MSSU history professor receives Governor's Award for Excellence in Education

(From Missouri Southern State University)

Missouri Southern State University (MSSU) is proud to announce that Dr. Megan Bever, associate professor of history and chair of the Social Science Department, has been honored with the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Education. The award is given annually to outstanding teachers who challenge and motivate Missouri students to reach their full potential.

Bever's innovative teaching methods have significantly impacted her students. Her discussion-based classes incorporate primary sources and equip students with the tools to understand not only the language and content but also the context of the documents.

“I’m quite honored and surprised to receive the award,” said Bever. “Missouri Southern has a strong tradition of innovative teaching, and I’m really happy to be chosen for this award with so many talented educators working across campus.”

In addition to her academic accomplishments, Bever is a co-founder and faculty advisor for the Lion Co-Op Food Pantry, a resource that offers food, hygiene products, and small appliances to students in need. Furthermore, she coordinates the Groceries to Graduate project, an initiative that supports undergraduate students with financial need by providing scholarship tokens that can be used as currency at the Webb City, Mo., Farmers Market.

“Dr. Bever has had a tremendous impact on our students and university,” said Dr. Dean Van Galen, MSSU president. “She is very deserving of this high honor bestowed by Gov. Mike Kehoe. She is an outstanding educator who actively engages students in the classroom, demonstrates care for students through her involvement in the Lion Co-Op Food Pantry, and supports our international partnerships, including a recent collaboration with the University of Hradec Králové in Czechia.”

Bever was formally recognized with the award at a ceremony in Jefferson City, Mo., on April 2, 2025.

Exeter man, Verona woman charged with first-degree murder after body discovered in trunk of burnt car

Two Barry County residents are being held without bond on charges of first-degree murder, armed criminal action, abandonment of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence.

In a news release issued today, the Barry County Sheriff's Office said Brandi Coburn, 34, Verona, and Jimmy Taylor, 47, Exeter, shot Marvin Lance McCullough at a Verona home, put his body in the trunk of a car, then set the car on fire.

A Shell Knob towing company found McCulloch's body March 20.

From Brandi Coburn's probable cause statement, which was filed Wednesday in Barry County Circuit Court:

On 03/20/2025, I responded to Schrader's Towing at 24721 State Highway 39, Shell Knob, Barry County, MO, regarding a body found in the trunk of a burnt car. Schrader's Towing recovered the vehicle a week prior from the scene of a fire on Farm Road 1170, less than three miles from Brandy's residence. 

On 03/24/2025, blood samples were taken during an autopsy of the body and submitted to the Missouri State Highway Patrol's Rapid DNA system. The results identified the remains as Victim #1. 

On 03/27/2025, I interviewed Witness #1 at the Barry County Sheriff's Office to obtain her knowledge regarding this case. Witness #1 told me that Brandy had called her on 03/22/2025 and admitted that she shot Victim #1 in the head. 

During a post-Miranda interview with Sheriff Danny Boyd, Witness #2 (Jimmy Taylor) stated that he went to Brandy's camper and that Brandy told him she shot Victim #1 in the back of the head. Witness #2 stated Brandy convinced him to help her get rid of Victim #1 's body. 

Witness #2 admitted that he and Suspect #2 put Victim #1 in the trunk of his own car and towed the vehicle from Brandy's residence onto Farm Road 1170. Witness #1 said Brandy and Suspect #2 were in Victim #1 's vehicle while he towed it and steered the car off the road at the bottom of a hill. 

Witness #2 said he observed Suspect #2 set the car on fire before all three parties left the scene in Witness #2's truck. 

During a post-Miranda interview with Sheriff Danny Boyd, Suspect #2 said that he knew beforehand that Brandy intended to lure Victim #I over to her residence to "set him up." Suspect #2 said he was standing near the bathroom in the camper and handed Victim #1 a flashlight to view some items in the front area of the camper. 

Suspect #2 said after he diverted Victim #1 's attention toward the items, Brandy pointed a small silver gun with a white pearl handle to Victim #1 's head and fired one shot. Suspect #2 said he and Brandy left Victim #I dead inside the camper for three days before Brandy, Suspect #2, and Witness #2 removed Victim #1 's body from the camper and placed Victim #1 's body in the trunk of his own car. 

Suspect #2 confirmed he and Brandy were inside Victim #1 's car as Witness #2 towed it behind his truck with a chain. Suspect #2 said he and Brandy left Victim #1 's vehicle at the bottom of the hill on Farm Road 1170, where it was set on fire. 

On 03/27/2025, I executed a search warrant on Brandy's camper and discovered what appeared to be blood on a lower portion of a sink cabinet toward the front of Brandy's camper. A rapid presumptive test indicated the presence of blood. 

We submitted blood samples to the Missouri State Highway Patrol's Rapid DNA system and confirmed that the blood matched Victim #1. Brandy is currently being held in the Barry County Jail on separate charges.

Former Neosho assistant superintendent lands new job

Former Neosho R-5 Assistant Superintendent Richie Fretwell, who is being paid by the district for doing nothing, has landed a new job.

Ozark School District hired Fretwell as executive director of operations, according to a district news release. He will start that job July 1.

That will be one day after his time at Neosho officially ends.

Fretwell submitted his resignation September 11 after working out an agreement with the district that was obtained by the Turner Report through a Sunshine Law request.

From the agreement:

"As of the effective date of this agreement through June 30, 2025, Mr. Fretwell will be a paid leave of absence from the District, will not be required to perform any additional responsibilities for the District and is not precluded from securing any form of other employment or independent contractor work, including any work for another school district, during his employment by the District."

According to the agreement, Fretwell will receive the remainder of his $150,483 annual salary (he had been paid $25,080.50 of that when the agreement was signed). The district will pay into his retirement account and he will continue to receive insurance benefits.

Mr. Fretwell will also be compensated for 85 sick leave days in the total amount of $12,299.07 in a lump sum payment to be made no later than July 31, 2025.

Other provisions of the agreement include:

-Fretwell waives the right to take any actions or file any lawsuits against the district.

-The district releases Fretwell from any claim damages, claims or losses stemming from his employment.

-Fretwell will refrain from officiating any district events and activities through June 20, 2030.
-Neither side can say anything bad about the other. "It shall not be a violation of this provision for the parties to respond to any questions, comments or inquiries regarding Mr. Fretwell's separation from the district by stating: 'Mr. Fretwell/I resigned from the district on June 30, 2025 and we/I wish him/the District well in his/its future endeavors."

-Fretwell is prohibited from saying anything disparaging about current of former employees, administrators, board members or anyone else with the district. This also applies to former board members after they complete their terms.

Fretwell and district officials cannot discuss the terms of the agreement. If Fretwell violates that part of the agreement, he can be fired, with the violation of the agreement being the only reason.

According to the closed session minutes of the R-5 Board of Education's August 19 meeting, the agreement was approved by a 6-1 vote with Dan Haskins, Jonathan Russell, Stuart Puckett, Kyle Swagerty, James Keezer and Jenny Spiva voting yes and Cody Crocker voting no. 

Fretwell, who at one time was an assistant Neosho High School principal, returned to Neosho from Seneca when former Superintendent Jim Cummins brought him in as the assistant superintendent for operations in 2018. Fretwell, who served as high school principal under Cummins at Seneca, was one of Cummins' first hires.

Fretwell was one of two finalists for R-5 superintendent following Cummins' retirement.

The board opted to hire Jim Davis.

Probable cause: Three bags of meth found in Joplin woman's bedroom, stolen debit card on her refrigerator

A $10,000 bond has been set for a Joplin woman who was charged with possession of a controlled substance today after three bags of methamphetamine were found in her bedroom during a Joplin Police Department search.

The execution of a search warrant at the home of Leslie Dyan Williams (DOB 1982) at 518 South Patterson Avenue was conducted following an extensive investigation by the Joplin Police Department's FLEX team, according to the probable cause statement.

From the statement:

Three separate bags of a white, crystal powder were located. I believed the substance in all three bags to be Methamphetamine (Schedule II Controlled Substance) due to my training, experience and current position. These three bags were seized. 

Once back at the Joplin Police Department Evidence Facility, all three bags did test positive for Methamphetamine using the TruNarc Device. All the suspected narcotics will be sent to the MSHP Lab for Narcotic Testing. A Form 411 was also completed. 

Inside the kitchen I located a Debit Card. The debit card was inside a box that was magnetized, concealed behind the refrigerator. The name on the card read "Tracy Reynolds" The card was an SMB Debit Card (ending in 7507.) Once I looked up Tracy's name, I observed the debit card was reported stolen by Tracy on September 27th, 2023, to the Joplin Police Department. The report number for that case is: JPD-23-007091.

Aunt, uncle of Neosho school children bound over for trial on 7 counts of child abuse

 

Two Goodman residents who were charged with seven counts of child abuse and seven counts of endangering the welfare of a child after waiving their preliminary hearings Wednesday in McDonald County Circuit Court.

An April 15 arraignment in trial court is scheduled for Kyle Condreay (DOB 1982) and an April 14 arraignment is set for Christina Bennett (DOB 1989).

The charges were filed against Condreay, Bennett and Brandi Jo Rudd, (DOB 1983) Goodman, following a law enforcement visit that was prompted by a Children's Division report.

The Children's Division was alerted by the Neosho R-5 School District, which reported one of the children said she was struck in the head repeatedly, kicked and forced to sleep on the floor with no blanket "for disciplinary reasons."

Conditions in the home were described by the Goodman Police Department in the probable cause statement:

After securing the suspects in the patrol units, Sgt. Ledford and I conducted a walk-through of the residence in search of anybody else inside. I immediately noticed that there was marijuana paraphernalia on the kitchen table.

Just beyond the table the floor of the house was falling in, with plants growing through the walls. The kitchen was covered with cockroaches, dirty dishes, and broken appliances.

Just off of the kitchen was a room that was later confirmed as {the children's} bedroom. In the room was a particle board wood floor covered in dog feces and urine.

In the comer of the room was a "blanket" that the victim stated was her "pillow." Further walk through led us to observe the bathroom in which a majority of the floor was missing around the bathtub and the toilet. There was also human feces located.

There was also a hole in the wall directly to {another} bedroom. The "adults' room" was littered with trash and clothing, and it appeared that the ceiling was collapsing. The back bedroom had four bunkbeds; all had a small blanket however no sheets or pillows were observed by me.

When the Goodman officer learned that Bennett was headed to the school to pick up the children, the Neosho Police Department was called and asked to pick up Bennett and not allow the children to go with her.

Interviews at the Children's Center indicated all seven children "were subject to abuse by being hit in the head for punishment with an autistic child being the primary target, according to the probable cause statement.

One of the children, who had recently been kicked was having problem breathing and was sent to a hospital to be checked for possible broken ribs.

The preliminary hearing for Brandi Rudd, who was described in the probable cause statement as the mother of some of the children, was scheduled for March 25, but was postponed.

Joplin man's lawyer asks for 7-year sentence for his client on meth charge

A sentencing memorandum filed today in U. S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri claims Benjamin Ray Nordby, Joplin, made it clear to law enforcement that the methamphetamine he had was for his own personal use and not for distribution.

Nordby pleaded guilty November 14 in Springfield. His sentencing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The claim that Nordby was storing methamphetamine at his daughter's house was used in the government memorandum as a reason for an enhancement that brought the recommended sentence to 16 years. 

From the memorandum:

Mr. Nordby objects to the addition of two levels for maintaining a premises for the purpose of manufacturing or distributing a controlled substance. The only support for this enhancement is Mr. Nordby’s statement to law enforcement, which is mischaracterized in the written law enforcement reports, and his actual statement does not satisfy the requirements for application of the enhancement.

Mr. Nordby’s recorded statement to law enforcement related to this issue was as follows: 

AGENT: What was our plan with those couple quarter pounds? 

NORDBY: I was gonna do ‘em. 

AGENT: Sorry? 

NORDBY: I was gonna do ‘em. I was actually gonna take ‘em and get ‘em away from my house because I got kids around there, and I was gonna take them down to Oklahoma and I was gonna drop them off at my little spot down there, in my daughter’s shed, that way it ain’t always on me, and I can use my little personal, my little personal sack. 

AGENT: So, it sounds like you’ve done that before. 

NORDBY: Taking it and dropping it off? Usually, I stick it on my Harley but I don’t have my Harley no more. That way the kids ain’t messing with it. And then that tides me over for a good month. 

Mr. Nordby’s stated intent was that he was going to his daughter’s house to leave some of what he was arrested with in her shed, to keep it away from children at his home. He stated that he was going to keep a portion for personal use, and that he would return later to retrieve another personal use amount. 

At no time did he state that the methamphetamine was stored at the residence for the purpose of distribution; rather, it was stored for his own personal use. He also was not specific regarding how often this occurred; rather, he stated that he usually kept his drugs on his Harley but no longer had his Harley. He never actually stated that he kept drugs at that location prior to his arrest.

The memorandum notes that no search was ever made at Nordby's daughter's residence to confirm the meth was there.

In the portion of the memorandum devoted to Nordby's background, his attorney made a case for a sentence that includes getting him treatment for drug addiction.

From the memorandum:

Mr. Nordby wishes that he could go back and change the path of his life, but he stands before the Court with no option but to move forward and conform his conduct with the law to the best of his ability.

While there are negatives in his past, and the instant offense conduct that requires just punishment, there are positives in Mr. Nordby’s life on which he can build a solid, law-abiding future. While Mr. Nordby has a Criminal History Category of V, he does not have a significant history of violence. 

His most serious prior conviction arguably is his conviction for operation of a clandestine lab. However, that conviction was approximately 13 years ago. 

The largest part of his criminal history is traffic-, drug-, and property-related offenses. This is not to minimize the extent of his criminal past, but his lack of violent criminal convictions gives hope that with treatment, counseling, and vocational programming in prison he can turn his future in a positive direction. 

Mr. Nordby has a significant history of substance abuse and would benefit from the extensive drug treatment programming that is available in the Bureau of Prisons. He also would likely benefit from dual-diagnosis counseling and treatment, as at least part of his history of drug release appears to be in relation to unaddressed trauma related to his brother’s murder in 2020. 

An additional positive aspect to Mr. Nordby’s past is that he has his GED, as well as training and work experience in the field of welding. He would like to pursue additional training in that field while serving his sentence in this case and requests a recommendation from the Court that he be placed in UNICOR. 

Given the history and characteristics of Mr. Nordby, a sentence of 84 months is sufficient but not greater than necessary to address the instant offense.

The Turner Report: Government recommends 16-year sentence for Joplin man on meth charge

Lotus Xpress passes Joplin Health Department inspection after two failures, Sprout and Spoon passes

After failing Joplin Health Department inspections March 13 and March 25, Lotus Xpress, 801 E. 20th (Suite 7B) passed inspection today, according to a report posted on the department website.

Only three minor violations were noted, repeats from the previous report.

The March 25 inspection noted six violations, including mouse droppings in the storage room, behind rice cookers and under storage in hard-to-reach places.

Sprout and Spoon, 931 E. 4th Street passed its inspection Wednesday.

Meth charges filed against Joplin residents after search warrant execution

 

(From the Joplin Police Department)

On March 31st, 2025, the Joplin Police Department SWAT Team was utilized to serve a narcotics search warrant at 1000 S. Texas Avenue in Joplin. The search warrant was a result of an ongoing investigation by the Joplin Police Department Flex Platoon members regarding illegal drug activities at this location. 

The residence was secured and multiple people were detained at the residence. During the ensuing search and investigation, Detectives located approximately 2.2 ounces of Methamphetamine at the residence along with numerous items of drug paraphernalia. 

Detectives arrested Rebecca G. Francisco, age 73 of Joplin, and James C. Humphrey, age 55 of Joplin, on charges of Possession of a Controlled Substance and Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. These charges were filed by the Jasper County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and the bond for both suspects was set at $5,000 cash or surety.

Missouri Right to Life voices opposition to newest version of anti-abortion amendment

By Anna Spoerre

Missouri Independent

The newest reworking of a proposed constitutional amendment seeking to undermine abortion rights in Missouri has managed to draw the ire of the state’s largest anti-abortion group.

The version of the Republican-backed amendment approved by a House committee Monday, if passed out of the legislature and approved by voters, would outlaw abortion with limited exceptions for medical emergencies and survivors of rape and incest prior to 12 weeks gestation.

(Photo- Susan Klein, executive director of Missouri Right to Life, hosts a rally in the Missouri State Capitol rotunda last week -Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)

The latest version, approved by a different House committee Tuesday, proposed adding a new section to the constitution seeking to put stricter parameters on the abortion-right amendment — also known as Amendment 3 — approved by voters in November.







The bill’s sponsor, Republican state Rep. Melanie Stinnett of Springfield, said Monday’s version wasn’t one she “necessarily approved.” Stinnett said the latest version is again her own, based on feedback she received earlier in the session.

“It’s really just addressing the things that I really feel like are in line with the people’s expectations of what they were voting on in Amendment 3,” she said.

Susan Klein with Missouri Right to Life in testifying against the legislation said while Monday’s version sought to “repeal and replace” Amendment 3, the new version fails to do so.

Missouri Right to Life in a statement Wednesday called the revised amendment an “extreme gamble,” raising doubts about whether it would actually limit the number of abortions provided under the law.

Stinnett’s latest legislation would ask voters if they want to add language into the constitution that does the following: Require any minors seeking reproductive health care first obtain parental consent.
Define “reproductive health care” as anything related to women’s “potential or actual pregnancy,” including prenatal care, contraception, miscarriage, childbirth and abortion.
Clarify that women have the right to file medical malpractice challenges.
Specify that no private or public funding can be required to go toward reproductive health care.
Require that any legal challenges to the state law around reproductive health care be heard in Cole County.
Establish there is “compelling government interest” in reproductive health care.

The issue of “compelling government interest” in reproductive health care has been raised on several occasions as a court case challenging the state’s abortion regulations continues to play out in Jackson County.

Amendment 3 states that “the right to reproductive freedom shall not be denied, interfered with, delayed, or otherwise restricted unless the government demonstrates that such action is justified by a compelling governmental interest achieved by the least restrictive means.”

Referencing the language in Amendment 3, Jackson County Judge Jerri Zhang blocked a number of abortion regulations, including a 72-hour waiting period for an abortion and a mandate that physicians performing abortions have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals, citing a failure by the state to demonstrate compelling governmental interest.

Stinnett, when asked about this language Tuesday, said it was necessary.

“Our government in many ways has an interest in health, safety and welfare,” she said.

Missouri Right to Life also said the proposed amendment failed to challenge the abortion-right’s amendment’s non-discrimination clause.

“The judge in Jackson County used this provision to invalidate all of Missouri’s health and safety regulations,” according to the group’s statement Wednesday. “And she, or another court, will do it again with Amendment 3 still in the Missouri Constitution.”

House Minority Leader Ashley Aune, a Democrat from Kansas City, asked if a married 16-year-old would need to seek her parents’ permission to obtain birth control under this amendment.

“The sad reality is that too many young people don’t have that support,” she said, voicing concerns that the amendment is focused broadly on reproductive health care, including contraceptive access for minors. “I think we open it up to a lot of young folks falling through the cracks, especially the most victimized and marginalized.”

 

She also highlighted the language around federal funding, pointing out that the federal government just this week froze Title X family planning funds earmarked for a number of states, including Missouri. Providers say this could cause thousands of low-income Missourians to lose access to care for family planning services, including contraceptives.

While Stinnett indicated she didn’t approve of Monday’s version of the bill, she did continue to include its requirement that any legal challenges to the state law around reproductive health care be heard in Cole County.

The Missouri Attorney General’s Office has been fighting unsuccessfully to move the Jackson County lawsuit to Cole County where last year, a judge attempted to remove the abortion-rights amendment from the ballot.

Stinnett said at Tuesday’s hearing that the Cole County language was included to address concerns around judicial load so that such cases could be brought forward quickly.

Just this week, another lawsuit by Planned Parenthood against the state was filed somewhere other than Cole County.

 

The new lawsuit filed Tuesday in the St. Louis Circuit Court challenges Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, saying he “unlawfully blocked access to medication abortion” by issuing a cease-and-desist order to Planned Parenthood when the clinics were not prescribing the medication.

“The order violates due process by lacking any factual basis and failing to meet Missouri’s legal standards for government actions,” Planned Parenthood Great Rivers said in a statement Monday.

Stinnett’s legislation is scheduled to go before the House rules committee Thursday morning. If approved there, it will go to the full House for debate. She said she anticipates more amendments will be offered on the House floor.

Nomination of Missouri’s Ed Martin as US attorney for D.C. blocked in Senate

By Rudi Keller

Missouri Independent

A Democratic U.S. senator from California is blocking the nomination of Missouri Republican Ed Martin to be U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, calling him a “one-man wrecking ball” on social media.

U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, in a news release issued Tuesday, cited Martin’s actions since being named interim U.S. attorney as the reason for the hold.

“For the past nine weeks, Ed Martin has consistently undermined the independence and abused the power of the U.S. Attorney’s office in DC – openly threatening and intimidating political opponents, dismissing charges against his own clients, firing public servants for their roles in legitimate investigations, and using his office as a cudgel to chill dissent and free speech,” Schiff said. “No one embodies Donald Trump’s personal weaponization of the Justice Department more than Ed Martin.”

Martin did not respond to a message seeking comment Wednesday morning.

Martin, who grew up in New Jersey, has spent most of his adult life in Missouri since attending St. Louis University Law School. After almost two years as chief of staff to Gov. Matt Blunt from January 2006 to November 2007, Martin twice ran unsuccessfully for office.

Martin sought the Third District seat in Congress in 2010 and was the Republican nominee for Missouri attorney general in 2012.

Martin was originally tapped by President Donald Trump to run the Office of Management and Budget. But in January, Trump shifted Martin to the D.C. prosecutor’s office.

Martin, who resigned in January after 10 years as president of Phyllis Schlafly Eagles, worked as a defense attorney for people charged with crimes for the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol. Since taking office in an interim appointment Jan. 22, Martin has drawn criticism from Democrats who accuse him of making political decisions about prosecutions.

In early March, 10 senate Democrats complained about Martin to the D.C. Office of Disciplinary Counsel. The complaint said he had dismissed criminal charges against his own clients and threatened prosecution against government employees to intimidate them, the Hill reported.

In a news release, Schiff said he was blocking Martin’s nomination because of his “troubling conduct in his months as Interim U.S. Attorney in the same role.”

The nomination must get passed the Senate Judiciary Committee before going to the Senate for confirmation.

“For the past few weeks, Ed Martin has been a one-man wrecking ball,” Schiff wrote Tuesday on social media. “Threatening political opponents, firing public servants, and using his office to chill free speech. His nomination must be blocked.”