Collins man convicted of receiving child pornography

(St. Clair County Mo) - A judge convicted a Collins, Mo., man, who is a registered sex offender, for receiving child pornography on his cell phone.

Billy Puckett, 39, was found guilty of one count of receiving child pornography following a bench trial before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool on Monday, June 5. Puckett has been detained in federal custody without bail since his arrest on the federal indictment.

Puckett has two prior felony convictions for statutory rape and a prior felony conviction for statutory sodomy.

A Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper initiated a traffic stop near the intersection of Highway 13 and East 316 Road in Bolivar, Mo., on Aug. 28, 2020. The trooper, who learned that Puckett was a registered sex offender, searched Puckett’s vehicle and found a cell phone plugged into a cigarette lighter. 

When the phone’s screen activated, the trooper noticed Puckett had Facebook and Snapchat applications on the phone, which were not authorized due to Puckett’s status as a registered sex offender. The trooper seized Puckett’s phone, on which he located multiple images of child pornography, and Puckett was arrested.

Investigators conducted a forensic examination of Puckett’s phone and found hundreds of images of child pornography.

Under federal statutes, Puckett is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 40 years in federal prison without parole. 

The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. 

A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Courtesy of U.S. Attorney's Office of the Western District of Missouri

Obituary - Douglas David Roda

Douglas David Roda, age 62, of Warsaw, Missouri, passed away June 5, 2023 at his home. He was born on September 29, 1960 to Richard and Peggy Roda in Trenton, Missouri.

He graduated from Wamego High School in Wamego, Kansas, Class of 1978. After high school he would attend Kansas State University.

He became avid music concert goer which stemmed from his first job in the music industry where he had the opportunity to go see all the great bands live in concert such as Pearl Jam, Van Halen and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

He later moved back to Kansas City where he would work for Gas Service Co. later known as Spire, until he retired in 2019.

He would later move to his lake home in Warsaw, Missouri.

He is preceded in death by his father, Richard Roda.

He is survived by his mother, Peggy Roda of Springfield, Missouri, one sister, Cynthia Cole of Springfield, Missouri, two nieces, Lesley Marshall and her husband Chris of Jefferson City, Missouri and Katie Nichols and her husband Brian of Ozark, Missouri, 3 great nieces, Ryley, Vivian and Harriet, one great nephew, Jaxon, his beloved dog Gabe, other relatives and friends.

Private services will be held at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to the Sedalia Animal Shelter c/o Reser Funeral Home, P.O. Box 910, Warsaw, Missouri 65355.

One dead after drowning in YMCA Pool in Pittsburg Kansas

On Tuesday morning, June 6, 2023, at approximately 7:50 AM, law enforcement officers from the Pittsburg Police Department, as well as first responders from the Pittsburg Fire Department and Crawford County EMS, were dispatched to the Pittsburg YMCA, located at 1100 N. Miles Ave., in Pittsburg, in reference to a report of an unresponsive adult male being located in the facility’s pool.

YMCA personnel had already begun resuscitation efforts when first responders arrived. The patient was transported to the emergency department at Ascension Via Christi Hospital for treatment. The patient was later pronounced deceased at the hospital.

This incident is under investigation at this time. There are no apparent indications of foul play.
The identity of the decedent will be revealed after next of kin have been notified.

Anyone having information related to this incident is urged to contact the Pittsburg Police Department at (620) 231-1700, or at our automated tip line, (620) 231-TIPS (8477). Callers may remain anonymous.

Traffic Alert:Trash truck fire north of Archie

Several emergency crews are on scene of a trash truck fire in the northbound lanes of I-49 just north of Archie at this time. 

Please slow down and use caution if you must travel in this area! No one is said to be injured in this fire! 

Obituary - Austin Nathaniel Weymuth

Austin Nathaniel Weymuth was born on June 27, 2004 to Steven Weymuth and Trisha Carter in Shenandoah, Texas.

Austin attended Roscoe C-1 School through the eighth grade and then went to Osceola High School. He was not good with school and left early to work full time doing concrete temporarily. 

He was a jack of all trades from a very young age, he did everything from chopping and stacking wood, cutting and laying tile, building chicken barns for a couple summers, and working on anything that had a motor or wheels. He had a passion for building things even if they didn’t make any sense.

Austin was the light in a dark spot no matter what was going on in life he could make everything shine with just one little smirk or prank. He was a loyal friend, a protective big brother, a loving son, a devoted grandson, a caring nephew and absolutely a light to every person he ever met.

Austin may not have lived a life with normal limits, but he lived everyday to it’s fullest potential. He was an “outside the box” thinker because for Austin there was no box. If he thought about an idea long enough he could build or fix it.

Austin was preceded in death by his great grandmother Bonnie and his grandfather Gary.

He is survived by his mother, Trisha and step father Mike, father Steven, grandparents, Vickie, Willis, and Jeanne, sisters, Bella and Airianna as well as many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

Visitation
Friday, June 9, 2023
1:00 - 2:00 pm
Sheldon-Goodrich Chapel

Service
Friday, June 9, 2023
2:00 PM
Sheldon-Goodrich Chapel

Final Disposition
Cremation

Obituary - Kimberly Conyers

Kimberly Conyers, 65 of Louisburg, Kansas passed away on Friday, April 21, 2023 at her home surrounded by family. A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday June 9, 2023 at 1:00 pm at Mullinax Funeral Home, Butler (660-679-0009). Burial will follow directly after the service at Oak Hill Cemetery in Butler, Missouri. Messages of condolence may be left for the family at www.mullinaxfuneralhome.com.

Kimberly Ann Conyers was born on December 23, 1957 at Lakeside Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri to Donald Hal Conyers and Bonnie Mae (Portwood) Conyers.

Kimberly lived in Arlington, Texas before moving to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from the ages of five to twenty-one. She always enjoyed going on vacation to Manhattan, Kansas and Butler, Missouri to visit her family and spend time with them.

Kimberly joined a softball league at the age of 9, and from there traveled to many out of state tournaments and even went semi pro. She participated at three Regional Events in Louisiana, and then went to Parma, Ohio for Nationals. In later years she went to Elk Grove, California for Nationals where her team had a ball signed by each member in the Softball Hall of Fame for 100 straight wins in league play.

Everyone that knew Kimberly knew that she loved spending time at the lake out on the boat fishing. Some of her other hobbies included swimming, skiing, exploring, truck driving and traveling around the United States seeing all of the beautiful sites and scenery. She especially loved visiting the Warsaw swinging bridge. Kimberly could also be found with her mother volunteering at events and workshops for Cerebral Palsy, as well as telethons.

Her greatest pride in life was when she gave birth to her twin daughters on March 19, 1979. She was so very happy to be the central figure in the lives of both of her children. Her children and grandchildren were the stars in her eyes, and anyone could clearly tell there was nothing but love and care for them all. Kimberly will be deeply missed by everyone, and the love she gave will never be forgotten.

She is preceded in death by her father Donald Howell Conyers and her mother Bonnie Mae Conyers Portwood, brother Richard Alan Bennett, grandparents George and Florance Portwood, and Hal and Hattie Conyers.

Survivors include her two daughters Bonnie Michelle Flander and husband Kyle, Kristy Dawn Conyers and husband Robert Hill, sister Sheila Jean Richey, sister-in-law Pamela Kay Bennett, seven grandchildren Sabrina, Ty, Bryce, Donavon, Savannah, Torrie, Ziva, and 5 great grandchildren with one on the way.

Info regarding Cass county youth fishing derby

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50 year celebration planned for LaCygne power plant

 

 Years of Memories by Doug Mager

Just prior to the construction of the power plant itself, I vaguely recall bulldozers and scrapers transforming  empty fields into the lake basin; many jokes were made regarding an old bridge that was left in place, now sitting under several feet of water in the middle of the lake.

These memories were made as my father would load me in the truck and we would make the trek just across state line to check construction progress on a regular basis- this would have been around 1971 or ‘72 when I was in the second grade or so. In the years to follow, I remember peering out the window of my cabin at Kamp Keirsey at night watching the red blinking lights on the stacks while hearing the low roar as electricity was pumped onto the grid. 

Around the 7th grade, we took a field trip to the plant and I was amazed how big it was. It was hard to comprehend boilers 15 stories high until you were next to them. The control room was reminiscent of a Star Trek set with buttons, knobs, gauges and meters. The method to unload rail cars seemed equally complex. 

And for 50 years all this has been happening nonstop with the exception of scheduled outages and upgrades.

From the outside there was always a level of comfort that came with the plant being there as I grew up. For example, just seeing the stacks was a sure sign that I was close to home following a long trip; and after they were removed I have to admit there was an adjustment period but I understand it was necessary as the La Cygne facility is now one of the cleanest in the nation.

And the jobs. The plant brought lots and lots of jobs. F highway west of Passaic wasn’t much more than a cow path until the plant was built but I remember a marked uptick in traffic two times a day that most assuredly were plant workers. Hence, the road was swiftly repaved with runway type precision.

But not everyone was headed to the generating station. Some worked for P&M Coal Company, which at the time strip mined coal between Amsterdam and Amoret that was trucked directly to the plant. We’d often pull off the edge of the road and watch the Midway Queen or Princess claw huge pawfuls of coal out of the ground as fast as trucks could haul them off. Once, we even walked from Amsterdam a few miles south to get a closer look before we were shooed away.

One particular memory of the coal mining operation was a coal truck/train collision just south of Amsterdam in the mid 70’s that resulted in derailed boxcars loaded with frozen food. With no other options, the railroad workers were giving it all away and hence, our freezer was stocked with 150 lbs of tator tots and french fries shortly after. Fortunately, despite heavy damage to the train and the dump truck, there were no serious injuries.

Since its commissioning in 1973 the plant remains today in all its glory producing about 1,600 megawatts of electricity that is distributed all over the midwest and points beyond; the lake is reveled as one of the best for fishing in the region; pilots use the new stack as a navigation aid as from the air, it is sometimes visible over 50 miles away. And yes, many like me still use it after traveling as a reminder that we are close to home.

The La Cygne generation station is certainly a huge part of our local history and this Saturday, June 10 the public is invited to help celebrate 50 years of local power generation, employment and more 10 am to 3 pm at the plant 25166 E. 2200 Rd, La Cygne KS 66040

Photo credit Armond Long