Police: Suspect test drives sports bikes and doesn’t return

NEOSHO, Mo. – Neosho police are looking for a suspect who allegedly test drives sports bikes and never returns.

Authorities allege 21-year-old Dregon W. Charlton of stealing numerous sports bikes in recent weeks. The Neosho Police Department says he meets with a seller of the bike and asks to test drive it. He takes the bike and never returns.

If you have information about Charlton, police ask that you call Detective Cook at the Neosho Police Department at 417-451-8012. The Police Department states all information will be kept confidential.

>> Read more crime-related articles here

>> CAPTURED: 2nd Barry County escapee caught in Springfield, Missouri

>> More arrests expected in Independence hit and run investigation

Prepare with KOAM: Resources and more for severe weather

Severe weather comes all year long. To help you stay safe, here are several resources for the 4-States area. Weather officials suggest everyone be aware and be prepared for storm systems ahead of time. Make a plan and know what to do when the time comes.

CLOSINGS

  • KOAM Closings
  • Submit Closings
    • To sign up to submit closings:
      • Call KOAM at 417-624-0233 or 620-231-0400 OR email frontdesk@koamnewsnow.com
        • A front desk clerk can walk you through requirements and help you sign up Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
    • Each year, it’s recommended that you test your closings login before winter weather hits. This way, you can call KOAM to help solve any issues.
    • After hours: If you have not signed up to be a part of the closing system, you can post your closing to our Facebook page’s community post section.

WATCH FOR UPDATES/LATEST WEATHER

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4-State Area Social Media Accounts to Watch

Several law enforcement agencies in the 4-State area will post updates during severe weather on their social media pages.

You can also find updates from Department of Transportation agencies on social media.

Suspect wanted in Joplin bank robbery, $3500 reward

JOPLIN, Mo. – Authorities are looking for a suspect caught on surveillance robbing a Joplin bank with a weapon.

Today, July 19, 2021, around 12:58 p.m., a 911 caller reported an armed robbery at Great Southern Bank. It’s located at 1232 S. Rangeline Road.

The Joplin Police Department learned that the suspect entered the bank and demanded money while displaying a weapon. A reporting party said the suspect then fled the bank with an undisclosed amount of cash.

No employees were physically harmed.

Joplin Police Department detectives and FBI agents were still investigating the scene as of 2:45 p.m.

Authorities released surveillance images of the suspect and the vehicle he fled the scene in.

Police are asking that if you know the identity of the suspect or have any information regarding this incident, to contact the Joplin Police Department at 417-623-3131.

Additionally, Great Southern Bank is offering a reward of $3,500 for information relating to the identity, arrest, and conviction of the suspect in this case.

Joplin man accidentally wins $50,000 on scratch-off ticket

JOPLIN, Mo. – Joplin resident Bryan Burton is counting his lucky stars after a mix-up net him $50,000.

When Burton went into the Casey’s General Store on Main St. in Joplin, he was after the Missouri Lottery’s “$100,000 Cash.” However, the clerk accidentally gave him the “Millionaire Money” Scratchers game.

“I asked for game 313, and she gave me game 294 instead,” he said.

That ticket he got by mistake led to a $50,000 win for Burton. Burton exclaimed he was overcome with excitement and immediately called his wife to let her know the good news.

Missouri Senate votes down funding for Medicaid expansion

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) – The Missouri Senate has voted against paying for Medicaid expansion. Senators on Wednesday voted 20-14 against a proposal to add the funding to the state budget.

The vote locks in the House’s decision not to pay for Medicaid expansion. Missouri voters last year voted to expand who is eligible for government health care coverage to thousands more low-income adults. But the Republican-led Legislature has long opposed growing the program. Now they’re trying to thwart expansion by blocking funding for it.

If lawmakers send the governor a budget without paying for the program, it likely will set up a court battle.

MO House committee endorses proposed gasoline tax increase

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Missouri House committee unanimously endorsed a proposal to increase the state’s gasoline tax.

The House Transportation Committee’s vote on Monday sends the measure to the full House, where some Republicans oppose raising taxes. If it’s approved, Missouri’s gasoline tax would increase 12.5 cents over five years, resulting in a tax of 29.5 cents per gallon. It would be the first increase since 1996.

House Speaker Rob Vescovo, a Republican from Arnold, has previously said he’s against tax hikes. The Senate approved the measure in March. Supporters say the state needs the revenue to repair deteriorating infrastructure.

Nevada man wanted after stolen vehicle pursuit ends in fire

VERNON COUNTY, Mo. – Authorities search for a Nevada resident suspected of leading a police chase in a stolen vehicle.

On Wednesday, April 7, 2021, the Vernon County Sheriff’s Office got warrants for Joshua Hallam, 38, for resisting arrest and driving while revoked.

On March 1, 2021, law enforcement took a report of a stolen two-tone Chevy Suburban out of Nevada. Deputies later saw the vehicle and tried to make a traffic stop.

“They spotted the vehicle leaving a gas station in Nevada and when they attempted to stop it, it ran from deputies,” said Mosher.

According to the press release, deputies pursued the vehicle into the county southeast of Nevada. Additional units responded to assist. They followed the suspect down Veterans road southeast of Nevada until it came to a dead-end.

Authorities say the vehicle then continued to drive through a field and into the woods where it hit a tree and caught on fire. Hallam then fled on foot from deputies, but due to the vehicle fire, deputies stayed behind.

Authorities are now searching for Hallam and ask that anyone with information regarding his whereabouts contact the Sheriff’s Office at 417-667-6042.

 

GOP Missouri Attorney General Schmitt running for US Senate

 

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt on Wednesday announced he’s making a bid to replace Roy Blunt in the Senate, setting up a Republican primary against disgraced former Gov. Eric Greitens.

Schmitt is a strong contender with a record of winning statewide elections and who is backed by Missouri mega-donor Rex Sinquefield. In a written release, Schmitt pushed his conservative credentials and railed against “the radical left.”

 

Blunt’s March 8 decision not to run for another term opened the floodgates for ambitious Republicans interested in succeeding him. But the GOP field is narrowing. Early favorite Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft bowed out, as did Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe.

Political scientists have speculated that Republicans are trying to unify around a single candidate to avoid a potentially damaging primary. Greitens’ candidacy complicates that.

Greitens, who has been laying the groundwork for a comeback for months if not years, is a polarizing figure unpopular with the state’s Republican establishment.

The former Navy SEAL officer was once seen as a rising star in Republican politics, possibly even a future presidential candidate.

Those aspirations seemed to vanish in 2018 when his extramarital affair was exposed. A felony charge accused him of taking a compromising photo of the woman as potential blackmail if she spoke of their encounters.

Greitens then faced a second criminal charge accusing him of using a donor list from his charity for his political campaign.

Greitens, who is now divorced but was married at the time, admitted to the affair but denied wrongdoing in both cases. Still, he resigned in June 2018 and the criminal cases were dismissed.

He maintains a core of support that could be enough to win a primary, but political observers have said the scandals that pushed him out of the governor’s mansion could thwart Republicans’ chances of keeping the U.S. Senate seat.

Schmitt in his announcement alluded to the threat of Republicans losing the Senate seat if Greitens wins the GOP nomination, saying Missouri needs “a leader who can hold this Senate seat in firm Republican hands without giving Democrats any chance to take this seat back.”

“In my public service, I have never quit fighting for Missouri and our conservative values,” Schmitt said. “Missourians deserve a life-long conservative who they know will never quit fighting for them.”

Voters first elected Schmitt to the state Senate in 2008 to represent a suburban St. Louis district. He was elected state treasurer in 2016, then took over as the state attorney general after Josh Hawley vacated the seat to join the U.S. Senate in 2019.

He won another term as attorney general in 2020.