Maryville Archives - Missourinet

Flash flood watch in effect for parts of northern Missouri; severe storms also possible (AUDIO)

October 1, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Pleasant Hill has issued a flash flood watch for parts of north-central and northwest Missouri, through Wednesday.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Pleasant Hill says isolated tornadoes and 60-mile per hour winds are possible today across far northwest Missouri (October 1, 2019 map courtesy of NWS Twitter page)

NWS meteorologist Chris Bowman says communities in the watch area have already been inundated with rainfall.

“Some of the cities would be St. Joseph, Maryville, Bethany and up to Atchison County, Missouri,” Bowman says.

The NWS says towns like Tarkio and Fairfax could receive three to four inches of additional rainfall, by Thursday. Northern Missouri communities like Bethany, Princeton and Unionville received four to six inches of rain this weekend.

The state Department of Transportation’s (MoDOT) traveler map shows 58 roads are currently closed due to flooding, primarily in northwest Missouri.

Mr. Bowman tells Missourinet this weather pattern is not typical for October.

“We’ve got a lot of moisture streaming northward. You can just walk outside and right away feel that it’s humid,” says Bowman.

The NWS in Pleasant Hill also says severe storms are possible Tuesday afternoon and evening in far northwest Missouri, with 60 mile per-hour wind gusts possible and an isolated tornado risk. Hail up to one inch is also possible.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with National Weather Service (NWS) Pleasant Hill meteorologist Chris Bowman, which was recorded on October 1, 2019:

Suspect in alleged assault case in Maryville pleads guilty to misdemeanor

January 9, 2014 By Mike Lear

The suspect in a case of alleged sexual assault that has garnered international attention has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of child endangerment.

The Kansas City Star reports 19-year-old Matthew Barnett of Maryville was sentenced to 120 days in jail but the execution of that sentence was suspended and he was put on two years of probation. He was also ordered to verbally apologize to his then-14-year-old victim, Daisy Coleman.

Coleman alleged that Barnett sexually assaulted her at a house party in January 2012. Barnett’s plea means he admits to leaving her barefoot and unconscious on the front lawn of her home in freezing temperatures the morning after the party, but it does not address allegations of sexual assault.

The prosecutor appointed in the case, Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney Jean Peters Baker, said there was not enough evidence to prosecute a sexual assault charge. She was appointed after a Star article generated interest in the case that Coleman’s mother said was dropped by the Nodaway County Prosecutor, Robert Rice, due to political favoritism. Rice said the case was dropped due to lack of cooperation by Coleman and her mother.

Peters-Baker says Coleman and her mother were “very cooperative.”

Daisy Coleman was hospitalized earlier this week after ingesting several pills. Her family says she took those pills in response to online harassment related to the case.

Special prosecutor named in controversial northwest Missouri case

October 21, 2013 By Mike Lear

A judge has designated a special prosecutor to investigate an alleged sex crime in northwest Missouri.

Jackson County prosecutor Jean Peters Baker has been selected to handle the case in which a 14-year-old girl says she and a 13-year-old friend were raped in 2012 by then-members of the Maryville High School Football team. Felony charges against the alleged attackers were later dropped.

The case has gained national and international attention since an article detailing developments to date appeared in the Kansas City Star earlier this month. Nodaway County Prosecutor Robert Rice was criticized by some who said the charges were dropped due to political pressure. One of the accused boys is the grandson of a once-prominent politician.

Amid that scrutiny, the Rice asked last week that a special prosecutor be named to look into the case. He also denies that his decision to drop the charges was politically motivated.

Nodaway County prosecutor requests special prosecutor amid international scrutiny

October 16, 2013 By Mike Lear

The county prosecutor at the center of controversy in a sexual assault case in northwest Missouri has asked for a special prosecutor to look into it. Nodaway County Prosecutor Robert Rice says he has asked a judge to appoint a special prosecutor who can decide whether charges will be filed in the case.

Rice says he made the request after witnesses in the case said they would cooperate with the prosecution. He had earlier said they would not.

National and international attention has been on Rice since an article Sunday in the Kansas City Star detailed the alleged sexual assault of two girls, ages 14 and 13, in Nodaway County on January 8, 2012.

The accused attackers were then members of the Maryville High School football team, one of them the grandson of a once-prominent Nodaway County politician. That boy was originally arrested and charged in connection with the incident.

Barnett dismissed the charges in the case claiming a lack of evidence and additional information brought to his attention about the incident. He denies political influence played a role in his decision to dismiss those charges.