Month: August 2024

A man serving a life sentence for killing a Dent County couple has died in prison.

The Missouri Department of Corrections says 72-year-old Gary Stevens died Wednesday afternoon of natural causes at the Potosi Correctional Center.

Stevens pleaded guilty to killing Dennis and Mary Lewis with a .22 caliber rifle in March of 2011.

Governor Mike Parson is making it known his displeasure with Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft after he refused to sign an executive order that would prevent the sale of unregulated cannabis products.

Governor Parson had put forth the order, saying it was written to protect Missouri children from the “harmful” products.

In a release Thursday, the governor said, “Without question, our office and hundreds of thousands of parents and grandparents across the state view the matter of protecting Missouri children as an emergency in need of immediate action. By refusing to grant emergency rules to ban the sale of unregulated psychoactive cannabis products, especially to children, Secretary Ashcroft is choosing personal vendetta and unregulated, dangerous products over the health and safety of Missouri kids.”

State officials say since 2018, the number of hospitalizations for cannabis poisoning among Missouri children has risen 600 percent.

The executive order was set to take effect on September 1, but must now go through the ATC rulemaking process, which could delay it another six to eight months.

A man entered a guilty plea in fatal wrong-way drunk driving crash in January 2023.

Court documents say Steve Jordan of Republic pleaded guilty to six D-W-I related charges.

Springfield Police say Jordan was driving the wrong way on James River Freeway when he struck an S-U-V killing three people.

Jordan confessed to being drunk at the time of the crash.

His blood alcohol content was well above the legal limit.

Jordan will be sentenced in November.

A man from Ozark is dead following a motorcycle crash north of Branson.

Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers say the crash happened Tuesday night along Highway 65 eight miles north of Branson.

According to the report, 56-year-old James Turk was driving northbound on the highway when he crossed into the median, causing the motorcycle to flip, go across the southbound side of the highway, and hit a guardrail.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Turk’s death is the 66th fatality for MSHP Troop D in 2024.

Dent County Sheriff’s Office says they are looking for a man who was involved in a vehicle pursuit.

Dent County Deputies are currently looking for Garrett Wood in the area around Highway “W” and East Highway 32.

He led them on a pursuit before fleeing on foot. He is described as having brown hair, hazel eyes, and wearing a hot pink t-shirt.

Deputies are warning residents to lock their homes and vehicles and if they see anything suspicious to contact them.