Month: September 2023

This story courtesy of Emilee Kuschel of OzarksFirst.com-

A 28-year-old Rogersville man has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison without parole for sexually exploiting two children.

Jake Ethan Patterson pleaded guilty to two counts of the sexual exploitation of a child in December 2022. Patterson was sentenced on Sept. 8, 2023.

Patterson was discovered after Canadian authorities seized two cell phones from a Canadian citizen and discovered Snapchat conversations between the Canadian and Patterson in which Patterson shared multiple pornographic videos and photos of two children, aged about 3-5 years old.

Patterson admitted to producing the sexually explicit images and videos of the two children during an interview with authorities. He also admitted to storing other Child Sexual Assault Materials (CSAM) on his phone.

This story courtesy of Jessica Hammer and Joshua Pineda-

One person was injured after police responded to multiple shots fired calls near Turner and National Avenue.

One witness told OzarksFirst he heard 15 shots, including one that may have hit his house. Others said they saw a group of people outside their home and heard yelling.

The Springfield Police Department says shell casings were found at the intersection.

One person checked themselves into the hospital and had non-life threatening injuries after a gunshot wound to the leg.

No one is in custody but police have several subjects of interest at this time.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

Springfield Police are looking for a fugitive who rammed a Greene County deputy’s car.

Greene County deputies located a wanted fugitive on West Brower Street.

As they moved in to apprehend the fugitive, he rammed the patrol car.

The deputy was not injured.

Springfield Police later found the fugitive’s abandoned car near Division and Lexington.

Officers could not locate the fugitive.

Springfield Police are asking residents in that area to call 9-1-1 if they see anyone suspicious.

A man has been sentenced in federal court for the sexual exploitation of children.

The federal court sentenced 28-year-old Jake Patterson of Rogersville to 25 years in federal prison without parole on Friday, September 8th.

Canadian authorities found he had been sharing videos and photos of two children with a Canadian suspect.

Patterson admitted to investigators that he produced the pornographic images.

The governor has appointed a new judge to the Missouri Supreme Court.

Governor Mike Parson announced in a press conference that he has chosen Judge Kelly Broniec to replace retiring Judge George Drapper III on the Missouri Supreme Court.

Governor Parson appointed Judge Broniec to the Missouri Court of Appeals in 2020.

Before that she was an Associate Circuit Judge in Montgomery City.

This story courtesy of Joshua Pineda of OzarksFirst.com-

Small businesses in Greene County are still dealing with the economic effects of the pandemic and inflation is a major concern across the state. 

The Greene County Commission emphasizes that small businesses are the backbone of our community and starting tomorrow, businesses with up to 100 employees can apply to receive ARPA funding for a maximum award of nearly $50,000. 

“So we wanna encourage people to apply as soon as possible as soon as that portal opens up online. We do have community navigators and organizations in the community we are working with that can help with technical assistance. The application is available in multiple languages and spoken by members of our community,” said Greene County ARPA grant coordinator Lyle Foster. 

He said with $2.5 million allocated for the second round of ARPA funds, businesses have a three-week period from September 13 until October 4 to complete the application. 

Here is a list of The eligibility criteria for ARPA funding is as follows:

• The business must be located in Greene County, Missouri.
• The business must be a for-profit or family-owned business that employs 100 or fewer employees, including the owner(s).
• The business must not employ undocumented immigrant workers and must be enrolled in E-Verify if they employ W-2 employees.

• The business must have existed in Greene County, Missouri as of March 1st, 2020.
• The business must demonstrate the existence of negative impacts incurred as a result of the COVID-19 public health emergency since March 1st, 2020.
• The business is not suspended or debarred from the use of federal funds.

Businesses cannot use ARPA funds for the following expenditures:

• Paying non-business debt, such as personal credit cards for purchases not associated with the business.
• Personal expenses such as buying a new family car or making repairs to a home.
• Direct financing to political activities or paying off taxes and fines.
• Purchase of personal items.
• The purchase of drugs, tobacco, and/or alcohol.
• Food and entertainment.
• Bonuses.
• Travel not associated with direct business operations.

Foster says he wants business owners to know that Greene County supports the people and the system. 

“We don’t want there to be any barriers, so last time we had a few people who perhaps were not as proficient/efficient in technology, they actually turned in handwritten applications, we met them in their homes, the community and we got those applications back and put them into the system,” said Foster.

Businesses can find the application portal on the Greene County Commission website. 

With the U.S. Department of Transportation putting together more initiatives to combat human trafficking, MoDOT is also doing its part.

‘Put the Brakes on Human Trafficking’ was an initiative that began in 2018 to put a stop to the growing problem nationwide, but has since seen many changes and new plans.

This week, Springfield’s MoDOT chapter announced their plans to train employees this fall to become better prepared to be aware of the potential signs of a trafficking situation.

The plan is to have employees trained to a comfortable level before National Human Trafficking Awareness Month, which is in January.

A man from Republic is in the hospitalized after being hit by a propeller on Table Rock Lake.

Highway Patrol Troopers say 41-year-old Jean Herrera was riding on a wakeboard at the lake Sunday afternoon when he fell off.

He attempted to grab the rope that was pulling him along the boat when he was hit by the propeller.

The extent of Herrera’s injuries were severe enough that he was airlifted to a hospital in Springfield.

His condition at this time has not been released.

This story courtesy of Jessica Hammer of OzarksFirst.com-

A motorcyclist from Tecumseh is dead after a head-on crash with a car.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, 57-year-old Todd D. Huddleston was three miles east of Gainesville and heading east on U.S. 160 at around 3:10 p.m. on Sep. 9.

Huddleston’s bike crossed the center line and hit an oncoming Ford F-150 pickup truck.

MSHP said Huddleston was dead at the scene, and the pickup truck driver was taken to a Springfield hospital with serious injuries.

This is Troop G’s 24th fatality for 2023.