RIVER RADIO NEWS 022414
SCOTT CITY TEENAGER DIES FROM INJURIES RECEIVED IN ATV WRECK
A Scott City teenager has died from injuries he received in an ATV wreck.
According to the Highway Patrol, 17 year old Dominic Hooper was involved in an ATV wreck Friday afternoon near Scott City. Hooper was taken to an area hospital where he later died on Sunday.
MAN ARRESTED BY KENNETT POLICE ON ATTEMPTED STATUTORY SODOMY CHARGE
A man has been taken into custody by Kennett authorities on an attempted statutory sodomy charge.
According to the Daily Dunklin Democrat, 35 year old Roger Neal Howton, of Kennett, is facing a charge of second degree attempted statutory sodomy.
Howton allegedly used Facebook to meet a female juvenile and engage in a sexual act. However, the juvenile was in fact a Kennett Police Officer and Howton was arrested at the location where they agreed to meet.
KENNETT MAN CONVICTED ON FORCIBLE RAPE CHARGE
A Kennett man has been convicted on multiple charges including forcible rape.
Following a two day trial, James Jarrett was reportedly found guilty on two counts of statutory sodomy, along with a charge of forcible rape.
According to KFVS, the charges were from the sexual assaults of three children, ages 12 to 17, in 2010.
ADDITIONAL CHARGES FILED AGAINST FORMER OSCEOLA TEACHER
Additional charges have been filed against a former Osceola High School teacher who is accused of inappropriate sexual conduct with male students.
According to prosecuting attorney Scott Ellington, 28 year old Jacqueline Nicole Winberry, of Paragould, is now facing three counts of transportation of minors for prohibited sexual conduct, in addition to the original four counts of first degree sexual assault.
Winberry was arrested on January 16th following a joint investigation between the Arkansas State Police, Osceola Police Department, and the Arkansas State Police Crimes Against Children Division.
The investigation began after the Child Abuse Hotline received a report that Winberry had engaged in sexual contact with at least one male student.
HARVIELL MAN FACING DRUG CHARGE
A Harviell man is facing a drug charge following his arrest on Friday.
According to an arrest report from the Highway Patrol, 52 year old Randall A. Ball was arrested shortly after 5 pm Friday afternoon in Ripley County.
Ball is facing charges of driving while intoxicated; failure to drive on right half of roadway; and felony possession of a controlled substance, Alprazolam.
COCAINE AND DRUG TRAFFICKING ARREST MADE IN NEW MADRID COUNTY
Authorities took an Illinois man into custody Friday on multiple drug related charges.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, 46 year old Casey A. Townsend, of Springfield, Illinois, was arrested Friday afternoon in New Madrid County on felony charges of possession of a controlled substance, cocaine; possession of a controlled substance, marijuana; and second degree drug trafficking.
TRUMANN MAN SENTENCED IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ATTACK
A Trumann man has been sentenced to five years' probation after pleading guilty to attacking three students at an elementary school in Caraway, Arkansas in 2012.
The Jonesboro Sun reports that 49 year old Michael Wayne Stayton was sentenced Friday after Stayton pleaded guilty to three counts of battery. Stayton was also ordered to undergo alcohol and drug rehabilitation and to have no contact with the victims.
Stayton was arrested September 18th, 2012, after allegedly walking into a classroom at Riverside East Elementary and attacking the 8, 9, and 10 year old students because one had reportedly been "mean" to his daughter.
Stayton's attorney said Stayton considered the incident to be horseplay. Stayton said after the hearing that he "just wanted to get it over with."
TWO INJURED IN WRECK INVOLVING A FIRE TRUCK
Two people were injured Saturday in a wreck involving a fire truck.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the fire truck had its emergency lights and siren activated and was operating as an emergency vehicle when it traveled through the intersection of Missouri Highway 34 and Cape Girardeau County Road 349 and struck another vehicle.
The driver of the fire truck suffered minor injuries, while driver of the other vehicle had moderate injuries.
COPPER WIRE THEFT SUMMIT TO BE HELD AT BROSELEY NUTRITION CENTER.
Butler County Sheriff Mark Dobbs will be holding a Copper Wire Theft Summit Wednesday in Broseley.
The summit will begin at 3 pm Wednesday and will cover new technology that farmers can use to combat wire theft. The summit will be held at the Broseley Nutrition Center
EARTHQUAKE REPORTED TWO MILES FROM CARUTHERSVILLE
An earthquake was recorded Saturday morning near Caruthersville.
According to the Center for Earthquake Research and Information, a magnitude 2.5 earthquake occurred at 8:43 am Saturday, two miles south of Caruthersville.
The earthquake had a depth of just over five miles.
TWENTY-FOUR THOUSAND NEW JOBS PROJECTED IF MISSOURI EXPANDS MEDICAID
State officials are projecting that 24,000 new jobs would be created if Missouri chooses to expand its Medicaid program.
The Department of Economic Development said Friday that raising the program's eligibility to levels called for by the federal health care law would bring $9.9 billion in new wages to the state.
Governor Jay Nixon has asked lawmakers to expand the program to include adults earning up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level - a little less than $33,000 annually for a family of four. Nixon's administration estimates that 300,000 Missourians could join the program under those levels.
The Republican-led Legislature has repeatedly rejected expanding the program and argued the state couldn't afford it. But a Republican House member introduced legislation this week that would partially expand the program.
HEAVY SNOWS CAUSING MINIMAL RISK OF FLOODING IN MIDWEST
Despite the snow still covering the upper Midwest, National Weather Service experts are optimistic that spring flooding will be minimal in the nation's Heartland.
Several Midwestern branch offices of the National Weather Service released spring flood outlook reports late Thursday.
None project significant flooding on all waterways, and the risk of even minor flooding is below normal in many places.
That's a bit of a surprise considering how snowy the winter has been. Parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa still have up to 3 feet of snow on the ground.
National Weather Service hydrologist Mark Fuchs in suburban St. Louis says the snowfall has been offset by unusually low river levels and drought. He says when the snow melts, much of it is expected to soak into the parched ground.
