Berna Dene Smith, 93, of Clinton, Missouri, passed away on September 29,2026 at Adair Village, Clinton, Missouri. Arrangements have been entrusted to Vansant-Mills Funeral Home, in Clinton, Missouri and are pending at this time.
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Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Obituary - Berna Dene Smith
Berna Dene Smith, 93, of Clinton, Missouri, passed away on September 29,2026 at Adair Village, Clinton, Missouri. Arrangements have been entrusted to Vansant-Mills Funeral Home, in Clinton, Missouri and are pending at this time.
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Obituary - Gregory Allen Tims
Gregory Allen Tims was born on June 28, 1965, in Everett, Washington, to Charles A. and Kay S. (Sparks) Tims. Growing up, they had many adventures and lived many places, like Iceland, as a military family while Charles was in the Air Force.
Greg "shuffled off this mortal coil" on September 27, 2026, after a brief illness.
Greg was married to Ronda Hays-Tims, from Bowling Green, Kentucky, for 25 years. They were residents of Raymore, Missouri. Greg served in the Army and Army Reserves and worked for Missouri Child Social Services. Greg was an avid gamer with close friends for many years. He also loved reading, learning to play guitar, and dogs. Greg also loved people and never met a stranger.
Greg is survived by his parents, Charles and Kay of Blairstown, Missouri; his wife, Ronda of Raymore, Missouri; his daughter, Kayley DeMayris Tims of Independence, Missouri; and his father-in-law, Bobby Hays of Bowling Green, Kentucky. He is also survived by his many friends and other family members, including aunts, uncles, and cousins, some already gone but not forgotten.
Visitation will be held 12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, October 6, 2026 at Dickey Funeral Home, Harrisonville, Missouri.
Funeral Service will be held 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, October 6, 2026 at Dickey Funeral Home, Harrisonville, Missouri with interment at Garden City Cemetery, Garden City, Missouri.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. Donations can be made through the link or mailed to Dickey Funeral Home, P.O. Box 432, Harrisonville, Missouri 64701.
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Butler JH Football remains undefeated
The Butler JH Football team hit the road tonight to play the El Dorado Springs Bulldogs.
The game was close at halftime with the bears leading 14-6 over the bulldogs.
Butler came out on fire and completely dominated the 2nd half of this contest and cruised to a 44-6 win.
The JH Bears remain undefeated and will host the Versailles Tigers next Tuesday. Come out and support the bears!
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Two arrested following attempt to flee police
From the Butler police department
On September 28th at approximately 5:04pm, a Butler Officer conducted a traffic stop in the area of Fran Ave. for expired registration. After making contact with the driver, who was identified as Amy Thornton, and passenger, the Officer requested identification from both the driver and passenger. Upon asking for the passenger’s information, the passenger provided the Officer with a false name. The Officer was able to determine the passenger’s identity and learned that the passenger had active warrants. 
The Officer then addressed the passenger by his legal name. The passenger was identified as James Thornton. Once James was addressed by his legal name, he began telling Amy to roll up the window and drive. The Officer advised them not to leave and the officer then opened the driver side door to the vehicle to attempt to remove the driver from the vehicle. At this point, James was able to put the vehicle into drive and press on the gas pedal causing the vehicle to drive forward with the Butler Officer still partially inside the vehicle. 
The vehicle then fled at a high rate of speed until reaching the dead end of Fran Ave near 411 S Fran where James exited the vehicle and began to flee on foot. Amy remained in the vehicle. One Butler Officer was able to pursue James on foot while another Butler Officer continued to pursue Amy who was still in the vehicle. The vehicle then came to a stop in the parking lot of 411 S Fran where Amy was taken into custody. Another Officer was able to take James into custody to the South of the apartments after a short foot pursuit. While running on foot from officers, James possessed a black bag that was later recovered. Inside the black bag was a substance that tested positive for methamphetamine along with drug paraphernalia.
Both Amy and James were transported to the Bates County Jail where they were both placed on a 24 hour hold.
On 9/29/26, warrants were issued for both James and Amy.
Amy received the following charges:
Assault 2nd Degree - Special Victim
Aggravated Fleeing A Stop or Detention
Possession of a Controlled Substance
Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
Amy’s bond was set at $100,000 Cash Only.
James received the following charges:
Assault 2nd Degree - Special Victim
Aggravated Fleeing A Stop or Detention Possession of Controlled Substance
Resisting/Interfering With Arrest For A Felony
Unlawful Possession Of Drug Paraphernalia
James’s bond was set at $100,000 Cash Only.
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Tuesday, September 29, 2026
Miami County Suspect Apprehended Following Pursuit and Foot Chase
Prior to this report, the Sheriff’s Office had received two additional calls for service involving similar circumstances in different areas of the county. Although the incidents were not geographically close, the descriptions and reported behavior were similar.
As deputies arrived in the area, they located the individual in his vehicle and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. The driver failed to stop and continued fleeing, leading deputies to initiate a vehicle pursuit.
During the pursuit, the driver called 911 and advised that he was “out with deputies” before disconnecting the call. Dispatchers attempted to communicate with him and direct him to stop, but those efforts were unsuccessful.
The pursuit continued for approximately 40 minutes, with speeds exceeding 80 mph at times. The pursuit primarily traveled through the northwest portion of Miami County, including areas where multiple road construction projects are underway. The suspect’s actions not only created a danger to deputies and the motoring public, but also placed road construction crews working in those areas at risk.
Deputies made multiple attempts to safely bring the pursuit to an end, including deploying tire deflation devices and attempting tactical vehicle intervention.
One deployment of STOP Sticks was successful, causing one of the vehicle’s tires to deflate. Although the vehicle’s speed decreased, the driver continued to flee. Additional attempts at tactical vehicle intervention were unsuccessful due to the driver’s erratic driving and limited visibility caused by dust on gravel roads. Deputies did not make intentional vehicle-to-vehicle contact during those attempts.
Near 323rd Street and Crescent Hill Road, the fleeing vehicle crashed into a steel pipe fence. The driver exited the vehicle and fled on foot into a field, wooded area, and creek bed.
Deputies pursued the suspect on foot through the wooded area and creek bed and onto a neighboring residential property. The suspect made contact with two citizens at the residence before deputies located him and took him into custody.
Due to the crash and the suspect’s actions during the incident, Miami County EMS was requested to evaluate him. Following the assessment, he was transported to the Miami County Jail.
Michael Scott Zellner, 42, of Wichita, Kansas, is currently being held at the Miami County Jail on allegations including:
• Improper Driving on Laned Roadway
• Failure to Yield at a Stop or Yield Sign
• Fleeing or Attempting to Elude Law Enforcement – Five or More Moving Violations
• Interference with Law Enforcement
Additional charges may be requested as the investigation continues.
We appreciate the diligence of the homeowners who recognized the suspicious behavior and contacted the Sheriff’s Office. Their willingness to report what they observed provided deputies with valuable information and helped us identify and locate the individual.
We also appreciate the assistance provided by our outside agency partners during this incident and their understanding of the importance of safely apprehending this individual while protecting the public, responding personnel, and those working along our roadways.
All persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
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