Latest news with #KSDK
Miami Herald
a day ago
- Miami Herald
Kindergarten ‘Teacher of the Year' accused of sending child porn, MO cops say
A woman who in 2024 was named Teacher of the Year at her Missouri school is accused of sending child porn on social media, authorities say. Erika Morton, a kindergarten teacher in St. Francois County, is charged with five counts of promoting child pornography and five counts of child pornography possession, according to a probable cause statement. Using the social media platform Kik, Morton sent the videos in January and February during a 'sexually charged' conversation with another user, Missouri State Highway Patrol said. She acknowledged the victims in the videos are under the age of 18, troopers said. Morton admitted to sending the content during an interview with troopers, saying she sent them using her phone at her home in Ste. Genevieve, according to the charging documents. 'The suspect is employed as a kindergarten teacher at a public school in St. Francois County and has expressed a sexual interest in children,' authorities said. Farmington R-7 School District did not name the teacher but said in a statement to KSDK that a Truman Learning Center staff member 'is no longer employed' by the district after it learned of the allegations. The district does not believe the 'alleged incidents took place on school grounds or involved any Farmington R-7 students.' As first reported by KSDK, Morton was recognized during a December school board meeting as the school's Teacher of the Year. She taught in the district for 10 years. Records show Morton was jailed on a $1 million bond. Truman Learning Center is in Farmington, about a 70-mile drive south from St. Louis.
NDTV
12-06-2025
- NDTV
Jealous Man Says He "F****D Up" After Killing Ex-GF For "Hurting His Feelings"
A Southern Illinois man confessed to shooting his ex-girlfriend in 2023 after a bad breakup. Emmet Metzger has been sentenced to "natural life in prison," state prosecutors announced on Monday. On April 7, the 27-year-old pleaded guilty to the murder of Alexis Maki. He shot Ms Maki multiple times in her apartment, The Belleville News-Democrat reported. Metzger then reportedly contacted 911 shortly after the murder, confessed to the shooting, and begged to be taken into custody. "I f**ked up. I did something so bad. I shot my girlfriend. I need to be arrested, please?" Metzger said in the 911 call on November 4, 2023, according to First Alert 4. He made the frantic call around 4:20 pm and surrendered to the New Baden Police. He told authorities that he had shot his ex-girlfriend at their shared Hanover Street apartment, per KSDK. The former couple had broken up around a month before the shooting, according to the family. Police discovered Ms Maki unconscious at the apartment, and Metzger was taken into custody. He claimed to have loaded and discharged the gun at her after taking it from a case in the bedroom. He then claimed to have thrown the gun to the ground, rushed downstairs and dialled 911. The man further admitted to having dated Maki earlier and had a tense breakup. He admitted to using a 9 mm Taurus G2C pistol to shoot her his former partner. Maki was a college student and about to graduate at the time of her murder. She worked as a bartender at Grit and Tonic and studied radiography at Kaskaskia College, per KSDK. According to JD Brandmeyer, Metzger was distraught over his and Maki's separation and had been consuming cocaine, THC, and alcohol in the hours before the shooting. Clinton County State's Attorney JD Brandmeyer told the judge, "There is no excuse for killing someone in cold blood after a breakup". Maki's mother, Lisa Brock, claimed that Metzger was "really jealous of her not spending all of her time with him. He was making her life miserable." The Clinton County State's Attorney's office announced on Monday that Metzger was sentenced to life in prison without any credit for the 583 days he was already in jail, per Law and Crime.
Miami Herald
27-05-2025
- Miami Herald
9-year-old with cerebral palsy dies in shooting on mom's birthday, MO family says
A 9-year-old boy was killed in a drive-by shooting that also left his older brother and father injured, according to Missouri police and family members. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department is now searching for the accused shooter following the May 24 shooting on Bircher Boulevard near Ruskin Avenue, an area along Interstate 70. Richard Neal Jr. said his family was fired upon as they were celebrating the birthday of Johnisha Hillard, the mother of their children. (Warning: Explicit language in the Facebook links.) 'It was random, we didn't do anything to them,' Neal told KMOV. 'We got on the highway to put gas in the car, never seen the car, don't know the occupants of the car, I passed them up, next thing you know, he got behind me, slowed all the way down, he sped all the way up on my bumper and got beside us and just started firing off shots.' Hillard said in a Facebook post there was 'blood everywhere' as she recalled the cries from her children. Neal, who was reportedly shot in the leg, began driving to the hospital after two of his children in the back seat had also been shot. His 10-year-old son, Richard Neal III, was shot in the chest and was listed in critical but stable condition at a St. Louis hospital, according to KSDK and a police news briefing streamed by KTVI. Jordan Neal, Hillard and Richard Neal Jr.'s 9-year-old son who was born with cerebral palsy, died from his injuries. 'It was my birthday… and now it's my son's death day,' Hillard told KSDK. 'Horrible. I will never enjoy another birthday. Because now I have to celebrate the life and the passing of my son, Jordan.' Police have not identified the shooter, and a motive is unclear. Jordan was born premature, weighing just 1 pound, 2 ounces, his family told KSDK. After battling through surgeries all of his life, he 'fought for three hours' in the hospital before dying. At 9 years old, Jordan was set to go to school for the first time later this year, having already picked out his Spider-Man backpack, according to his father. 'He faced every challenge with a bright spirit and a smile that could light up any room,' the family said in a GoFundMe. 'He had already overcome so much, and losing him has left a hole in our hearts that can never be filled.' Anyone who has information about the shooting has been asked to contact police at 314-444-5371. 'You're heartless and you're a coward because you didn't have to shoot and kill anybody. They did nothing to you,' Pamela Neal, Jordan's grandmother, said in an interview with KMOV.
Miami Herald
21-05-2025
- Miami Herald
3-year-old was suffocated at day care and lay dead for hours, Missouri mom says
A 3-year-old boy died in a Missouri day care when a worker applied weight to his body to make him sleep, according to a lawsuit filed by the child's mother. The body of Conrad David Wade Ashcraft remained on the floor of Poppy's Playhouse in Park Hills 'for hours' Friday, May 16, legal representation for Tara Williams said in the wrongful death lawsuit. Lacey Hardie, Conrad's aunt, described the incident as 'a horrific, callous, negligent, and senseless act that never should have happened,' KMOV reported. Hardie said her nephew was a nonverbal boy who had autism, according to KSDK. No charges have been announced as of May 21. Poppy's Playhouse has not publicly commented on the fatal incident. McClatchy News attempted to reach out to the day care May 21, but calls were not answered. The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's Office of Childhood is conducting an investigation, KMOV reported, as is the St. Francois County Sheriff's Department, which called the death a 'heartbreaking event.' 'We understand the community's grief and concern,' the City of Park Hills said in a statement. 'The city has full confidence in the independent investigation and believes that accountability is essential, regardless of the circumstances.' The incident occurred within the jurisdiction of the Park Hills Police Department, but the investigation was turned over to the sheriff's office because Poppy's Playhouse is owned by Park Hills Councilwoman Spring Gray. Gray resigned from her city council position, Park Hills Mayor Stacey Easter said May 20. The lawsuit did not name the worker who Williams has accused of killing her son. 'Defendant, through the use of lower extremities, applied weight and pressure to (the victim's) chest and/or abdomen, while he was laying down, in order to subdue (the victim) in an effort to force him to sleep,' according to the lawsuit filed against Poppy's Playhouse. Conrad was suffocated, Williams said in the lawsuit, which accuses Poppy's Playhouse of failure to 'properly train and supervise its employees to insure safe interaction between staff and children.' It was Williams who found her son's lifeless body when she came to pick up her son nearly four hours after his nap time began, Hardie told KSDK. Williams is seeking compensation for the 'suffering' and 'aggravating circumstances' of her son's death, the lawsuit states. According to an obituary, Conrad enjoyed swimming, spending time with his family, as well as the TV series 'Cocomelon' and movie franchises 'Toy Story' and 'Cars.' 'He was a beautiful child. He enjoyed being free and living his sweet little life,' Hardie told KTVI. Park Hills is about a 65-mile drive southwest from St. Louis.
CNBC
17-05-2025
- Climate
- CNBC
At least 16 killed, dozens injured as suspected tornadoes hit Missouri and Kentucky
At least 16 people were killed when severe weather, including possible tornadoes, swept through parts of Missouri and Kentucky from Friday into Saturday morning, authorities said. Nine were dead in Laurel County, Kentucky, said Sheriff John Root, with "numerous severe injuries." He said a tornado touched down late Friday night and that the search for survivors continued. Five were killed in St. Louis, and two others in Scott County, in southeastern Missouri, according to officials. Speaking at an evening news conference, St. Louis officials said over 5,000 homes may have been affected by the afternoon's outbreak of severe weather. A spokesperson for both St. Louis Children's Hospital and Barnes-Jewish Hospital said the facilities have received at least 35 patients in total, with the children's facility getting 15 and Barnes-Jewish seeing at least 20, possibly 30 who were injured as a result of the severe weather. The spokesperson said all but two patients at the children's facility were expected to be released Friday night; one was reported earlier to be in critical condition. Some of those at Barnes-Jewish were to be released, while others were said to be in serious condition, the spokesperson said. At the late news conference, Mayor Cara Spencer announced that the number of fatalities has risen from four to five. She had said earlier that two of the dead were killed in North City, where a vortex was reported. A northern swath of the city from Forest Park to the northern boundary was subject of a curfew through 6 a.m., the mayor said. Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson said severe weather hit about 20 square blocks of the city. St. Louis police spokesperson Mitch McCoy said search-and-rescue operations were still underway with the help of the Missouri State Highway Patrol and surrounding county first responders. "It's all hands on deck to rescue as many people as we can and save lives," he told NBC affiliate KSDK of St. Louis. Search crews will find much darkness in the city, with more than 40,000 utility customers in the St. Louis region without power Friday night, according to utility tracker Missouri has more than 97,000 customers in the dark, according to the site. The tornado was reported after 2:30 p.m. in the city near Forest Park and moving east toward Granite City, Illinois, said National Weather Service meteorologist Marshall Pfahler. Its force level is unlikely to be known until Saturday when weather service spotters are able to get to the scene and measure damage, tracks and other elements of the vortex, he said. The weather service office that covers St. Louis later said on X, "Damage reports and radar imagery suggest a tornado likely occurred across parts St Louis this afternoon. We will have a survey team on the ground tomorrow to confirm and assign a rating." KSDK reported that two tornadoes may have touched down in the region on Friday. The National Weather Service said it was working to confirm the second twister. The station reported that a man was rescued from the rubble of a home after an hourslong operation. The residence was most likely smashed by a tornado or the severe weather's associated potent winds in the area Friday, the station said. "Considering the building collapsed on him, he's doing great," a fire official said after the man was pulled out. The man had sought shelter in the home and ended up stuck inside, possibly in a pantry, KSDK said. Coverage from the region included imagery of a decimated Harlem Tap Room, a historic bar on the city's north side that has been at the same location for roughly 80 years. A witness who was in the bar told KSDK that a fellow patron's warning and the establishment's flickering lights preceded his move and that of others there to the rear of the building, which he said likely saved lives. St. Louis city officials and police asked the public to stay put on Friday as they respond to the storm's effects. Utility Spire energy, which serves 1.7 million customers in the region, said there is "severe damage" to homes. Video of the damage showed toppled brick walls and downed tree limbs and power lines in the region. The nearby city of Clayton said its City Hall is closed as it coordinates a response to the severe weather. In Scott County, Sheriff Derick Wheetley said in a social media post that two people died in a "devastating tornado" there. "The tornado moved from the eastern part of the county, leaving behind a trail of destruction, with multiple homes completely lost and areas left unrecognizable," he said. The worst of the weather seemed to have passed St. Louis late in the afternoon, although federal forecasters said a dry night could be followed by the return of thunderstorms on Saturday. The vortexes were products of a fast-moving low pressure system headed east-northeast from its location over parts of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Missouri, a region under tornado watch until 10 p.m. The cool, winter-like storm is clashing with a heat wave to the southwest, producing unstable air and eruptions of thunderstorm activity. Severe weather, including 11 unconfirmed tornadoes, was reported Thursday in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Illinois, according to the weather service and NBC News forecasters. A Beyoncé concert at Chicago's open-air Soldier Field on Thursday was delayed because of the weather. Spectator video showed a ferocious downpour ahead of the show.
