Springfield Police Department

NIXA, Mo.-- Two teenagers from Nixa High school graduated Sunday afternoon, then later that night were jailed for possessing meth at Project Graduation. Project Graduation is intended to keep kids out of trouble. The seniors are 17 and 18 years old.  KY3 News is not releasing their names because they have not been formally charged. Project Graduation is a huge undertaking by parents to offer kids a place to party after graduation and not be faced with peer pressure about alcohol and drugs.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Springfield Police Department canceled its "Emergency Status" after a morning of winter weather. Police still ask drivers to be cautious, driving the appropriate speed for the current conditions. 

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Two young men are charged for a portion of a recent rash of broken car windows and business property damage across Springfield.  Ira Boyd, 19, and Randy Moore, 21, are in the Greene County jail in lieu of $50,000 bonds.  It's also likely that Moore's younger brother is charged in Juvenile Court.  The probable cause statements against Boyd and Moore say they confessed to randomly shooting out windows of cars and businesses for...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.-- The Springfield Police Department recently put a section on its website with information on unsolved murder cases that date back as far as 1992.  The section has a summary of the initial events surrounding the death of each victim, including the date, time, location and possible suspect information. The cases listed are not all inclusive for every cold case homicide that the SPD is investigating, but are included because they have the most recent homicide information to date within a relatively recent time frame.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The Springfield Police Department honored some of its most outstanding officers at its annual awards ceremony on Thursday afternoon.  Among the award recipients are four officers who helped rescue Aleena Havens, 8, and sister Alexia, 5, after a space heater set their home on fire in January.  Their efforts to save the little girls didn't end there. "You run in there with your adrenaline going and all of a sudden you see the smoke and the fire and it just knocks you backwards," said Officer Chris Welsh.

The Springfield Police Department has only 19 sworn female officers, out of 304 officers on the force.  That's half as many as the national average. It's a statistic that the police chief would like to change. SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The only thing that stays the same for Officer Marla Miller is change. "It's something different every day," she said. That's the draw for her.  She says police work rarely gets monotonous. "If a call comes out, and I'm close by, I'll try to handle it if I can help, and assist patrol," Miller said.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The Springfield Police Department wants the public's help tracking down two graffiti vandals.  The department says the pair is wanted for at least 12 graffiti vandalism cases in and around the Missouri State University area since last Aug. 24. Police describe the vandals as white, in their early 20s, with medium builds.  One has a full beard and mustache. The department sent out three photographs of the vandals that were taken remotely while they were tagging one location.   One wore a white backpack that detectives believe is unusual enough to stand out and possibly help identify one of the vandals.

SPRINGFIELD -- The Springfield Police Department is hoping to be one of only 14 departments across the country to receive a federal grant to help solve cold cases. Cases like that of the three missing women-- Sherrill Levitt, Stacy McCall and Suzie Streeter-- who disappeared at Levitt's home in 1992. There were no signs of a struggle, but rather the appearance of the missing women being abducted. All their personal property was left behind including purses, money, clothing, cars, keys, cigarettes, and the family dog. The $500,000 grant would allow the department to create a cold case review team in the hopes of solving cases like the three missing women and crimes involving homicide over the last 40 years.

Gerald Carnahan's conviction in the 1985 rape and murder of Jackie Johns shows how a cold case can suddenly and eventually play out court. Springfield Police define a cold case as a murder that's gone unsolved for more than three-years.  Since 1970, Springfield has had 268-homicides.  Over the past decade, SPD has cleared three of those cold cases.  There's still 30 cases the SPD has not been able to clear. "Any case you work on, or a cold case, that doesn't get solved, it haunts you," Lt. David Millsap with the Springfield Police Department said.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Investigators with the Springfield Police Department are searching for two men in a shooting on the city's east side Wednesday. A woman was shot in the jaw, but Lt. Scott Umbarger of the Springfield Police Department says he has been told that the wound is not life threatening.  "It entered her jaw and lodged in her ear," Umbarger told reporters at the scene. Neighbors describe hearing multiple shots fired around 5 o'clock. Umbarger says they have conflicting descriptions of the suspects so they are not putting out details of who they are looking for at this time.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- City police assigned an investigator to a report that a woman may have been kidnapped and taken to Texas.  The report on Tuesday night was filed by Bryce Gilliland, who thinks his sister, Kendra Gilliland, may be held against her will. A friend of Kendra received a photo on her cell phone and a voicemail message that said she was being held for $5,000 ransom and “may possibly” be in Texas. Kendra Gilliland is 35 years old, and is described as about 5-foot-5 and very thin (maybe 100 - 110 pounds)

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The Springfield Police Department will honor Maj. Bob Brown during a retirement ceremony at 3 p.m. on Thursday, May 16, at the Springfield Regional Police and Fire Training Center, 2620 W. Battlefield Road. Brown joined the Springfield Police Department in January 1990 and is retiring after more than 23 years of service. During his career with the Springfield Police Department, he has served in numerous positions within the Uniform Operations Bureau and the Investigations and Support Services Bureau.  As an officer, Brown served in patrol and criminal investigations.

NIXA, Mo.-- Two teenagers from Nixa High school graduated Sunday afternoon, then later that night were jailed for possessing meth at Project Graduation. Project Graduation is intended to keep kids out of trouble. The seniors are 17 and 18 years old.  KY3 News is not releasing their names because they have not been formally charged. Project Graduation is a huge undertaking by parents to offer kids a place to party after graduation and not be faced with peer pressure about alcohol and drugs.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A man from Springfield pleaded guilty in federal court on Monday for sexual exploitation of a minor.  Ezra Gramm, 39, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David Rush to the charge in an indictment handed up last Oct. 3. By pleading guilty, Gramm admitted he made contact with the 13-year-old victim, identified as Jane Doe, via an Internet chat room in late 2009.  Gramm and the child victim engaged in online chat sessions and exchanged text messages with one another.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Two young men are charged for a portion of a recent rash of broken car windows and business property damage across Springfield.  Ira Boyd, 19, and Randy Moore, 21, are in the Greene County jail in lieu of $50,000 bonds.  It's also likely that Moore's younger brother is charged in Juvenile Court.  The probable cause statements against Boyd and Moore say they confessed to randomly shooting out windows of cars and businesses for...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Crime Stoppers and the Springfield Police Department ask for help in identifying the person in these photographs.  Police are investigating a robbery near the downtown area on Friday, Oct. 5, 2012.   The victim was reportedly robbed by three unknown black males. The victim's stolen credit card was later used.  The subject pictured is a person of interest and the investigation is still on-going at this time. If you were in the area of this incident and saw any suspicious people or vehicles at these times, or if you know the suspects, please call Crime Stoppers.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- City leaders picked Lisa Cox to be the public affairs officer for the Springfield Police Department, effective April 30.   Cox will work in the Department of Public Information and Civic Engagement but will serve as the primary contact for the police department's inquiries from reporters.  She'll also issue news releases and work to enhance SPD's social media presence. Under the direction of City Public Information Officer Cora Scott and Police Chief Paul Williams, Cox also will develop, coordinate and administer communication and marketing programs to promote the department's programs and services.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.-- There will be visible law enforcement activity at Battelfield Mall Sunday evening, April 21st, but it's just a training exercise.  The Springfield Police Department and the Greene County Sheriff's Office, in conjunction with Simon Property Group and Valor Security, is conducting a large scale joint active shooter training exercise at Battlefield Mall.  The drill will happen after the mall is closed.  A pre-briefing will...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Crime Stoppers and the Springfield Police Department say they received tips after they asked for help in identifying people in these photographs.  They say they no longer need calls about them. Police are investigating a case of shoplifting at Barnes & Noble Bookstore, 3055 S. Glenstone Ave., on Jan. 17, 2013.