Criminal Justice
Three men plead guilty to plotting a white supremacist attack on power grid
Three men pleaded guilty to federal terrorism charges after admitting plans to attack the power grid “in furtherance of white supremacist ideology,” according to documents unsealed Wednesday. Christopher Brenner Cook, 20, of Columbus, Ohio; Jonathan Allen Frost, 24, of West Lafayette, Indiana, and of Katy, Texas; and Jackson Matthew Sawall, 22, of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, each pleaded […]
Claim that reporter hacked state website was debunked. Parson still says he’s a criminal
For four months, Gov. Mike Parson tried to convince Missourians that a reporter who discovered a security flaw in a state website was a hacker who deserved criminal prosecution. His argument crashed headlong into reality on Monday, when the 158-page investigative file produced by the Missouri State Highway Patrol and Cole County prosecutor was finally […]
Prosecutor: No ‘criminal intent’ by reporter Missouri governor accused of hacking
There was no evidence of any criminal intent by a St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter who was targeted by the governor after finding a security flaw in a state website, Cole County Prosecutor Locke Thompson said in an interview Monday. If any crime was committed, Thompson said, it was in the “fringes” of an overly-broad state […]
U.S. House hearing on extremism toward minorities turns into ‘defund the police’ debate
WASHINGTON — Leaders of faith organizations and Historically Black Colleges and Universities told members of a U.S. House panel on Thursday how their institutions and places of worship have been roiled by bomb threats and extremism. They talked about the recent waves of bomb threats aimed at HBCUs, a terrifying hostage-taking at a Texas synagogue […]
U.S. DOJ sues Missouri over law blocking enforcement of federal gun regulations
A controversial Missouri gun law that penalizes police for enforcing federal gun laws is facing a new legal challenge from the U.S. Justice Department. On Wednesday, the department filed suit to prevent Missouri from enforcing its Second Amendment Preservation Act (SAPA), a law that allows citizens to file suit for up to $50,000 if they […]
U.S. House panel debates record number of guns found at airport checkpoints
WASHINGTON — U.S. House members wrestled Tuesday with how to address a spike in travelers trying to bring firearms through airport screening points in carry-on bags. During 2021, Transportation Security Administration officers detected 5,972 firearms at checkpoints, 86 percent of which were loaded. That number was up from the previous record of 4,432 discovered in 2019. The […]
Missouri lawmaker admits illegally selling prescription drugs, says it was unintentional
A Missouri lawmaker facing a 23-count federal indictment for allegedly selling fake stem-cell treatments and fraudulently using federal pandemic relief funds has settled with the state health department, resulting in a three-year probation of her narcotics license while admitting to illegally purchasing and prescribing pharmaceutical drugs. The administrative settlement, signed Jan. 28 with the Missouri […]
Prosecutor isn’t pressing charges against reporter who found flaw in state website
A St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter targeted by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson for uncovering a security flaw in a state-run website won’t face criminal charges. The decision comes after the governor spent months publicly labeling the reporter a “hacker” for discovering the flaw and notifying the state about it. Parson asked the state highway patrol to […]
Criticism of Missouri medical marijuana system seeps into initiative petition debate
A handful of Republican lawmakers lashed out at the state’s medical marijuana industry Thursday, lobbing accusations of corruption into a Missouri House debate over whether to make it harder to amend the state’s Constitution. On a mostly party-line 98-53 vote, the Missouri House signed off on legislation Thursday that would require a two-thirds vote of […]
HBCU leaders decry waves of bomb threats as federal investigators probe origin
WASHINGTON — Hours before the Southern Poverty Law Center held a virtual panel Tuesday about recent bomb threats made to dozens of historically Black colleges, yet another bomb threat was reported — this one to Spelman College in Georgia. “This was a racist attack that aims to not only disrupt the start of Black History […]
Cities ask Missouri Supreme Court to strike down law targeting federal gun regulations
A lawyer representing St. Louis told the Missouri Supreme Court on Monday that a state law that forbids the enforcement of federal gun regulations was unconstitutional and an “unintelligible statute” that has confused law enforcement. Robert Dierker, deputy St. Louis city counselor, took issue before the state’s highest court with the Second Amendment Preservation Act, also called SAPA. […]
How a Kansas traffic stop led to a federal lawsuit over $1.2M in seized marijuana profits
ABILENE, Kansas — The dashboard camera video shows eastbound Interstate 70 traffic whizzing past Dickinson County sheriff’s deputy Kalen Robison’s patrol car, which is parked crosswise in the median about three miles west of Abilene. Robison suddenly pulls out into the left lane, accelerates rapidly and within a couple of miles pulls behind a white […]