Crime / Courts Archives

$1.2 billion supplemental budget heading to Missouri Senate floor on Tuesday

November 30, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

The Missouri Senate is expected to vote on the proposed $1.27 billion supplemental budget Tuesday in Jefferson City.

Missouri House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, speaks at the Capitol in Jefferson City on May 7, 2020, as Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Dan Hegeman, R-Cosby, (right) listens (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The Senate Appropriations Committee will hold a Tuesday afternoon hearing at 1 in the Senate chamber, and committee chairman Dan Hegeman, R-Cosby, will outline the bills at that time.

The full Senate will convene Tuesday at 4 p.m. Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, tells Missourinet the plan is for the Senate to vote on the supplemental on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Missouri House approved the supplemental budget earlier this month, on a bipartisan 133-4 vote.

The money will provide additional resources to respond to COVID. The supplemental budget includes funding for school nutrition programs, job training grants, and it also includes $1 million for witness protection funding.

State Rep. Peter Merideth, D-St. Louis, is urging the Senate to add funding for daycares across the state, warning that many of them are suffering financially.

If the Senate approves the budget as is, it would go straight to the governor’s desk. If any changes are made, the budget would go to a conference committee.

Ameren Missouri warning about scammers threatening to disconnect your service

November 30, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

A St. Louis-based utility that serves 64 of Missouri’s 114 counties is warning residents about increasing utility scams, where scammers are posing as Ameren employees and threatening to disconnect your service if you don’t pay them.

Ameren Missouri corporate security supervisor Maria Gomez urges you to be vigilant. She says the best way to combat scams is to understand the tactics that criminals use to trick customers into providing personal information.

“They (scammers) call from a masked number which means the number on your caller ID will look like it’s from Ameren customer service, but it’s not so people will pick it up,” Gomez says.

Ameren serves the St. Louis metropolitan area and almost all of mid-Missouri, northeast Missouri and southeast Missouri. They have 1.2 million electric customers and another 130,000 natural gas customers.

Ms. Gomez is also emphasizing not to trust anyone who calls you, requesting or demanding immediate payment.

Gomez says scammers are using fake case numbers and fake truck identification numbers.

“They (scammers) have also copied our outgoing voice message, so you’ll probably hear something that sounds like an Ameren voice message. Or it could be the same one,” says Gomez.

She says other scammers are calling residents, saying they’ve overpaid on their Ameren bill. The callers request your personal bank information for your “refund.”

Gomez urges you to hang up and to contact Ameren Missouri if you have any questions. That phone number is 1-800-552-7583.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s interview with Ameren Missouri corporate security supervisor Maria Gomez, which was recorded on November 23, 2020:

Missouri Supreme Court issues key ruling involving juvenile murderer

November 24, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

A Missouri prisoner who was 16 when she killed a man during a meth transaction in western Missouri’s Cass County will remain in prison for now, under a key ruling Tuesday from the Missouri Supreme Court.

Convicted killer Jessica Hicklin is currently incarcerated at the Potosi Correctional Center in Mineral Point (June 2020 file photo courtesy of the Missouri Department of Corrections)

The inmate, 41-year-old Jessica Hicklin, was sentenced in April 1997 to mandatory life without parole. Hicklin is incarcerated at the maximum-security Potosi Correctional Center in southeast Missouri’s Mineral Point.

Prosecutors say Hicklin was 16 when Sean Smith was shot and killed.

Hicklin began challenging her sentence after the U.S. Supreme Court held in 2012 that juveniles cannot be given mandatory sentences of life without parole.

In Tuesday’s 20-page unanimous decision, the Missouri Supreme Court rejected Hicklin’s claim that the Missouri statute giving her parole eligibility after 25 years is unconstitutional.

In its ruling, the state court notes U.S. Supreme Court precedent gives states two options for fixing mandatory juvenile life-without-parole sentences for juveniles already sentenced: either resentence them or give them meaningful opportunity for release after considering certain circumstances, including their youth.

Missouri Department of Corrections (DOC) spokeswoman Karen Pojmann tells Missourinet that Hicklin’s parole hearing is tentatively set for July 2021. The murder happened in 1995, and Hicklin entered state prison in April 1997 but received credit for time served in the county jail.

Hicklin also contended that the authority of Missouri’s Probation and Parole Board violates the state’s separation of powers. The Missouri Supreme Court rejected that.

Tuesday’s decision was written by Missouri Supreme Court Judge Laura Denvir Stith. You can read the full 20-page ruling here.

Virtual town hall tonight about COVID-19 within Missouri prisons

November 24, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

The Missouri State Conference of the NAACP, American Civil Liberties Union and several other organizations are hosting a virtual town hall this evening at 7 p.m. to talk about COVID-19 outbreaks within Missouri’s prisons. Families of those impacted by COVID inside Missouri prisons will have the opportunity to speak directly to some state leaders.

Virtual town hall tonight about COVID-19 within Missouri prisons

Panelists include Dr. Randall Williams, Missouri Department of Health and Human Services, Tim Cutt, Missouri Corrections Officer Association, Dr. Cheryl Avant, Health Chair NAACP, Amy Breihan, Co-Director MacArthur Justice Center, Ingrid Burnett, MO Democrat Caucus, Wiley Price, the Black Caucus, and others.

Missouri Department of Corrections spokesperson Karen Pojmann tells Missourinet 758 prisoners and 254 employees currently have COVID-19. Twenty-seven inmates and four workers have died from the virus.

To register for the town hall, click here. You can also watch it live on the Jefferson City NAACP Facebook page.

UPDATE: Missouri’s Hawley praises bipartisan movement on duck boat legislation

November 18, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

After being stuck in committee on Capitol Hill for 19 months, bipartisan duck boat legislation from U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) is expected to be voted on Wednesday morning by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

It’s the first bill the committee is scheduled to take up Wednesday, and it comes a little more than a month after Senator Hawley told Missourinet that he was prepared to go straight to the Senate floor, if there wasn’t movement on the bill.

Missouri State Highway Patrol crews assist the U.S. Coast Guard during the duck boat recovery efforts on July 23, 2018 (file photo courtesy of the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Twitter page)

The other new development is that Hawley’s bill now has a powerful Democratic co-sponsor, U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois). Senator Duckworth serves on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and is the ranking Democrat on its subcommittee on transportation and safety.

Hawley and Duckworth also serve together on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Missouri Senator Roy Blunt (R) and U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) are the other co-sponsors.

“For decades now, Congress has failed to take action to help stop these tragedies from happening again,” Hawley says. “The (2018) disaster on Table Rock Lake was sadly not an isolated incident. My colleagues on both sides of the aisle share my concerns and have come together to implement basic safety standards in every state in which these rides are available.”

17 people were killed in the 2018 duck boat tragedy on southwest Missouri’s Table Rock Lake.

Senator Hawley’s legislation would require the U.S. Coast Guard to implement recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), including requiring duck boats to remove canopies. The bill would require amphibious passenger vessels to be equipped to stay afloat, in the event of flooding. It also requires new reporting efforts.

During an October 2 interview with Missourinet, a frustrated Hawley said that the time had come for him to go to the U.S. Senate floor and try to pass the duck boat legislation himself. He had planned to seek what’s known as unanimous consent.

That won’t be necessary, now that the Commerce Committee has scheduled a vote.

The duck boat legislation was one of the first filed by Senator Hawley, after he was sworn-in in 2019. It’s very similar to the bill filed by Hawley’s predecessor, former U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D). Her bill was also stuck in committee.

17 of the 31 people aboard the boat called Stretch Duck 7 died, after a storm with 70-mile-per-hour winds came through Table Rock Lake. The NTSB says the Coast Guard’s failure to require sufficient design of amphibious vessels contributed to the boat’s sinking.

Missouri Supreme Court hears arguments in key case involving 2018 labor bill

November 17, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

The Missouri Supreme Court heard remote oral arguments on Monday afternoon in a key case involving public-sector employee labor laws.

The Supreme Court heard 36 minutes of arguments in a complicated case that involves a 2018 Missouri bill, that was sponsored by State Rep. Jered Taylor, R-Nixa. Republicans describe that bill, House Bill 1413, as paycheck protection, while Democrats view it as anti-labor.

In January, St. Louis County Circuit Judge Joseph Walsh III declared the bill “void in its entirety,” and prevented any of its provisions from being enforced. The state appealed.

Solicitor General D. John Sauer says the trial court erred several times, and emphasizes that no provision of the bill violates public employees’ rights to bargain collectively.

“There’s unrefuted, unrebutted evidence in the summary judgment record in this case that the plaintiffs submitted no evidence at all to refute that directly addresses how the various provisions of House Bill 1413 do protect in advance employees’ ability to select representatives of their own choosing,” Sauer tells the court.

You can read the full 146-page brief submitted by Solicitor General Sauer here.

Seven labor unions that represent public sector employees in Missouri disagree with Mr. Sauer, and are asking the state Supreme Court to affirm Judge Walsh’s decision. Those unions include the Missouri National Education Association, Ferguson-Florissant National Education Association and the Laborers’ International Union of North America, Local Union Number 42.

National Education Association attorney Jason Walta, who represented the plaintiffs at the Missouri Supreme Court, says the 2018 bill dramatically curtails public-sector collective bargaining.

“I think that the trial court wrote a very thoughful and excellent decision in this matter. He (Judge Walsh) considered the issues very carefully, and I think that it’s a decision that’s worthy of this court’s affirmance,” Walta tells the Supreme Court.

Counselor Walta says the bill infringes on the rights of employees to bargain collectively. You can read the full 103-page brief submitted by Counselor Walta here.

Because of COVID concerns, Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice George Draper III was the only judge in the Jefferson City courtroom on Monday. The other six Supreme Court judges participated remotely, as did Counselors Sauer and Walta. Capitol reporters listened to the arguments remotely.

There is no timeframe on when the Supreme Court will issue a decision.

Governor Parson adds COVID liability to Missouri’s special session call; Quade says it will worsen crisis

November 12, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s governor expanded his special session call on Thursday to include COVID-19 liability, relating to his declared state of emergency for health care providers, manufacturers, businesses, churches, schools and others.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson announces he’s expanding his special session call to include COVID liability, during a November 12, 2020 press conference in Jefferson City (photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

The issue is a top priority for Missouri’s largest business organization and for GOP legislative leaders, but some labor unions and the House Democratic leader see it differently.

Governor Mike Parson (R) made his announcement at a Statehouse press conference in Jefferson City.

“None of these groups (health care providers, businesses, churches, schools) should be penalized for their efforts to respond to a declared state of emergency,” Parson tells Capitol reporters. “They must be able to continue operating and serving the public without risk of unnecessary and senseless claims.”

The governor is calling on the Legislature to approve a bill with three main components.

“Liability protection for health care workers who provide care as necessitated by a declared state of emergency,” says Parson. “Products liability protection for any person who designs, manufactures, labels, sells, distributes or donates products in direct response to a declared state of emergency.”

The third component is premises liability protection for exposure claims, relating to a declared state of emergency.

Governor Parson also wants lawmakers to approve an emergency clause.

The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry has been urging the governor to expand the special session, saying six of Missouri’s eight bordering states have approved similar legislation. Chamber President Dan Mehan tells Missourinet that more than 800 Missouri employers, mostly small businesses, signed a letter requesting a special session. That includes a skate park and a pizzeria.

Mehan describes COVID-19 liability protection as an important step towards re-opening the economy.

You can read the governor’s special session call here. House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, told Missourinet this week he expects the House to be in session in December to work on COVID liability.

The top Democratic in the Missouri House is blasting the governor’s announcement, saying it encourages reckless behavior.

“Over and over, Governor Parson has stressed the need for personal responsibility in fighting COVID-19. But for businesses that negligently put their employees and customers at risk, he doesn’t want them to have to take any responsibility at all,” House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, says, in a written statement. “While providing protections for businesses that follow the rules and take the necessary steps to keep people safe might be warranted, a blanket exemption that also shields bad actors from legal liability will encourage reckless behavior and make a crisis that already has spun out of control far worse.”

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is also critical. SEIU Healthcare Missouri Kansas vice president Lenny Jones says the governor’s proposal would grant immunity to operators and owners of nursing homes and medical centers, during the COVID pandemic.

Haahr anticipates addition of COVID liability to Missouri’s special session (AUDIO)

November 11, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s House Speaker anticipates that the governor will expand his special session call to include COVID-19 liability.

Missouri House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, presides over the House on November 10, 2020 in Jefferson City (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, made his comments to Missourinet, during a Tuesday afternoon interview in his Capitol office in Jefferson City. He expects the Missouri House to be in session in December to work on COVID liability.

“We’ve been in long talks with the (Capitol’s) second floor (the governor’s office) on that for several weeks now and those talks have gotten pretty serious, and I think we’re at a place where we’re comfortable moving forward,” Speaker Haahr says.

The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry is also urging the governor to include COVID liability in his special session call, saying January is too long to wait to shield businesses, schools and hospitals that follow public health guidelines from COVID suits.

Chamber President Dan Mehan describes COVID-19 liability protection as an important step towards re-opening the economy.

“There’s a lot of employers out there that are a little bit concerned about opening for fear of being sued on frivolous grounds for COVID, by customers, by employees, that sort of thing,” says Mehan.

Mehan says more than 800 Missouri employers, mostly small businesses, have signed a letter requesting it. He says that includes a skate park and a pizzeria.

Mehan also says many of Missouri’s neighboring states have passed similar legislation.

“We’ve seen six of the eight contiguous states, the border states, adopt something in this light. Most recently Iowa signed it into law,” Mehan says.

As for Governor Parson, he supports the COVID-19 liability proposal and has publicly stated at several Capitol press conferences that he would include it during the special session, if there’s a path for it to pass.

House Majority Floor Leader Rob Vescovo, R-Arnold, who will be Speaker in January, has also written a letter to the governor, asking him to expand the special session call.

“Right now there are numerous small businesses afraid to open because of the threat of litigation tied to COVID-19,” Leader Vescovo writes. “Additionally, many of our hospitals and health care professionals are asking us to help them to better be able to do their jobs by passing commonsense COVID-19 liability protections.”

Speaker Haahr tells Missourinet that many businesses across the state have reached out, adding that lawmakers are working to keep the language tight.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Dan Mehan, which was recorded on November 6, 2020:

Missouri’s Parson and Galloway to focus on their base in final day of gubernatorial campaign

November 1, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s two main gubernatorial candidates have busy schedules on Monday, one day before election day.

Governor Mike Parson (R) spoke Saturday at a rally in St. Peters with former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. That’s in St. Charles County, which has been a Republican stronghold. It’s an area Republicans need to do well on Tuesday.

The governor campaigns Monday in Jefferson City, St. Joseph, Kirksville, Palmyra, Cape Girardeau and Cassville, continuing his focus on rural towns. U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt (R) will join Parson at the Cassville event, in southwest Missouri.

Ann Dorn, the widow of slain St. Louis Police Captain David Dorn, will join Parson on Monday’s tour, along with former gubernatorial candidate John Brunner and the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association’s Mike Deering.

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Nicole Galloway, the state auditor, attended two church services Sunday in St. Louis. She also met with Democrats in St. Louis City and St. Louis County, two jurisdictions that are crucial to Democratic success in statewide races.

Galloway will begin Monday in Columbia, where she will attend a literature drop launch with area Democrats. She also speaks at the Missouri Democratic Party’s election eve rally Monday evening in Kansas City. It will feature all of the party’s statewide candidates: Alissia Canady, Yinka Faleti, Rich Finneran and Vicki Englund.

Galloway continues to focus on hospital closings, noting ten rural Missouri hospitals have closed since 2014.

Parson is focusing on rural values and experience.

Polls will be open Tuesday statewide from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m. The Secretary of State’s office says a combined total of 723,058 mail-in and absentee ballots have already been returned to Missouri election authorities. Most of those are absentee ballots.

Missouri prisons have had seven COVID-19 associated deaths

October 22, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

COVID-19 has claimed the lives of five state prisoners and two state prison workers. Missouri Department of Corrections spokeswoman Karen Pojmann says six of the deaths have happened since September. The other one happened in April.

Missouri prisons have had seven COVID-19 associated deaths

Pojmann says in all of the offender cases, the patients were older than 60 and had other serious medical conditions.

“Autopsies aren’t being performed on people who have tested positive for COVID, so we aren’t certain about the precise cause of death, but deaths that occur after a positive COVID test are classified as COVID-related deaths,” she tells Missourinet.

The department is not releasing information about which prisons the inmates and workers are from. Missouri has 22 prisons.

Data on the agency’s website shows a total of more than 1,300 inmates and workers are currently infected with the virus.