A man is accused of setting a fire at a Springfield apartment complex.
Springfield Police arrested 29-year-old Michael Fields on Monday.
He is charged with arson after he allegedly tried to set fire to an air conditioning unit at an apartment on September 25, after having an argument with some people who lived there and was allegedly trying to scare them.
The fire damaged the apartment’s gas meter.
Nobody was injured.
He is being held in the Greene County Jail.
The Missouri Department of Conservation agents are investigating the killing of a mountain lion in the state of Missouri.
Agents say a hunter was deer hunting when he killed the mountain lion. Last weekend was the opening of firearms deer season in Missouri.
The Conservation Department has not released any further details at this time.
A man from Springfield will spend the next three decades in prison after entering an Alford Plea in connection with multiple shootings back in 2021 that led to one death.
Prosecutors say Darius Adams entered the plea on Monday, which is not an admission of guilt, but is rather an acknowledgement that the prosecution had enough evidence to gain a conviction.
He pleaded guilty Monday to charges of first-degree murder and first-degree assault.
Investigators say Adams was charged in connection with two separate shooting incidents. The first occurred in August of 2021 along National, in which the victim was hospitalized with multiple gunshot wounds. That victim recovered and was discharged from the hospital shortly after.
The second incident occurred in December of that same year along South Fremont in Springfield. The victim in that case, 41-year-old Trevor Hale, was transported to an area hospital and later died of his injuries.
When investigators conducted a warrant of Hale’s home, they found two firearms. One of those two was tested and connected to both shootings.
Adams was sentenced after the guilty plea Monday, and given 30 year prison sentences for each charge. The sentences will be served concurrently.
The Springfield Police Department will be using a newly-received grant of over half-a-million dollars to help investigators solve gun crimes in the city.
The $700,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice was approved by the Springfield City Council on Monday.
The money from the grant will allow SPD officers to run ballistics tests using the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network, or NIBI, from right here in Springfield.
Currently, authorities must send the information to other labs for testing, which could take weeks to get results back. Now, they will have information in a matter of hours.
The money from the grant will also allow Springfield Police to hire three part-time employees to help investigate gun-related crimes, according to SPD Chief Paul Williams.
It will also allow other law enforcement agencies in southwest Missouri to use the testing equipment, allowing other local jurisdictions to investigate gun-related crimes more swiftly.
In the spirit of the holiday season, Jolly Old Saint Nick is now in Springfield.
Spokespeople with the Battlefield Mall said in a press release Monday that Santa Claus will be at the mall beginning today, November 18, until Christmas Eve for the Santa Photo Experience.
Patrons can see Santa Monday-Friday from 10:00am-8:00pm and on Sunday from 11:00am-7:00pm. Reservations are required, which you can be made here.
The Santa Photo Experience is one part of several different events taking place at the mall to help bring “Christmas Cheer” to Springfield and the Ozarks in 2024, including Breakfast with Santa on December 7, Caring Santa on December 8, and more.
One man is in the hospital, and Springfield Police are searching for a suspect after a shooting in the city over the weekend.
Investigators say the incident began with an argument at a home along North National Avenue between Webster and Scott Street in Springfield Sunday night.
When authorities arrived, they found the male victim with a gunshot wound to the face in serious condition. He was rushed to an area hospital, where reports are he is now in stable condition.
The search for a suspect is ongoing. SPD says there is no immediate threat to the public at this time.
Springfield Public Schools will cut positions across the district as part of budget cuts.
The district said in a letter to employees that they have cut $15-million dollars in expenditures from the operating budget and over the next two years, it is projected that additional reduction $15 million will have to be cut.
The district says cutting costs on supplies and maintenance will save money, but 80 percent of the operating budget is allocated for staff and benefits.
The staffing changes will start in June of 2025.