Month: June 2022

As police continue to investigate, more information is being discovered in an apparent murder-suicide at a home in Aurora.

Officers with the Aurora-Marionville Police Department were called to a home on Oak Drive in Aurora Tuesday morning after a neighbor had called 911.

The neighbor told 911 operators that a man had told him to call police.

When authorities arrived, they found 74-year-old John Proudfoot and 67-year-old Lowona Kay Proudfoot both dead of apparent gunshot wounds.

Reports say that as officers began investigating, they concluded that the 74-year-old Proudfoot had shot and killed his wife before killing himself.

Investigators say they will continue to analyze evidence and release additional information at a later date.

A man from Springfield is one of six men arrested in Clay County for child exploitation.

Authorities say Robert Koester of Springfield backed a car into a deputy, causing minor injuries, and hit several patrol cars before being detained.

Koester is charged with enticement of a child, first degree assault on a law enforcement officer, armed criminal action, resisting arrest, and drug possession.

The six men were caught in a sting operation run by the Clay County Sheriff’s office and the Department of Homeland Security.

Springfield City Council has approved a new sales tax for the area where developers will build a new Buc-ee’s convenience store in Springfield.

The Cottle Range District is a little over 36 acres off I-44 on Mulroy Road. The five-eighths cent community improvement district sales tax pays for roadway improvements and running electric and utility lines.

The sales tax goes for 20 years or until the reimbursable cost is covered. More than nine million dollars in public improvements are needed for the project, which includes a 53-thousand square foot travel center with 100 gas pumps.

In a statement from the Barry County Sheriff’s Office, the second inmate in the escape at the Barry County Jail has been arrested, this time locally.

After Christopher Blevins was arrested in Wyoming on June 7th, authorities say they have captured Matthew Crawford on Monday.

Details of the arrest are limited, but police did confirm Crawford was arrested in Springfield hiding in a shed at the 2000 block of West Elm Arcade Street near South Broadway. He was in jail on theft charges prior to the escape.

The search is being conducted by the Barry County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from U.S. Marshals.

Lance Stephens remains as the only escapee still on the run from police.

Potential jurors were in correct today for questions from the judge in the case against a State Representative in Southwest Missouri.

Christian County State Representative Dr. Patricia Derges is facing a 23-count federal indictment for allegedly illegally prescribing drugs and for misleading customers on stem cell treatments.

Derges have been indicted on:

• Ten counts of distributing Oxycodone and Adderall over the internet without valid prescriptions.
• Eight counts of wire fraud related to five specific victims.
• Three counts of COVID-19 fraud.
• Two counts of making false statements to federal agents investigating the case.

Judge Brian Wimes interviewed potential jurors on Monday and pushed opening statements in the case to Tuesday.

Springfield City Council is expected to vote Monday night on a sales tax for the new Buc-ee’s Travel Center in East Springfield.

The five-eighths cent sales tax is part of the community improvement district plan for the project.

The money will pay for roadway improvements and extending electric and water lines.

The sales tax will last for 20 years, or until the reimbursable cost is covered.

The stifling heat is expected to be with us in the Ozarks all week.

The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory until eight tonight. Heat index readings as high as 109 are expected.

Hot temperatures and high humidity can cause heat illnesses to occur. Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Take extra precaution if you work or spend time outside. When possible, reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Wear lightweight or loose fitting clothing when possible.

For more information on heat safety, visit https://www.weather.gov/grb/heat.

On June 12, 2022, at 12:45 a.m., officers with the Springfield Police Department responded to the area of West Bypass and Chestnut Expressway in reference to a two-vehicle crash.

The initial investigation indicates a white, 2000 Chevrolet Silverado driven by Ronica Tollison, 37, from Willard, and occupied by Britany Toothman, 34, from Willard, was traveling eastbound on Chestnut and turned northbound onto West Bypass when a black, 2009 Ford F350 driven by Nick Maples, 22, from Clever, was traveling westbound on Chestnut Expressway at a high rate of speed. The vehicles collided in the intersection.

Tollison and Toothman died of their injuries on scene, and next of kin has been notified.  

Maples, the driver of the Ford, displayed indications of impairment and was arrested on scene. No other vehicles were involved and nothing else was damaged in this crash. 

The investigation is ongoing as to the circumstances involved in the crash. This was the eighth fatal motor vehicle crash in Springfield in 2022.  

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