A man has been sentenced to 20 years for trafficking heroin.
A news release from the Department of Justice says 40-year-old Larry Hayward of Springfield has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison without parole.
According to evidence introduced in court, Hayward and his wife were leaders of an organization that distributed heroin in Springfield from November 2016 to October 2018.
One person is dead after being hit by a tractor-trailer while he was sitting by a road in Springfield.
Investigators say 51-year-old Todd Tennison was hit by the trailer along Kansas Expressway September 29.
He died of his injuries at an area hospital on Sunday, October 1.
The driver of the tractor-trailer fled the scene of the crash and has not yet been located.
If you have any information about the crash or the location of the tractor-trailer, contact SPD at (417) 864-1810
A man from Springfield will spend two decades in prison after pleading guilty to sexual exploitation of a minor.
Investigators say Jeffrey Saltkill contacted an 11-year-old girl from Minnesota in January of 2022, and maintained contact with her through February of that same year.
During the investigation, the FBI gained control of the girl’s phone and continued conversations with him to gain further evidence.
Saltkill was arrested on February 15, 2022.
According to the FBI, he had requested nude pictures of the girl after she had told Saltkill she was 12.
He admitted to the crime in a plea agreement in which he was found guilty of sexual exploitation of children.
Saltkill was sentenced to 20 years in prison, and will become a registered sex offender once he’s released.
Karl Mason of Lebanon has been sentenced to 9 years in prison for promoting child pornography.
On March 6th of 2023, officers from the Lake Area Cyber Crimes Task Force and the Lebanon Police Department served a search warrant at his residence, and found a cell phone with over 300 pornographic images and videos. Mason admitted to using this cell phone for this purpose.
The prosecution dismissed 8 counts against Mason, and Mason entered an open plea to the one remaining count of promoting child pornography on August 7th, 2023.
A woman has been sentenced to 30 years after admitting to providing her ex-boyfriend with a lethal dose of Fentanyl.
Jessica McCammon gave Dan Meyers the Fentanyl, and attempted to destroy evidence by dumping his body in a Chevy truck and setting fire to the truck.
Cell phone video evidence captures the taking of the drugs, and McCammon entered a gulity plea on September 29th.
Meyer’s skeletal remains were found by deputies in Pleasant Hope.
McCammon admitted to giving Meyers the drugs because of past abuse.
Investigators in Springfield say two children who went missing are now home safe.
Zaden Abrams disappeared from the area of West Division near Campbell the night of September 30.
The nine-year-old was last seen riding his bicycle in the area.
14-year-old Tanika Sales was last seen in the area of Huckleberry and Eastland, where she left her home and left a note that she was running away.
Both Abrams and Sales were later found safe and returned home. Police say they do not believe the disappearances were not connected.
An inmate from the Phelps County Jail is back in custody after escaping over the weekend.
Officers say Jonathan O’Dell and another inmate escaped from the prison late Friday night.
The other suspect turned himself in shortly after, but O’Dell stole a truck and fled the area.
A statewide search was conducted for the truck. It was found in Ray County, where authorities were led on a high-speed chase.
O’Dell was eventually arrested west of Kansas City. He is facing weapon’s charges after making threats to shoot illegal immigrants and threats to shoot Border Patrol employees if they tried to stop him.
He is back in police custody. The truck that O’Dell stole has also been recovered.
A man from Lake Ozark has died in a motorcycle crash on State Route Y.
Corey A. Alley, 35, was Southbound on State Route Y when he went off the right side of the road and hit a tree.
Alley is believed to have crashed on the 27th of September, but was not found until the 28th.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Two Springfield children have been found safe after being reported missing.
Tanika Sales, 14, and Zaden Abrams, 9, have been located.
Springfield Police do not believe that the two dispearances are related.
Sales had left a runaway note, and illuded to suicidal ideation.
Abrams had last been seen riding a bicycle on W. Division street.