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Parson to boost Missouri National Guard response to unrest

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Gov. Mike Parson says more than 1,000 National Guard soldiers will be called up to help crack down on the violent and destructive turmoil going on around Missouri. On Saturday, the governor signed an executive order activating the National Guard to help with ongoing turbulence.

Gov. Mike Parson

Protests have sprung up in several Missouri cities since last week’s police brutality death of George Floyd, an African-American man from Minnesota. A white police officer pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for about eight minutes while the man was on the ground face down in handcuffs.

When night falls, the surroundings have become unruly in Kansas City and St. Louis. Four St. Louis police officers were injured during shootings Monday night and a retired officer there was killed by looters. News and police vehicles have been set on fire in both cities. Looters have broken into businesses and damaged property. Officers have been injured by flying objects. People in the crowd have been pepper spray and tear gas has been ignited.

During a press conference today, Parson says he’s not going to tolerate total chaos.

“We’re not going to have police officers, we’re not going to have citizens of Missouri being shot in our streets in this state and we’re going to put an end to it with whatever forces I have as governor of the state of Missouri. Whether that’s every member of the Highway Patrol, whether that’s every member of the National Guard, I will call them all out to stop the violence,” says Parson.

Brig. Gen. Levon Cumpton, the Adjutant General, says the state has more than 10,000 National Guard soldiers.

The governor, a former Polk County sheriff, says there must be law and order in America for people to survive.

“We all need to take a little more accountability,” he says. “I don’t care whether you’re an elected official, whether you’re an everyday citizen, whether you’re a mom, whether you’re a grandma or whoever you might be. You need to start standing up and protecting one another and not engage and not trying to create chaos and commit criminal activities. They’re really trying to change a cause that definitely needs to be changed. Things need to be done different in society. We need to address issues that the African-American community have, but not through violence – not through what we’re seeing out there on the streets.”

Parson thinks the behavior is organized crime that is different from the 2014 Ferguson riots.

“When all the sudden you’ve seen pallets of bricks show up or pallets of blocks that show up, you’re having a strategy where dumpsters are where you pull them out and you set them on fire, they know to try to burn police cars because it gets more of the media coverage, and their main focus is to try to get to the police stations or the law so they can disrupt the services there. So, they have a plan of how they do sweeps, they have a plan of how they attack police officers,” says Parson.

The FBI and its SWAT team, ATF and Missouri Highway Patrol are also helping on the ground in St. Louis.

Copyright © 2020 · Missourinet

Parson activates Missouri National Guard to help with unruly protesters

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Today, Gov. Mike Parson has signed an executive order declaring a State of Emergency in Missouri due to civil unrest. In a press release, he says the Missouri National Guard and the Missouri Highway Patrol stand ready to support local authorities.

This week’s death of George Floyd has ignited a flurry of protests around the country and in Missouri, including Kansas City, the St. Louis region, Springfield, and Columbia. The African-American man from Minnesota died after a white police officer used a knee to pin Floyd’s neck to the ground for about eight minutes. The officer has been charged with third-degree murder.

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic death of George Floyd. We are also saddened by the acts of violence that have transpired across our nation and state in response to this event. At this time, we are taking a proactive approach to protect Missouri and its people,” Parson says.

In Kansas City, some protesters have been arrested and police have used pepper spray on some individuals. On Twitter, the Kansas City Police Department confirmed officers are using tear gas to keep people off of streets.

In the St. Louis region today, protesters lined the streets in Clayton, University City, and in Ferguson. Some demonstrators blocked traffic on Interstate 70.

“Violence and destruction are not the answers,” says Parson. “I support those who are calling for justice and peace. However, a small element has seized on these peaceful demonstrations to commit violent acts that endanger the lives of citizens and bring destruction to our communities. This violence not only threatens public safety and destroys economic opportunity; it drowns out the voices of the peaceful demonstrators calling for justice and working to improve our nation.”

The order calls the Adjutant General of the State of Missouri, or his designee, to call and order into active service National Guard soldiers as he deems necessary to aid officials on the ground.

Copyright © 2020 · Missourinet

Schools closed for the rest of year: Gov. Parson’s daily COVID-19 briefing, April 9, 2020 (VIDEO)

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In Gov. Parson’s daily COVID-19 briefing on April 9, he announced schools are ordered closed to the end of the academic year.
Parson’s order:
We are ordering all Missouri public and charter schools to remain closed through the remainder of the academic year with the exceptions of nutrition services and child care that are outlined in our recent health order.

This recommendation was made by working together with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and several school superintendents from across the state — from both urban and rural districts.

In the April 9 briefing, Missouri Highway Patrol Superintendent Kelly Olsen outlines traffic issues related to COVID-19 response, 40 percent fewer on highways but cases of extreme speeding.

Schools should continue remote learning for their students until the end date previously set on their academic calendars.

Parson also featured state highway enforcement efforts challenged by speeding and drivers hitting MoDOT vehicles, even though there are are 40 percent fewer drivers on the road. Parson and DHSS Director Randall Williams answered more questions about testing data.

 

 

WATCH FULL PRESS CONFERENCE:

Reward offered in Melissa Peskey I-70 murder after nine months and no arrests

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The family and friends of a woman killed on I-70 nine months ago are offering a $10,000 reward for tips that lead to an arrest.

The Missouri Highway Patrol is still trying to find the murderer of Iowa native Melissa Peskey, who was shot and killed was killed on I-70 near mile marker 96 near Boonville, Missouri. Her two children, 5 and 11 years old, were found alive in the backseat of her crashed Ford Flex. She was on her way to visit a friend in South Carolina and was on the phone with her sister when she was shot from outside her car.

Dateline NBC featured the details of the case, for which there have been no arrests so far.

The Missouri Highway Patrol posted on Facebook: “If you have information on this case & haven’t spoken up, now is the time.
MSHP (573) 751-1000”

Highway Patrol urges drivers to stay safe on the roads in cold weather (AUDIO)

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State Highway Patrol officials are warning drivers the dangers of driving in the frigid, cold weather during the winter months. They suggest what you can do to stay safe when you hit the road.

Lieutenant John Hotz with the Missouri Highway Patrol says it seems like after the first couple of snow falls we have each year, it might become easy for drivers to forget to adjust their driving habits.

 He says a lot of people will go out and drive and forget that the roads might become slick. “We have to reduce the speed in which we travel. We also have to increase the distance between us and the vehicle that’s in front of us,” he says. “Just in case that vehicle slows down or loses control.”

Hotz suggests if it’s not absolutely imperative for people to have to drive in poor, snowy weather conditions, he urges those to stay indoors.

 “It goes back to the preparation. If you are going to have to go drive in that bad weather, just be prepared for delays; be prepared to take increased time to get to your destination, and slow down to a speed that’s appropriate,” he says. “And make sure that you’re following the car in front of you at a safe distance.”

Another thing he stresses to drivers is to make sure they have their headlights on anytime the wipers are. Hotz says not only will that help the driver, but it also helps other vehicles see you on the road.

 

AUDIO: Mary Farucci reports. (1:01)

Trooper who died during 2011 flood honored at Missouri Capital (AUDIO)

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The House has issued a resolution honoring the Highway Patrol trooper who died last year in the flood of 2011. Trooper Fred Guthrie, Junior and his dog, Reed, were apparently swept away by  flood water while surveying a flooded section of Highway 111 in Holt County, August 1.

Teresa (left) and Amber Guthrie receive the resolution from Representative Nick Marshall on the House Floor. Picture courtesy, Missouri House Communications.

The Resolution was presented to Guthrie’s wife Teresa and his daughter Amber, who received two standing ovations from the House.

Representative Nick Marshall (R-Platte City) presented the resolution, saying Guthrie’s 17-year career was full of examples of his willingness to serve. “On June 22, 2007 during which a severe storm arose on Smithville Lake, he acted heroically in saving people on that lake. He also received the Missouri Department of Public Safety Employee of the Month in June 2007 and November 2007 as well as the Missouri State Employee of the Month in December 2007. He received the northwest Missouri Law Enforcement Award for Valor in 2007 and the Missouri Medal of Valor that same year.”

AUDIO:  Hear the presentation of the resolution to Teresa and Amber Guthrie, 3:54

The House Transportation Committee has also held a hearing on a bill that would name a section of I-29 in Platte County for Trooper Guthrie.  Superintendent of the Highway Patrol, Colonel Ron Replogle, told the Committee, “Certainly Trooper Guthrie was every sense of that definition a hero in his service and protection for this state.”

AUDIO:  Colonel Ron Replogle talks to the Committee about Trooper Fred Guthrie, Jr, 7:00