Obituary - Allen "Rufus" Hilbus

Celebration of life service for Allen "Rufus" Hilbus will be 2 p.m. March 16, 2024 at Schowengerdt Funeral Chapel (660-679-6555) in Butler, Missouri. No Visitation. Contributions to Kansas City Hospice House, Bates County Elks Lodge or Butler Masonic Lodge. Online condolences www.schowengerdtchapel.com.

Allen Wayne “Rufus” Hilbus, age 63 of Butler, Missouri died Sunday, March 3, 2024 at the Kansas City Hospice House, Kansas City, Missouri. He was born September 24, 1960 to Norman Kenneth and Barbara Ann Kendrick Hilbus in Butler.

Rufus is survived by his wife, Dana Hilbus of the home; a son, Rion Hilbus and fiancé Jennifer Lesmeister of Butler, Missouri; a daughter, Amber Kohler and husband Matt of Amsterdam, Missouri; three grandchildren, Laney Sue Lynn, Neil Allen and Noah Matthew Kohler with one on the way tbd; two brothers, Norman Dale Hilbus of Adrian, Missouri and Greg Hilbus and wife Sis of Butler, Missouri; a sister, Patty Brown of Butler, Missouri; and a brother-in-law, Greg Linard of Kansas City, Missouri. He was preceded in death by his parents.

If you see something then say something

CONSERVATION IN ACTION:

MDC staff are well-trained to detect and suppress wildfires. While wildfires can ignite naturally or by accident, intentional arsonists can be the culprit. Prescribed fire is an effective management tool in a controlled setting, but initiating a wildfire is destructive, dangerous, and illegal. 

If you see or learn of an act of arson, please call the OGT/Arson Hotline at 1-800-392-1111 or contact your local Conservation Agent. 

Reports can be anonymous and information leading to an arrest and conviction can result in a reward up to $1,000.

We will never forget!

After the tragic death of Officer Gary Michael on August 6, 2017, Officer Christopher Ryan Morton, who had left the Clinton Police Department to pursue other endeavors, insisted that he be allowed to come back. 

He needed to be with his extended family- his brothers and sisters of the Clinton Police Department. He couldn't bear the thought of being away from us in our time of need. Of course, we welcomed him back with open arms.

The evening of March 6, 2018, Ryan was responding to a call with those brothers. The mission seemed a straightforward one and one that Ryan was built for- someone inside a house may have been hurt, may have been a victim of violence, unable to make their own way out for one reason or another, and needed to be found and rescued. It was a mission that Ryan would never refuse.

Unbeknownst to Ryan and his squad members, a very well laid and deliberate ambush had been set for them. In the aftermath, Ryan was killed and two other officers suffered serious gunshot injuries.
Our hearts were torn from our chests. 

The loss seemed insurmountable. But it was Ryan's spirit and the unwavering love and support of this community that rescued us, pulling us from the depth that was our grief.

In the days following the tragedy, we learned that we were far from alone. An entire community helped us mourn and reminded us that Ryan would never allow us to quit.

Ryan's spirit and memory drives us to be better every day. He is with us on every call for service and on every traffic stop. He is with us every time we train, urging us to put in the extra effort. 

His lightheartedness and his compassion inspire every one of us. It's a piece of him we carry with us on every mission. His courage continues to push us through doors that danger likely lurks behind because someone needing our help might be on the other side.

We refuse to let him down.

Obituary - Derek Dice

Derek Erwin Lee Dice, 28, Sheldon, MO, passed away on Tuesday, March 5, 2024 at his home in Sheldon. Derek was born in Lamar, MO to Ronald Lee and Catherine M. (Cline) Dice.

Dereck lived in Lamar and later in Bronaugh where he graduated from high school in 2014. He loved being a father to his daughter, Blair, and enjoyed hunting and fishing, video gaming, taking care of the goats, and being with his family. Derek was a member of the Sheldon Baptist Church.

Survivors include his mother, Cathy and stepdad, Rocky Pickering; his daughter, Blair; siblings, Donald Pickering, Sky Soard, Diamonnd Pickering, and Roberta Pickering; his grandmother, Sharon Cline; several nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his father, Ronald Dice.

A Celebration of Life will be held be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 9, 2024 at the Sheldon Baptist Church in Sheldon, MO with Pastor Jerod Lamb officiating.

Adrian to test storm sirens this evening

 

Weather permitting, the city of Adrian will be conducting a test of the storm sirens this evening at 6 pm. 

Amended complaint against Butler School filed in Federal Court

New information obtained from Justia.com indicates that an amended complaint has been filed in the US District Court of Western Missouri by Plaintiff Kiley Foster via attorneys Jonathan M. Soper, Daniel A. Thomas and Joleene Victoria Simmons. 

The 39 page complaint (case number 4:23-cv-00947-BP filed March 5, 2024) indicates the Plaintiff alleges that all parties listed below were "indifferent and/or consciously disregarded" her safety as "Defendant Reece forced the plaintiff to have a sexual relationship with him while she was a minor, starting in 2018 and continuing until the Summer of 2021". It goes on to say that "This happened multiple times, including but not limited to, on Butler R-V High School property, on FFA trips, at Defendant Reece's residences, and at school sponsored events". 

The document closes with "Plaintiff prays for judgement against all Defendants, and for punitive damages in such an amount as will serve to punish and deter the defendant, and other similarly situated, from engaging in like conduct" and a trial by jury has been requested.

Defendants (positions listed during time of allegations) who will be served in the case are as follows:

1. Darin Carter - Superintendent Butler School District

2. Brad Stevens - Butler R-V School Board

3. Rob Clover - Butler R-V School Board

4. Jarret Wheatley - Butler R-V School Board

5. Stacy McCrary - Butler R-V School Board

6. Anissa Harris - Butler R-V School Board

7. Marty Whitworth - Butler R-V School Board

8. Dave Randalls - Butler R-V School Board

9. Doug Lawrence - Butler R-V School Board

10. Marci Beckley - High School Principal

11. Greg Webb - High School Principal

12. Charles Reece - Agriculture teacher and FFA Advisor

13. Stacey Lawson - District Title IX Coordinator

14. Future Farmers of America (FFA)

Two previous cases brought by Foster against Reece individually are now disposed and as follows:

On August 18, 2023 in Cass county Mo, Defendant Charles Reece pled guilty to four (4) counts of Statutory Rape in the Second Degree and two (2) counts Sexual Contact with at Student to which he served a 120 callback with five (5) years supervised probation. On January 4th, 2024 in Henry county Mo, Defendant Charles Reece pled guilty to one (1) count of Sexual Contact with a student 16 years of age, and two (2) counts of sexual contact with a student.

During sentencing in 2023 Reece's attorney Scott Friedrich contended "the relationship was consensual and continued well after the Plaintiff graduated from high school" and did not warrant a full sentence under any circumstances.

Mid America Live will continue to provide updates regarding this case as they become available.

Important notice from Bates County Memorial Hospital

Recent reports about a company called Change Healthcare in the national media involving a cybersecurity event does not directly impact Bates County Memorial Hospital but does involve claim submissions to all Healthcare and Pharmacies nationwide, which affects us indirectly by holding up our claim submissions. It interrupts the information flow.

All BCMH systems are secure and functional. We were not breached. It does slow down claims and slows sending some prescriptions by electronic means to pharmacies.

We apologize for any delays or inconvenience caused by the slowdown. Change Healthcare (owned by UnitedHealth Group) is working around the clock on this issue.

Amsterdam man arrested for setting grass fires

On 3/2/2024 deputies received a call about a brush fire in the Amsterdam area. Deputies were advised by a property owner of a brush fire that had been set on his property. The property owner advised that the fire was not set by him. The fire was eventually put out. 

Several hours later, deputies were advised that the fire had started back up and the subject that was believed to have started the fire was seen leaving the property. 

A witness came forward and identified a male subject starting a fire along the ditch on the roadway. Deputies were advised that the subject that was setting the fires was located at a gas station in the Amsterdam area. Deputies made contact with male subject, identified as Joshua R Gregory of Amsterdam Missouri.

After the fire was put out deputies noted that there was damage to private property. A vinyl fence located along the roadway damaged caused by the fire.

Deputies arrested and charged Joshua R Gregory with knowingly burning with property damage. Gregory is being held in the Bates County Jail on a $10,000 cash only bond.

This situation could have been much worst than it was due to the wind. Thanks to the fast action of the fire department the situation was handled quickly.

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.