Criminal Justice
KC-area member of Proud Boys pleads guilty to felony in Jan. 6 case
A Blue Springs resident and member of the far-right extremist Proud Boys on Wednesday pleaded guilty to obstructing police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump attempting to overturn his electoral defeat. Louis Enrique Colon, 45, pleaded guilty to civil disorder. Colon is a […]
KC police investigating whether officers violated law by allowing Greitens ride-along
The Kansas City Police Department is conducting a criminal investigation of the Friday ride-along by former Gov. Eric Greitens as a possible violation of a 1940s law enacted to root out political corruption linked to notorious political boss Tom Pendergast. All the department’s records surrounding the ride-along are closed because they are now part of […]
Missouri Supreme Court lets St. Louis, Jackson County challenge controversial gun law
The Missouri Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that St. Louis and Jackson County may challenge the constitutionality of a law passed last year barring Missouri police from enforcing federal gun regulations. In a 6-1 decision, Missouri’s highest court sent a case about the Second Amendment Preservation Act back to Cole County Circuit Court. That’s where […]
Missouri Supreme Court reaffirms ruling on 2015 law capping revenue from court fines
Following the 2014 uprising in Ferguson, the U.S. Department of Justice found that city’s police department and municipal court had intentionally worked together to increase revenue through fines and traffic tickets. Responding to public outcry, Missouri legislators passed a law limiting the amount of revenue St. Louis County municipalities can collect from court fines to […]
Attorney calls Eric Greitens subpoenas ‘a fishing expedition’ during Boone County hearing
A Boone County judge will rule soon, perhaps by this week, whether former Gov. Eric Greitens will get access to his ex-wife Sheena Greitens’ telephone records as he attempts to prove his political enemies are behind explosive allegations of spousal and child abuse. Associate Circuit Judge Leslie Schneider said at the end of a hearing […]
Biden issues first pardons and sentencing commutations of his presidency
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Tuesday granted clemency to nearly 80 individuals charged with nonviolent crimes and unveiled an administration strategy to help formerly incarcerated people secure employment. Of that list, three were pardons and 75 were commutations, which is a reduction in an individual’s prison sentence. They were the first pardons and commutations […]
Federal attempts to legalize marijuana flail, even as public support grows
Across the country, attitudes toward cannabis are becoming more permissive and accepting, but partisan gridlock in Congress virtually ensures that legislation to decriminalize marijuana will languish and die in the U.S. Senate. Earlier this month, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act (MORE) by a narrow 220-204 margin. The […]
St. Louis mayor vowed to transform public safety. Her first year saw progress, pushback
A year ago, a movement of organizers hoping to curb police violence and transform public safety claimed a major victory – helping Tishaura Jones get elected mayor of St. Louis. In her first week, she signed an executive order to close loopholes in the civilian oversight process of police misconduct investigations and redirected $4 million […]
‘We are at a standstill’: Columbia residents fed up with little action on gun violence
Bryant Wilks was a bright and driven 17 year old in Columbia. Already a manager at Dairy Queen, he was on track to graduate high school early and attend college to study business. But he became one of 14 people killed in the central Missouri college town in 2020, a record year for homicides. For […]
Time running short for dueling Missouri marijuana legalization efforts
With the end of the legislative session only weeks away, and organizers of an initiative petition campaign sounding the alarm about an even more pressing deadline, dueling efforts to legalize marijuana in Missouri face uncertain fates. In the legislature, GOP state Rep. Ron Hicks is sponsoring a bill to legalize possession and use of marijuana for […]
DOJ rule cracks down untraceable firearms known as ‘ghost guns’
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden Monday unveiled the Department of Justice’s plan to regulate untraceable firearms known as ghost guns, as well as announced his nominee to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The Department of Justice’s final rule bans the business of manufacturing ghost guns, such as “buy build shoot” kits that […]
Kim Gardner unlikely to lose law license over claims stemming from Eric Greitens probe
St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner will likely face a reprimand, but not lose her license to practice law, as a result of alleged misconduct during the investigation of former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens. In an agreement between Gardner and the Chief Disciplinary Counsel Alan Pratzel unveiled Monday during a hearing in St. Louis County, […]