FATAL SHOOTING UNDER INVESTIGATION IN BUTLER COUNTY
Officials are investigating an officer involved fatal shooting involving three people in Butler County.
The incident occurred midday Thursday at a location on AA Highway near the intersection of B Highway. Butler County Sheriff Mark Dobbs says that deputies responded to the residence following a report of numerous shots being fired.
At the scene, deputies were confronted by an armed subject. The deputies engaged the subject, killing him. Two additional deceased subjects were located inside with apparent gunshot wounds.
According to Sergeant Clark Parrott with the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the victims have been identified as 76 year old Norman Morgan and 47 year old Timothy Morgan. The suspect was identified as Norman Morgan’s son, 45 year old Justin Morgan.
Multiple crews were on the scene including the Poplar Bluff Police Department, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, and the Butler County Sheriff's Department.
Dobbs says that the investigation has been turned over to the Highway Patrol Division of Drug and Crime Control. The Butler County Coroner is also assisting with the investigation.
We will continue to follow this story and bring you additional details as they come in.
LADY ROYALS CHRISTMAS CLASSIC TO BEGIN ON DECEMBER 17TH
16 women’s basketball teams will be descending on Broseley later this month for the 25th Annual Lady Royals Christmas Classic.
The tournament is scheduled to run from December 17th through the 21st at Twin Rivers High School and will feature numerous area schools including Twin Rivers, Malden, Dexter, Doniphan, Neelyville, Kennett, and more.
A bracket for the tournament will be released later today.
Today’s Talk KWOC will be live streaming video coverage of every game from the tournament on the KWOC Facebook Page and the River Radio PB Youtube page.
FOUR INJURED, TWO SERIOUSLY, IN CRASH NEAR BERNIE
Four people were injured in a two vehicle crash Wednesday near Bernie.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the crash occurred when a vehicle, driven by 74 year old Timothy Thurston, of Broseley, crossed the center line of Missouri Highway 25 and struck another vehicle head on.
Thurston and a passenger in the second vehicle each suffered serious injuries and were transported by ambulance to a Poplar Bluff hospital. The driver and another passenger in the second vehicle each received minor injuries.
FORMER SOUTHEAST MISSOURI CITY CLERK SENTENCED ON STEALING CHARGE
A former city clerk in Southeast Missouri has been sentenced on a stealing charge.
Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway tells KWOC News that Helen Frye pled guilty earlier this year to a felony charge of stealing.
A 2020 audit by Auditor Galloway determined that more than $115,000 was taken fraudulently over a four-year period from the city of Parma through payroll overpayments and improper payments and purchases.
The audit also found that the officials primarily responsible for Parma's financial matters -- Frye and former mayor Tyus Byrd -- falsified meeting minutes and financial reports to conceal the fraud. Byrd also was charged with stealing and is awaiting trial, as is former city water supervisor David L. Thatch.
Earlier this week, Frye was ordered by the New Madrid County Circuit Court to pay restitution of over $37,000 to the city and was sentenced to seven years in prison. She received a suspended execution of sentence, meaning she will serve 120 days in prison and then be placed on probation.
MARIJUANA IS NOW LEGAL IN MISSOURI, BUT YOU CAN’T BUY IT YET
As of Thursday, it’s lawful for adults to possess and use marijuana in Missouri, however that does not mean you can legally buy it just yet, or use it everywhere.
Medical marijuana has been legal in the state since 2018, but voters went a step further this November by approving a constitutional amendment legalizing recreational use. Missouri is the 21st state allowing recreational use.
The change comes with some confusion. For one thing, dispensaries cannot sell the drug for recreational use yet. People will eventually be able to grow their own, but applications to do so will not be taken until next month. And places such as schools and businesses can still prohibit the drug.
SOUNDS OF CHRISTMAS COMING UP AT THE PALACE OF PRAISE
A Christmas themed play is starting this weekend at a Poplar Bluff church.
The Palace of Praise is presenting the 13th Annual Sounds of Christmas nightly from December 11th through the 14th beginning at 7 pm each night.
Admission to the show is free, but you can also purchase tickets for a dinner theater experience on the 12th, 13th, and 14th.
Tickets for the dinner are $15 per person and can be purchased online at SoundsOfChristmas.org or at the Palace of Praise, which is located at 1400 Herschel Bess Boulevard in Poplar Bluff.
For more information, call 573-785-4232.
