BREAKING: Charles Reece sentenced to 120 days MOSOP

Former Butler high school teacher Charles O. Reece was sentenced today in Cass county court after pleading guilty to four counts of second-degree statutory rape and two counts of sexual contact with a student in incidents that occurred during 2018 and 2019.

Following hearing statements by Defendant attorney Scott Friedrich and Plaintiff attorney Lynn Ewing, Judge Michael Wagner upheld the plea agreement by both parties and sentenced Reece to 120 days in the Missouri Department of Corrections Sexual Offender Treatment Unit.

 Mid America Live was present during sentencing and will provide additional details soon.

BREAKING: Council opts to not renew contract with Butler City Administrator Mike West

 

Through information obtained via a FOIA request of minutes of the closed session of the Butler city council meeting on August 15, 2023 it was revealed that the city of Butler will not be renewing a contract with city administrator Mike West following a 4-3 vote. 

More information forthcoming.

Deepwater man escapes serious injured in Benton County motorcycle wreck

On Thursday August 17th around 12:35 p.m. the Missouri State Highway Patrol in Benton County along with Benton County Sheriff's Deputies responded to a motorcycle accident on Old Balltown Ave. just south of Route H in rural Benton County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says the accident occurred when the southbound 2003 Yamaha driven by 24 year old Hunter C. Green of Deepwater, Missouri lost control and laid the motorcycle down in th roadway.

Hunter C. Green sustained moderate injuries however he refused medical attention at the scene of the accident.

View crash report below:

https://www.mshp.dps.missouri.gov/HP68/AccidentDetailsAction?ACC_RPT_NUM=230444854

Pittsburg Kansas man arrested for sexual exploitation of a child

On July 7, 2023, the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force out of Wichita, Kansas received information indicating an unknown suspect had downloaded and shared child pornographic images from the Internet. An investigation was initiated by the ICAC Task Force and it was determined the images were being uploaded from an address in the City of Pittsburg.

On July 19, 2023, Pittsburg Police Department took over the investigation. On August 16, 2023, detectives and officers from the Pittsburg Police Department arrested 47 year-old Gilbert A. Smith Jr. at his Pittsburg residence for sexual exploitation of a child, specifically related to the possession of sexually explicit images of children under the age of eighteen. 

Mr. Smith was taken into custody without incident and was transported to the Crawford County Jail where he was booked in and is being held without bond.

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

Disclaimer: Arrest records are public information. Any indication of an arrest does not mean the individual identified has been convicted of a crime. All persons arrested are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Proposed Dance...

Proposed Dance

There is some talk of having a dance on September 30. This dance would be open to the community but is being considered to allow class reunion members an opportunity to socialize and catch up. 

The Butler Alumni Association will now be holding their Alumni Association meetings on the same weekend as Homecoming each year. It is hoped that class reunions will be held on this weekend, so alumni can take in the Homecoming festivities on Friday with the parade and football game. 

The yearly Alumni Meeting will be held on Saturday with the proposed dance on Saturday night. The proposed band is Honky Tonk Dream featuring Jake Duvall. 

The doors would open a couple of hours before the music. Those interested in hosting the dance would like to know what the response would be for this dance. 

Please click the link below by August 18th and tell us if you would be interested in coming to a dance. Thanks for helping out!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1kBexR09bafToDk_vl-2BwE-Jig3hQdT7veBFL3RtBdg/edit

Excessive heat builds in this weekend

Today and tomorrow temperatures will be seasonable if not a few degrees below normal with highs in the upper 70s to upper 80s. However, as we get into the weekend, dangerous heat will move into the region. 

Heat index values will rise over 100 for much of the area on Saturday and between 100 to 110 on Sunday. If you are planning outdoor activities this weekend, prepare for the heat!

Obituary - James Edward Rainey

James Edward Rainey, 71, of Spring, TX, passed away on August 13, 2023 after a brief illness. He was surrounded by his wife, Gail, and their children as he passed.

James, or Jim, was born on October 25, 1951, in Butler, Missouri, to Helen Louise Kessler Rainey and Hollis Edward Rainey. Jim was preceded in death by his parents.

Jim graduated from Butler High School. After high school, he served in the United States Marine Corps. Following his service, he returned home to Missouri where he met Gail through mutual friends.

After moving to Houston, Texas, in 1999 to be near his family, Jim worked for nearly 15 years at the VA Medical Center. He was well-known and liked by his coworkers and received numerous awards for outstanding service at the hospital.

Jim was a longtime fan of the Kansas City Royals and Kansas City Chiefs and reveled in both teams’ championships during the last decade.

A gifted storyteller, Jim would entertain family and neighbors alike with humorous tales from his life, especially stories about adventures with his friends. Jim maintained close ties with several friends in Missouri, regularly talking with them and occasionally traveling to see them. He loved movies and music, especially rock music of the 1970s and 80s, and could still occasionally be heard mourning the loss of cassette tapes.

Jim is survived by his wife, Gail, of Spring, Texas; his son, Jason, of Austin, Texas; his son, Jonathan, of Cypress, Texas; and his grandchildren, Josslyn, Stephan, and Abigail.

Per Jim’s wishes, a cremation will take place, and no service will be held.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.CalvaryHillFuneralHome.com for the Rainey family.

Obituary - Brandon Cole Skocy

Funeral services for Brandon Cole Skocy of Joplin, Missouri formerly of Rich Hill, Missouri will be 1 p.m. Monday, August 21, 2023 at Schowengerdt Funeral Chapel (660-679-6555) in Butler, Missouri. Visitation will be 5 - 7 p.m. Sunday, August 20, 2023 at the Schowengerdt Chapel. In lieu of flowers, contributions to the family. Online condolences www.schowengerdtchapel.com.

Brandon Cole Skocy left this world on August 13, 2023, in Joplin, Missouri, at the age of 31. Born on January 28, 1992 in Nevada, Missouri, Brandon was the fifth of Greg and Rachel Skocy’s seven children. He grew up in Rich Hill, Missouri, and graduated from Rich Hill High School in 2010.

A beloved son, brother, cousin, nephew, and uncle; Brandon loved spending time with his family. He greatly enjoyed friendly contests of card and board games, excelling against his brothers in all manner of competitions. It did not matter what the game was, Brandon always enjoyed the time spent with his family. He was always up for another game, as long as anybody else was still wanting to play. Brandon also had a passion for nature and being outdoors, frequently enjoying being around a roaring campfire or floating on the river. He was known to stay up late into the night, discussing any number of topics, including religion, philosophy, history, as well as many scientific topics, for he was a scholar at heart and interested in learning about everything.

Brandon was a hard worker, whether it was working his way up to management positions at work or in setting up a campsite; he could be relied upon to get a job done. Brandon was known for his positive attitude and ready smile. He will also be remembered for his sly sense of humor, subtly slipping jokes into conversations and just waiting for everyone else to catch up to his joke.

Brandon will be forever missed by his parents, Greg and Rachel Skocy of Rich Hill, Missouri; six brothers, Jeremy Skocy and wife Heather of Bella Vista, Arkansas, Scott Skocy of Springfield, Missouri, Stephen Skocy of Rich Hill, Missouri, Kevin Skocy and wife Payton of Neosho, Missouri, Caleb Skocy and Levi Skocy both of Rich Hill, Missouri; aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, and many, many friends. He was preceded in death by his grandparents.