Sheriff

GREENFIELD, Mo., -- A southwest Missouri county sheriff who has been accused of sexual harassment says he won't resign. The Dade County Commissioners asked the sheriff to step down, but Steve Stapp refuses to leave his post.   The commission wants Stapp to resign, in part, because of the cost of defending him against the harassment charges. So far, the county has spent $8,513 on Stapp's defense.       The sheriff is facing two lawsuits from former deputies claiming harrassment and retaliation.

WAYNESVILLE, Mo. -- A sheriff in the Ozarks announced he won't seek re-election in 2012.  Pulaski County's J.B. King said, after 43 years in law enforcement, it's time to call it quits. King took office in 2004 after a brief retirement from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, then won his re-election in 2008 by 37 votes. 

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Greene County Sheriff Jim Arnott says detectives have received no new leads in the last few days about the stabbing murders of Helen and Donald Willingham on April 25 in their home just outside Springfield.  The sheriff says investigators have questioned a group of juveniles in the case.  Now they're waiting for analyses of evidence sent to the State Crime Lab. ---- The sheriff also says his department is waiting for analyses...

The Maries county sheriff is looking for two men who allegedly lead officers on a high-speed chase across two counties. The sheriff says Christopher Hagan and his brother Robert lead Phelps County deputies on a chase Saturday night into Maries County, then crashed their car near County Road 522. Two women in the car were arrested but the Hagan brothers ran off. Aside from the chase, Robert is also charged with several drug-related crimes,...

Two men from Shell Knob are behind bars after Barry County sheriff's deputies find more than two dozen marijuana plants in a house. Deputies say Mickey Owens and Melvin McCullough were arrested last week and charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver. In a separate innvestigation, two people in Wheaton were also arrested for growing pot. The Barry County sheriff says Michael Annecharico and Marissa Clark also had a growing operation in their home.

BARRY COUNTY, Mo --  On Tuesday, voters in Barry County will decide on a sales tax for law enforcement. It's one-eighth of a cent sales tax that the sheriff says would generated $450 thousand dollars. That's money he says the department needs to play catch up from hard times. The slogan is to Protect and Serve but due to budget cuts Justin Ruark couldn't do that. "Last year they ran short on funding. Laid four of us off, I was one of the four," he said. He got his job back, but he'd like to see the other deputies return.

MOUNTAIN HOME, Mo. -- The Baxter County sheriff says Valeory Hodges, 43, and her son, Gary Barker, 19, broke into a home after the homeowner had an argument with the son.  The sheriff says he found stolen property belonging to the victim in Hodge's home and in a storage unit.  Both are charged with burglary and theft.

BAXTER COUNTY, Ark., -- The group known as "Anonymous" has admitted to hacking into some 70 law enforcement websites across the country. The Baxter County Sheriff's Office reports that it was one of the targets late last month.       The sheriff says personal information, department emails, and website data are believed to have been compromised. Anonymous posted a trove of data gleaned from the hacking incidents in what it called retaliation for the arrests of its sympathizers.

WAYNESVILLE -- A man from Waynesville is facing a felony charge after allegedly beating a five-year old boy he was babysitting. The Pulaski County sheriff says 26-year old Isaiah Hicks was arrested on Friday; he charged with one count of child abuse, a class C felony.      The sheriff said Hicks is a friend of the boy's mother.

CASSVILLE, Mo. -- The Barry County sheriff says a homeless man likely suffocated after wrapping himself in plastic bags to try to stay warm on Tuesday night.  His body was found near a creek behind the Ramey's store in Cassville.  The sheriff says the man is from the Washburn area, and it appeared he had been drinking.

BAXTER COUNTY, Ark. - A Mountain Home, Ark. man faces drug charges after a deputy found suspected drug paraphernalia in the man's vehicle during a traffic stop. According to the Baxter County Sheriff's Office, deputies took Jeremy D. Coleman, 31, into custody after a traffic stop at 7:52 Saturday evening on County Road 28 near Jade Lane. The deputy who pulled Coleman received permission to search Coleman's vehicle and found what was suspected to be methamphetamine, a used syringe and glass pipe that contained residue.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Greene County taxpayers were told last year that passing a 1/8-percent sales tax increase, billed as a Public Safety Initiative, would help deputies do their jobs better, leading to a drop in crime and shorter call times.  On Tuesday, the sheriff said his department is still hiring officers, but taxpayers should expect to see those changes by October of this year. "We've hired 11 correctional officers, eight patrolmen, six detectives, and nine support staff," Sheriff Jim Arnott said in a news conference.

BATTLEFIELD, Mo. -- Investigators who have been looking into the death of a woman from Battlefield say they believe her death was a suicide -- but her body was moved after she died. Desiree Haugen, 23 , was found dead in her home on Hutchinson Court on April 9 by Battlefield Police Chief David Vallely.  He immediately called Greene County sheriff's deputies, who collected evidence and information that they say leads them to believe Haugen shot herself with a small-caliber firearm.

BATTLEFIELD, Mo. -- The Greene County Sheriff's Department late Tuesday released the name of a woman found dead in a home.  The body of Desiree Haugen, 23, was found at 5377 S. Hutchinson Court about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.  Within minutes, Battlefield Police Chief David Vallely asked the sheriff's department to take over the investigation. Sheriff Jim Arnott says his investigators consider the death to be suspicious but provided no other details.  He said deputies waited for a search warrant before they finished processing the scene.

MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. -- The Baxter County Sheriff's Department released the cause of death on Wednesday for a man whose body was found in a car trunk near Mountain Home. Christina Scroggin, 25, is charged with first-degree murder for the death of Raul Turrieta, 24.  Investigators say Scroggin drove her car to a home near Mountain Home on Tuesday morning and told the homeowner that she thought she'd killed someone.  The homeowner called police, who later found Turrieta's body in the trunk of the car. The Baxter County Sheriff's Department and the Arkansas State Medical Examiner say Turrieta was shot three times in the head and chest.  Investigators also found a .38 caliber handgun inside Scroggin's car.  Ballistic tests are being done to determine if it was the gun used in the killing.

BARRY COUNTY, Mo --  On Tuesday, voters in Barry County will decide on a sales tax for law enforcement. It's one-eighth of a cent sales tax that the sheriff says would generated $450 thousand dollars. That's money he says the department needs to play catch up from hard times. The slogan is to Protect and Serve but due to budget cuts Justin Ruark couldn't do that. "Last year they ran short on funding. Laid four of us off, I was one of the four," he said. He got his job back, but he'd like to see the other deputies return.

WRIGHT COUNTY, Mo -- When kids put crayons to paper, what often pours out are their emotions.  The complex feelings from simple drawings are familiar stories at the Child Advocacy Center in Springfield. "I noticed he was really working hard on a picture," said Ashley Weiber. Ashley Weiber knows first-hand the narratives behind the pictures. As a forensic Interviewer for the Center, she has talked with hundreds of children and seen countless colorings, but one boy and his drawing stand etched in her memory.

WAYNESVILLE, Mo. - The Pulaski County jail is closed for repairs.  Sheriff Ron Long said late Friday afternoon that the repairs would take several weeks.  He said details about the repairs and the jail closure would be released on Sunday. While the jail is closed, Pulaski County inmates will be housed in jails in nearby counties.  Pulaski County has paid to house prisoners in nearby county jails, including Miller and Phelps, for many years when its jail got full.  Long said his deputies would continue to arrest people and lock them up while the jail is closed.

MOUNT VERNON, Mo. -- In an effort to curb cattle rustling, several agencies in Lawrence County aim to show farmers how to identify their cattle.  The Lawrence County Sheriff's Department, Southwest Missouri Cattlemen's Association, University of Missouri Extension, and Moore Ranch will hold a cattle branding demonstration at the Jackie Moore Ranch north of Mount Vernon. The demonstration takes place at 1:30 p.m. on March 26.  Discussions will focus on branding laws, choosing a brand and the location of the brand.  Demonstrations will be done with hot iron and freeze brands.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A chase that snaked across Springfield on Thursday afternoon ended when law enforcement officers arrested the driver at a hotel.  The sheriff says the chase reached speeds as high as 70mph. Greene County Sheriff Jim Arnott says the chase began when his deputies tried to serve a felony arrest warrant in the 2500 block of North Ramsey Avenue.  Michael Riemer, 25, took off after the attempted traffic stop and led deputies throughout the city.  Arnott said Riemer is also wanted for questioning about a homicide in Greene County, which he wouldn't identify.