Storms ending Thursday afternoon

It'll be a wet commute this morning, but dry conditions will return for the drive home this afternoon. Small hail and locally gusty winds are possible this morning, mainly north of I-70.

Clinton man arrested in Garden City

About 7:00 last night Officers of the Garden City Police Department stopped a vehicle in the 200 block of Main street with no license plates driven by a 32 year old man from Clinton, Missouri. 

A records check of the driver revealed multiple warrants for the man's arrest. 

The driver was arrested and transported to the Cass County Jail. The vehicle was towed from the scene by Johnson's tow.

Mid America Live News will update when more information is made available to us.

Real-Time Weather Update 10:35pm

Obituary - Timothy Alan Mogan

Timothy Alan Mogan

Timothy Alan Mogan, age 53, of El Dorado Springs, MO, passed away May 29, 2017, at Freeman Hospital in Joplin, MO, after a short battle with cancer. He was born May 30, 1963, in Independence, MO, to Richard and Beverly Mogan.

Tim graduated from William Chrisman High School in 1981. He soon moved to El Dorado Springs where he installed windshields for Safe-Lite Auto Glass. 

Other later employment included being manager of O’Reilly’s in El Dorado Springs and head of maintenance at Tamko Industries.

Tim was avid at anything he took on. He enjoyed racing, hunting and fishing. He loved his family. He made many friends, but his best friends were his brothers.

Survivors include his parents, Dick and Beverly Mogan; two brothers, Mike Mogan and Kenny Mogan; one sister, Liesa Messick and husband Kenny, all of El Dorado Springs; and many aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews. Tim will be missed by all.

The family will receive friends on Friday, June 2, 2017, from 6:00--7:00 p.m. at Bland-Hackleman Funeral Home. Funeral services will be Saturday, June 3, 2017, at 2:00 p.m. at the funeral home with Rev. Brent Bland officiating. 

Burial will follow in the El Dorado Springs City Cemetery under the direction of Bland-Hackleman Funeral Home.

Obituary - Retha “Norene” Schmidt Burkitt

Norene Schmidt Burkitt

Retha “Norene” Schmidt Burkitt, age 77, of Cleveland, Missouri passed away May 28, 2017. 

Visitation will be held from 5:00-7:00 p.m., with funeral service at 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, June 6th at Cullen Funeral Home, Raymore, Missouri. 

Norene was born June 2, 1939 in Henderson, Missouri. She was the daughter of George Fred Schmidt and Olive Martin Schmidt. 

On December 8, 1967, Norene married the love of her life, Jon Lee Burkitt.  Norene was the loving mother of five children, Deborah, Sherry, Steven, Johnna and Michele. 

For many years she selflessly supported her family as manager of housekeeping at Double Tree Hotel. Norene was also a member of Cleveland Baptist Church, the Cleveland Lion’s Club, and “Friends of Cleveland”. 

Norene was preceded in death by her husband, John Lee Burkitt; son, Steven Dwayne Johnson, parents, George and Olive Schmidt; infant grandson, Christopher Lee MacLeod; eight siblings, Archie Schmidt, Ted Schmidt, Geneva Kingrey, Deloris Nagel, Margaret Thomas, George Schmidt, Elizabeth Schmidt, and Herbert Schmidt. 

She is survived by her daughters, Deborah Lynne Wieseman (David) of St. Louis, Missouri, Sherry Ann Dories (Robert) of Raymore, Missouri, Johnna Lea Johnston (Rob) of Cleveland, Missouri, and Michele Lorene Daugherty (Chris) of Cleveland, Missouri; sister, Eunice Buchannan of Raymore, Missouri; 13 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren and many nieces, nephews and cousins. 

Arrangments: Cullen Funeral Home, Raymore, Missouri 816.322.5278

Update: Assault investigation on Archie Officer still ongoing

Regarding the Harrisonville Police Departments investigation involving the Archie PD officer. 

We are pleased to report that his condition is improving. We are continuing to investigate but are not able to release additional information at this time. 

We thank you for your patience and continued thoughts for Archie PD and their officer. Further information will be released as soon as possible.

Mid America Live News will continue to follow this story and provide updates when we get them. 

View Original Story Here:

http://batescountynewswire.blogspot.com/2017/05/investigation-is-pending-into-archie.html

Two Former Vernon County Ambulance District Employees Indicted for $260,000 Embezzlement

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today, Wednesday, May 31, 2017, that the former director and the former bookkeeper of the Vernon County Ambulance District have been indicted by a federal grand jury for embezzling more than $260,000 from the district.

Tina L. Werner, 51, and James D. McKenzie, 51, both formerly of Nevada, Mo., were charged in a nine-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Mo., on May 11, 2017.

McKenzie and Werner were employed with the ambulance district until October 2015, McKenzie as the director and Werner as a bookkeeper. McKenzie’s duties as director included managing the daily operations of the district, including the personnel and financial management of the district. McKenzie began his employment with the ambulance district in 1987. Werner’s duties as bookkeeper included managing payroll, conducting financial transactions and managing the accounts receivable. Werner began her employment in 2000.

The federal indictment alleges that Werner, utilizing her position as bookkeeper, began electronically transferring money from the ambulance district’s bank accounts into personal bank accounts held by herself and McKenzie in January 2013. Additionally, Werner allegedly initiated electronic bill payments from ambulance district bank accounts to pay the personal credit cards held by herself and McKenzie. Werner and McKenzie did not have authorization to conduct such payments and their actions caused the ambulance district to suffer financial loss.

Additionally, the indictment says, from January 2013 until October 2015, Werner and McKenzie issued payments from an ambulance district credit card account for the purpose of paying McKenzie’s personal utility bills and those of a McKenzie family member, resulting in the ambulance district suffering additional financial loss. Werner and McKenzie did not have authorization to conduct such payments.

Werner also allegedly falsified electronic payroll records and recorded additional overtime hours worked for herself and McKenzie. As a result, the ambulance district issued electronic payments to Werner and McKenzie for overtime hours that were not actually worked, resulting in the district falsely overpaying Werner and McKenzie, thereby suffering additional financial loss.

McKenzie and Werner allegedly embezzled a total of $260,265 from the ambulance district from January 2013 to October 2015.

According to the indictment, Werner attempted to conceal the embezzlement by entering a false deposit of $130,000 in the QuickBooks application, and by obtaining a $20,000 line of credit from OnDeck without the knowledge or authorization of the ambulance district’s board of directors. McKenzie and Werner allegedly destroyed financial and business documents belonging to the ambulance district while they were in the district’s office on Oct. 23, 2015, in an effort to conceal their embezzlement.

In addition to the conspiracy, McKenzie and Werner are charged together in three counts of wire fraud related to thefts from the district’s Christmas account (into which employees deposited money throughout the year, then withdrew during the Christmas shopping season) to pay McKenzie’s and Werner’s credit cards.

McKenzie and Werner are also charged together in two counts of wire fraud related to thefts from the district’s toy drive bank account, which was transferred to the bank account of McReed Construction, a business owned by McKenzie.

McKenzie and Werner are also charged together in one count of wire fraud related to theft from an ambulance district credit card to pay the personal utility bills of McKenzie and a family member.

McKenzie and Werner are also charged together in one count of wire fraud related to McKenzie receiving compensation to which he was not entitled due to being paid for overtime that he did not actually work. Werner is also charged with one count of wire fraud related to her receiving compensation to which she was not entitled due to being paid for overtime that she did not actually work.

Larson cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick Carney and Casey Clark. It was investigated by the FBI and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Welcome to Studio M Salon Marisa!

Marisa McEwan

We are excited to welcome hairstylist Marisa McEwan to the Studio M Salon staff!  She will begin taking appointments starting Tuesday, June 6th!

She will be in the salon Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday!

To book an appointment call 660-679-5447