnapping charges and was sentenced five years in prison.

The Greene County Sheriff’s Office is warning farmers about a rash of thefts on area farms.

Investigators say it is important to keep livestock and equipment locked up.

They also say farmers should use video cameras, G-P-S, VIN numbers and photos that law enforcement can use to identify their stolen property.

Deputies say an area farmer exchanged gunfire with a suspect trying to steal his equipment.

The City of Lebanon and the Lebanon R-3 School District are teaming up to for a new storm shelter for the community.

The storm shelter will be built at Boswell Elementary School.

It will also serve as a library and multi-media center for students.

It will be paid for with S-E-M-A and F-E-M-A grants.

A groundbreaking ceremony is set for May 17.

Crews should finish the shelter by 2024.

The Office of Attorney General Eric Schmitt has refiled charges against three individuals involved in the Ride the Ducks accident that left 17 dead.

The widely publicized incident occurred in July of 2018, when strong weather conditions caused the boat to capsize, killing 17 people. It is one of the most deadly boating accidents in U.S. history.

Numerous charges were filed against Captain Kenneth Scott McKee and two supervisors, Curtis Lanham and Charles Baltzell, for their actions, or lack thereof, that led to the death of those on board.

However, Stone County Judge Alan Blankenship dismissed 63 state charges against the three, citing his belief that the employees didn’t know the severity of the storm or the wind.

Attorney General Eric Schmitt and his Office then refiled charges on April 7.

Storms have tracked across the Ozarks Wednesday morning and will continue into the afternoon.

The National Weather Service says while some storms may re-develop, severe weather chances will be low for the Springfield area Wednesday.

The greatest severe weather threat will be for the far eastern Ozarks into south central and southeast Missouri.

Large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes will all be possible in eastern Missouri from the bootheel up to St. Louis.

We had a severe thunderstorm warning in effect just before 7:00 a.m. Wednesday for parts of Polk, Hickory, Dallas and Camden Counties to the north of Springfield, but it was allowed to expire at 7:45 with no further warnings issued.

A Flash Flood Warning has been issued for Barry and southeastern McDonald County until 2:00 p.m. Wednesday.

The National Weather Service says flash flooding is ongoing in the Cassville, Seligman, Exeter, Washburn, Shell Knob, Butterfield, Golden and Emerald Beach areas.

Roaring River State Park, Flat Creek at Highway C, Flat Creek at Highway U and Grease at Farm Road 2290 are some areas that may experience flooding.

93-3 AM 560 KWTO will keep you up to date with the latest watches and warnings and have updates on any damage reports from severe weather.

First Lady Jill Biden will be in Missouri today.

The First Lady is scheduled to be in Knob Noster, Missouri, with Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, to visit with students and families at Whiteman Air Force Base.

She will also visit Whiteman Elementary and Knob Knoster high schools.

The Ozark Mountain Daredevils have performed in many historic venues during their 50 year run, but will now perform at country music’s most sacred stage for the very first time.

The Daredevils rose to nationwide prominence with hit songs like “Jackie Blue” and “If You Wanna Get to Heaven” in the mid 1970s.

The performance will be on May 17th of this year as a part of the bands 50th anniversary “Time Warp” tour.

The Daredevils will be one of three bands to perform that night, with each group performing a 20 minute set for the crowd.