Springfield man, several animals die in house fire

(From the Springfield Fire Department)

An investigation is underway into a house fire that resulted in the death of a 52-year-old Springfield man. Michael A. Kessler was pronounced dead at the scene of the fire which was reported around 9 Tuesday night on the 1600 block of North Golden Ave. Another woman sustained minor injuries.

The investigation remains open at this time, but preliminary findings indicate the cause of the fire was accidental. Fire marshals believe both occupants were awake when the fire broke out in the bedroom. The female occupant was able to escape. She was transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Kessler stayed behind in an effort to save several animals and did not make it out of the home. His escape may have been impeded by the fact that there was only one usable exit from the home.

There were no working smoke alarms and no residential fire sprinkler system in the home. Several animals also died in the fire.

Highway Patrol DWI Arrests August 23-24

The Missouri Highway Patrol arrested the following people for driving while intoxicated:

David K. Butler-Herring, 41, Aurora
Jerred W. Robertson, 27, Southwest City
Gregory G. Wiley, 27, Shell Knob

Greitens campaign kickoff tour to hit Springfield Thursday

(From the Greitens for Governor campaign)

We're hitting the road this weekend to launch our general election campaign. Eric will be discussing his plan to take Missouri in a new direction and exposing Chris Koster as the big-spending liberal career politician he is.


THURSDAY, AUGUST 25TH, 2016
5:30 PM – Springfield
Campaign Office
2740 South Glenstone Avenue Suite 202, Springfield, 65804
RSVP to Springfield

7:00 PM – Branson
Campaign Office
100 Pat Nash Drive, Branson, 65616
RSVP to Branson

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26TH, 2016
9:00 AM – Joplin
Campaign Office
2640 32nd Street, Joplin, 64804
RSVP to Joplin

12:00 PM – Lee’s Summit
Campaign Office
706 SE 3rd Street, Lee’s Summit, 64063
RSVP to Lee's Summit

2:00 PM – St. Joseph
Campaign Office
702 Felix Street, Saint Joseph, 64501
RSVP to St. Joseph

5:30 PM – Kirksville
Campaign Office
212 North Franklin Street, Kirksville, 63501
RSVP to Kirksville

SATURDAY, AUGUST 27TH, 2016
9:00 AM – Crestwood
Campaign Office
9815 Watson Road, Suite 409, St. Louis, 65804
RSVP to Crestwood

10:15 AM – St. Charles
Campaign Office
2301 Elm Street, St. Charles, 63301
RSVP to St. Charles

12:45 PM – Columbia
Campaign Office
913 East Ash Street, Columbia, 65201
RSVP to Columbia

3:15 PM – Rolla
Campaign Office
406 North Main Street, Rolla, 65401
RSVP to Rolla

7:00 PM – Cape Girardeau
Campaign Office
1606 North Kingshighway, Cape Girardeau, 63701
RSVP to Cape Girardeau

Ozark man who advertised for dependents sentenced to one year in prison

(From the U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri)

An Ozark, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for filing a false income tax return after he advertised on Craigslist to purchase identity information for children that he could claim as dependents as part of a larger tax fraud scheme.

 Raheem L. McClain, 37, of Ozark, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to one year and one day in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered McClain to pay $23,883 in restitution ($22,378 to the Internal Revenue Service and $1,505 to the Missouri Department of Revenue).

 On April 6, 2016, McClain pleaded guilty to a scheme to defraud the IRS by preparing and submitting false tax returns on behalf of himself and his girlfriend (who is not identified in court documents) between Jan. 28, 2012, and Feb. 4, 2016. McClain prepared and submitted false federal tax returns for the years 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 claiming dependents to which he was not entitled to claim. McClain also prepared and submitted false federal tax returns for his girlfriend for the years 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 claiming dependents to which she was not entitled to claim.

 For tax returns filed for the calendar years 2011, 2012 and 2013 McClain admitted that he used the personal information for three dependents from a female he met on an on-line dating website to falsely claim these children as dependents and to falsely claim refunds for himself and his girlfriend. For a tax return filed for the calendar year 2014, McClain falsely listed his grandmother as a dependent on his girlfriend’s tax return.

 McClain also admitted that he caused an advertisement to be posted on Craigslist on Jan. 16, 2015, stating:

 “WANTED: KIDS TO CLAIM ON INCOME TAXES - $750 (SPRINGFIELD,

MO)

IF YOU HAVE SOME KIDS YOU ARENT CLAIMING, I WILL PAY YOU A

$750 EACH TO CLAIM THEM ON MY INCOME TAX. IF INTERESTED,

REPLY TO THIS AD.”

 On Feb. 3, 2015, McClain caused a false federal tax return to be electronically signed and filed in his name for 2014, which listed three dependents by name, Social Security number and supposed relationship (two sons and one daughter). He obtained the personal information for these dependents from a woman who responded to his Craigslist advertisement.

 On Feb. 4, 2015, McClain caused two false federal tax returns to be filed through the mail in his name for 2012 and 2013. Each of the returns listed the same three dependents; however, on these two returns the same individuals were listed as one son and two daughters. The woman who responded to the advertisement did not authorize McClain to use the dependent information on his 2012 tax return.

 On Feb. 4, 2016, McClain caused a false federal tax return to be electronically signed and filed in the name of his girlfriend for 2015, which listed the same three dependents but claimed them as one nephew and two nieces. The woman who sold the dependent information was unaware that McClain used the dependents on his girlfriend’s 2015 tax return.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Mohlhenrich. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Missouri Department of Revenue.

Bolivar man sentenced to 30 years for sexual exploitation of a child, child porn

(From the U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri)

A Bolivar, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for the sexual exploitation of a minor and for receiving and distributing child pornography.

Monte D. Gann, 54, of Boliver, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 30 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Gann to serve 10 years of supervised release following incarceration.

On March 8, 2016, Gann pleaded guilty to the sexual exploitation of a minor and to receiving and distributing child pornography.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received two cybertips from Tumblr in September 2015. Tumblr had discovered 13 images and one video file that contained possible child pornography, which were uploaded from Gann’s computer. Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Gann’s residence on Dec. 16, 2015.

Gann told officers that he had been looking at child pornography for several years, and that he used the Internet to search for and view child pornography. Gann also admitted to using the websites Omegle, Kik and Skype to contact male children to exchange pornographic pictures. Gann engaged in chat sessions and live streaming video sessions via webcams with multiple minors (as young as nine years old) on multiple occasions.

According to court documents, Gann also used the Internet to meet multiple male children for hands on sexual contact during the past year. He not only engaged in sexual contact with these victims, but also traded sexually explicit images and videos with the child victims. More than 400 images and eight videos of child pornography were located on Gann’s cell phone; the youngest child was five years old.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crime Task Force, the Polk County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Bolivar, Mo., Police Department and the FBI.

Prosecutor: Springfield Schools protected child molesting coach

Former Parkview High School basketball coach Ronnie White's punishment for molesting his team manager for two years may be limited to 120 days in a sex offender treatment program, but White's crimes may have extended beyond what he pleaded guilty to in Greene County Circuit Court.

During White's sentencing Monday, Greene County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Nathan Chapman said there had been numerous complaints about White over a period of years, including another one that took place during the time White was molesting the team manager.

From the Springfield News-Leader account:

Chapman said school records showed that in 1993 — the final year White was abusing the woman who recently came forward to police — a different girl complained that White was behaving inappropriately. Chapman said school administrators made the girl take a polygraph test.

Other complaints of inappropriate behavior by White were made in 2002, 2007 and 2008, Chapman said.

A Springfield Public Schools spokeswoman said the district would not release those complaints or acknowledge that they exist.

The spokeswoman told the newspaper she would have to speak with Superintendent John Jungmann before she could say anything else.

No prison time for Parkview coach who had sex with 14-year-old girl

Ozark man killed crashing into tree

An Ozark man was killed in a one-vehicle accident 9:30 a.m. Monday three-tenths of a mile east of Rogersville on U. S. 60.

According to the Highway Patrol report, a 2010 Chevrolet 2500 van driven by Tanner M. Jessen, 21, Ozark, drove off the right side of the road, struck a tree and overturned.

Jessen was pronounced dead at the scene by Deputy Webster County Coroner Bobby Jernigan at 11:07 a.m. The fatality was the 76th for Highway Patrol Troop D this year.

No prison time for former Parkview coach who had sex with 14-year-old girl

The price teachers have to pay for having sex with 14-year-old students is not too steep and apparently will  not involve jail time.

Greene County Circuit Court Judge Calvin R. Holden today sentenced former Parkview High School Coach Ronnie White to participate in a four-month treatment program for sexual offenders.

If White, who coached at Parkview from 1986 to 1995, makes it through that without any problems, he is home free- no prison time. If he does not receive a passing grade, he will spend seven years behind bars.

White, 69, pleaded guilty in May to a count of deviate sexual assault after admitting to having sex in a back room at the gymnasium with the manager on his basketball team for two years, when she was 14 and 15 years old. Originally, White was charged with three counts.

The assaults took place around 25 years ago when White was in his mid-40s.

The charge against White was detailed in the probable cause affidavit from Detective Chelsea Taylor:

The Springfield Police Department had received the report from an outside agency regarding an adult female who wanted to report sexual abuse that occurred when she was a student at Parkview High School in 1995.

In the report, K. L. Zaimis documented that R. C. disclosed that when she was approximately 14 years old her gym teacher had sexually assaulted her. R. C. identified the teacher as Ron White. R. C. stated that White was the basketball coach for Parkview and she would assist the team by being a team manager.

R. C. told Zaimis that White would coerce her into letting him perform sexual acts on her approximately one time a week for two years.R. C. told Zaimis that she was not sure of any of the exact dates or how many times the acts occurred total.

R. C. told Zaimis that White started out by kissing her, which later led to him fondling her and progressed into "worse acts" each time. R. C. told Zaimis that on several occasions White digitally penetrated her and on several other occasions he would put his penis in her mouth. R. C. recalled that 

White could never get an erection on any of the occasions where he assaulted her and therefore never had "full intercourse' with her.

R. C. went on to tell Zaimis of an incident that occurred on a snow day. White went to R. C.'s house  and took her into the bathroom, removed her clothes and attempted to have sex with her. R. C. stated White could not get an erection, so he fondled her for a while and then left.

R. C. told Zaimis of another occasion where another teacher R. C. only knew as Coach Crawford walked into the gym and saw R. C. standing on a chair with White's head between her legs.R. C. stated Crawford left promptly and did not say or report anything. R. C. stated she saw Crawford one time after that and he refused to speak to her.

I contacted R. C. via telephone in order to clarify details of the original report. R. C. advised that these incidents occurred while she was a freshman and sophomore at Parkview High School, which was determined to be her 1993-93 and 1993-94 school years.

As I spoke to R. C. further, she advised that when White digitally penetrated her it would be in her vagina.

I spoke to R. C. further about the incident that occurred in her residence. R. C. advised that she lived at (address omitted) in Springfield at that time. I went on to ask her what she meant by White fondling her and and she stated that he had touched her breasts with his hands on bare skin, kissed her and digitally penetrated her vagina without her wearing any clothing.

Next, I spoke to R. C. about the incident nivolving Coach Crawford. R. C. advised that during that incident White was performing oral sex on her.

On 2-26-2015, a pre-textual telephone call was made between R. C. and White. The pre-textual telephone call was completed by an outside agency. Upon receiving a copy of the recorded conversations between R. C. and White, I obtained the following information.

During the first conversation with R. C. and White, a male voice identified himself as being White. R. C. identified herself to White and told him the reason she was calling him was because she wanted to speak to him about things that had happened between them in high school, which White replied, "Uh huh."

R. C. told White that she was sure he remembered when he would touch her, kiss her and "things like that." 

White stated, "As you know...I hope you know, I'm very apologetic about it. I did the wrong thing. I think we both did the wrong thing and I'm sorry for all I have done."

R. C. told White she looked up to him. R. C. went on to say that she felt like White did things that were inappropriate. R. C. told White she needed him to apologize for attempting to have sex with her and all the times he had taken her into the back room and touched her.

R. C. told White she did not understand why White felt his actions were okay. White told R. C. "It was just a mistake." White went on to say that he had a weak moment and he guessed he could not control himself. R. C. asked White if he remembered those times and White responded, "I'm very sorry."

Next, R. C. questioned White about the time when Coach Crawford saw. White told R. C., "I just remember times. I don't remember exactly everything, no." R. C. told White that she remembered being the manager of the basketball team and that she would be filming practice and White would put his genitals on her shoulder or they would go into the back room. White asked R. C. why they were discussing things like that on the phone. It should be noted that later, in a different telephone conversation, R. C. and White speak further about Coach Crawford.

As White and R. C. continued to talk further, R. C. told White that the thing she had the hardest time getting over was when he had come over to her house. White asked R. C. if he could meet her somewhere so they could talk in person. R. C. told White she felt uncomfortable meeting him in person and that she was not trying to start up a friendship or continue a relationship with White.

White told R. C. that he was unable to talk at that time and requested she call him back in the morning, which R. C. agreed.

A short time later, White called R. C. back on her cell phone. As White and R. C. continued to talk, White told R.C., "We both remember what all happened back then...it just kind of bothered me that you were being so specific about everything." White then told R. C. that it kind of scared him.

White went on to say, "We all do things in life that we wish we hadn't done. Obviously, I feel that way. I have felt terrible, too, ever since the day we talked, when you came to me that one day and wanted to talk."

R. C. asked White what it was about her that he liked so much and why he picked her. White told R. C., "To be honest with you, I really don't know. I just reacted that day to you and I did something goofy and I just didn't know what to expect and I guess when you didn't say anything about it why I assumed maybe we could get to know each other better and like I said it was totally a screwup. That's all it was." It should be noted that White began laughing after he made that statement.

White went on to tell R. C., "The more we went, the more we enjoyed what we were doing, I guess. That's it. That's kind of all it was to me. I made a mistake. R. C. reiterated to White that she was only 14 or 15 years old and he was almost old enough to be her parent. 

R. C. questioned White by asking him why he would go to her house to try and have sex with her, why he put his penis in her mouth, or why things did not change after Coach Crawford caught them. White asked R. C. why she was asking these questions and did not deny any of the actions.

White and R. C. continued to speak further when R. C. told White that she never got his perspective on things because it was something they never really talked about. 

White stated, "I think it was simply a reaction and a terrible one on my part." White went on to say, "I guess we both made mistakes and I just (chuckling) I really messed up, ya know."

|White went on to tell R. C., "I'm glad we didn't have intercourse, or any kind of sex." White went on to tell R. C. that they had gotten "wrapped up in each other" that whole year. R. C. told White the only reason they didn't have sexual intercourse was because he couldn't get an erection.

R. C. told White that she was not trying to be rude, but then stated, "Let's be honest, you wanted to. You tried more than once."

White told R. C., "Well, I agree. I had a problem with that (chuckling). I had a problem with it for quite some time. That's probably why things happened like they did. I don't know."

R. C. then told White that she wanted to speak to him further about the incident involving Crawford. R. C. told White that she trusted Crawford, too, and asked White if he had ever talked to him about what he saw. White told R. C. that he left the room after he was there and went back into the office.White went on to say that he didn't know what to say to Crawford, but that Crawford told White, "just let it go, Ron," and that "I (Crawford) didn't see a thing." Crawford then told White that he wasn't going to talk about it any more.

As the conversation continued, White went on to tell R. C., "I'm just so sorry for what happened and like I said I just thank God that we didn't mess up all the way and were able to..." White told R. C., "You say it was 'cause of an erection...I just couldn't bring myself to do it. That's just what it was."

R. C. asked White, "You just couldn't bring yourself to do it?"

White replied, "I just couldn't bring myself to go that far. I wasn't going to do it, no matter what."

White went on to tell R. C. that he hoped she did not think he was "that kind of person either," and stated, "That's the one and only and I'm just ashamed ot if to tell you the truth and not ashamed  of you. I'm just ashamed of what I did, you know of what we did." White then told R. C., "There is nothing wrong with you. You did everything you were supposed to and then...and more (chuckles) I'm just so sorry it went to the point it did. I'm just thankful we didn't go all the way with it."

R. C. then asked White what "us" meant to him. She asked him if it was a relationship for him because to her she looked at him like a mentor and it became something that she didn't understand.

White stated, "I know, I know, I know...umm." R. C. then asked if she was a girlfriend. White stated, "I guess you would call it like a fling. I don't know."

R. C. stated, " A fling!"

White replied, "A fling  You know, where we...I just thought the world of you and I enjoyed you and I liked being around ya and knowing all the time, R. C., knowing all the time that we couldn't do anything because..."

R. C. asked, "Because why?" and he stated, "because I thought, well, I have got a family and I just thought ya know that we couldn't make it. It wasn't something that could develop into anything. It couldn't be lifelong and I guess, I guess that's why I'm saying fling."

On 3-24-2015, Robert Crawford arrived at the Springfield Police Department to speak to me about this incident. During our conversation, I advised him that I knew he knew there was a relationship between R. C. and White, which Crawford did not deny. I told Crawford that what he knew had probably weighed on him for a long time and he responded, "Um, huh."

I told Crawford that I wanted to make the situation right for R. C. and he said, "OK, here's what I remember. This is the only thing that I could tell you that would say that they had a relationship." Crawford went on say that it was before practice. He began to look for White because he had a question. There was "kind of an office off of the lobby at Parkview." Crawford believed White had gone back into the office to look at film."

Crawford stated, "This is what I remember.Crawford went on say that he went back, opened the door, the tape was on and it was dark.Crawford stated that he saw "maybe grabbing at their pants or something."

Crawford then made a "beeline" and went back out of the office. White came out afterwards and said something to Crawford that Crawford did not exactly remember, but Crawford told White that he "was washing my hands of it."

Crawford believed White had told him he didn't want him to say anything. Crawford stated that he thought what he did "the very next day" was that he wrote down what he saw and took it to a counselor. Crawford stated he had written down in a note because to him it was "kind of serious." Crawford was unsure of what happened to the information after he provided the note to the counselor.

I clarified with Crawford what he meant when he stated he had seen them "grabbing" their pants. Crawford stated he thought he seen them pull them up or down. I asked Crawford if he had seen both of them grabbing at their pants. Crawford went on to say that it happened a long time ago. Crawford stated that when he saw "that" he was unsure if White was "scuffling" to get his pants up or if it was R. C., but he had seen enough to know that it "wasn't right." Crawford went on to state that he did not see them actually engaging in anything and that he didn't know if they were "starting to maybe," or "just getting done."

Prior to concluding my interview with Crawford, I spoke to him about the area where he observed R. C. and White together. Crawford stated the distance between, him, White, and R. C. was approximately the length of the Springfield Police Department's interview room, which is approximately eight to 10 feet wide.

Complete video of tonight's Springfield City Council meeting

Oral history, one-room school reunion, Lifestyle Days on tap in Springfield

(From University of Missouri Extension)

Learn how to collect an oral history and see a demonstration with a former one-room school attendee starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17 inside Liberty School at the Gray-Campbell Farmstead, located inside Nathanael Greene Park, 2400 S. Scenic Ave., Springfield, Mo.

The "Collecting Oral Histories" program has a $10 fee to cover the cost of materials. However, the first 25 people to pre-register will receive a Gray-Campbell Farmstead t-shirt. The interview portion of the program - with a former one-room school attendee - begins close to 10 a.m.

Participants will learn how to organize and record a professional oral history project for family members or individuals with a shared experience according to instructor David Burton, civic communication specialist with University of Missouri Extension.

Materials on how to set up and plan and oral history as well as the MU Extension publication, "A History of Me," will be used in the class followed by the demonstration.

"This program is open to anyone interested in putting together a collection of oral histories. This could include oral histories in your immediate family or among people with a common experience or background: fellow club members, fellow church members, residents of a nursing home," said Burton. "Really, any person with a love of history or anyone who works with older audiences should be interested in this class."

To register for the oral history program, visit the Greene County Extension office or contact them at 417-881-8909 or reach David Burton by email at burtond@missouri.edu.

ONE-ROOM SCHOOL REUNION

The "One-Room School Reunion" kicks off at 11:30 a.m. on Sept. 17 in conjunction with the Lifestyle Expo at the Gray-Campbell Farmstead.

There will be tours of Liberty School, special exhibits highlighting one-room schools in Greene County, time to socialize with other one-room school attendees, period math quizzes, a spelling bee, and more.

Norma Tolbert, president of the Friends of Gray-Campbell Farmstead, will provide some of the instruction.

"This is the first year for the school reunion, and attendance will help determine how the reunion is offered or expanded in the future," said Burton. "Anyone who has attended a one-room school or is just interested in this part of American history should enjoy the day."

LIFESTYLE EXPO

The 25th Annual Gray-Campbell Farmstead 1860s Lifestyle Expo will be from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Sept. 17 and 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Sept. 18.

Events during the day include horseshoe pitching, seed spitting, hearth cooking, fiber arts, music and dancing, lifestyle demonstrations, children's costume contest, and tours of our historic buildings including the oldest home in Springfield, Mo.

Scheduled events include a fiddle and music jam at 11 a.m. on Saturday, a brush arbor meeting at 11 a.m. on Sunday and an apple pie baking contest at 3 p.m. on Sunday.

Admission to the expo is free, and there are food concessions available online.

For information about Lifestyle Days, call (417) 725-4922 or visitwww.graycampbellfarmstead.org.