News Staff

The Scotland County Prosecutor filed multiple criminal charges against two men related to a recent burglary. The suspects were caught burglarizing a shed and vacant house in rural Granger, on the morning of August 28th. 34-year-old Shawn Michael Sturm, and 45-year-old Andy Ray McVeigh, both of Kahoka, broke a storm window and screen at the home to evade capture by a Scotland County Deputy. Sturm was taken into custody at the scene, and McVeigh turned himself later that day. Sturm is being held at the Scotland County Jail on a $10,000 cash-only bond. He is currently on probation. McVeigh is being held at the Scotland County Jail on a $10,000 cash-only bond.

The City of Kirksville is currently accepting appointments for Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) drop off on Saturday, September 18, 2021, between 8:00 am and 12:00 pm at the Public Works Complex, located at 2001 N. Osteopathy St. Citizens must call Public Works at 660.627.1291 to schedule an appointment. Citizens will not be allowed to drop off waste without an appointment. Appointments are limited and no additional appointments will be made once the schedule is full. For more information, or to make an appointment, contact the Public Works Department.

A Kirksville man has been sentenced in a 2019 murder case. Andrew Head was convicted of second-degree murder, and armed criminal action in June for the shooting in 2019 that killed 17-year-old Izaiha McFarland. Head was the accomplice in the shooting, who allegedly convinced the other suspect, Drake Zanoni, to fire the weapon. Yesterday, Second Circuit Presiding Judge Russell Steele sentenced Head to 27 years in prison – 20 years for the murder charge and seven years for the armed criminal action charge. Head must serve 85 percent of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole.

Seven people died in traffic crashes during the 2021 Labor Day holiday weekend. Last year, there were 18 fatalities. The 2021 counting period for the Labor Day holiday ran from 6 p.m., Friday, September 3, through 11:59 p.m., Monday, September 6. The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports the following enforcement activity during 2021 Labor Day Holiday: Crashes 351, Injuries 103, Fatalities 7, DWI 108, Drug Arrests 71. Of those totals in Norheast Missouri, Troop B worked 16 crases, 1 injury crash, zero fatal crashes, 6 DWI arrests, and 7 drug arrests. There were no boating crashes, BWI arrests, or drownings in the Troop B area over the holiday weekend.

Following the long Labor Day holiday weekend, the Adair County Health Department confirmed 44 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday. The overall count is now 3,314 with 126 active cases and 3,159 people who have left isolation. Among the 44 new cases, 25% of them are breakthrough cases of fully vaccinated individuals. Fifteen cases reside at addresses with at least one other confirmed case. One fourth of the cases are in the K-12 schools sector, two cases are in the higher education sector, and one is an employee of a skilled nursing facility.

Police have identified the woman who was murdered in Palmyra. The body of 34-year-old Crystal Cooper, was found in a car in the 100 block of East Jefferson Street of Palmyra Friday morning. The suspect, Raymond Dean Gum, Jr., was arrested Saturday in Menard County, Illinois. It’s believed that the victim and suspect were in a relationship. Gum Jr. was arrested for Class A Felony of Murder in the First Degree and Felony Armed Criminal Action in connection to Cooper’s death. Gum Jr.’s bond was set at $1,000,000 and he was being held in Menard County over the weekend.

A Bucklin man has been arrested on 43 counts of 1st degree sex offenses. The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control announced the arrest of 54-year-old Roger Cupp, on Friday. The arrest was the result of an investigation conducted by members of the Division of Drug and Crime Control’s Troop B Criminal Investigations Unit and the Linn County Sheriff’s Office. On August 25th, 2021, the Linn County Sheriff’s Office requested the Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control to assist with an investigation involving allegations of statutory rape and child molestation. During the investigation, it was determined over a five-year period Cupp had committed multiple sexual offenses involving one child. On September 3rd, investigators executed a search warrant at Cupp’s residence on East Truman Street, in Marceline. Troopers located Cupp in Brookfield, where he was arrested, without incident and was transported to the Macon County Jail. On September 3, the Linn County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office formally charged Cupp with several criminal counts. Cupp remains in custody, with no bond.

Due to the Labor Day holiday today, trash and recycling collection in Kirksville, including glass recycling by RTS Waste Services, LLC, will be delayed by one day during the coming week. Remember to set your trash tote, recycling tote, and glass recycling tote curbside by 6:00 am the day after your usual day of trash and recycling collection.

The City of Kirksville is asking for the community to help identify an individual or organization to be considered for the Small Town Civic Volunteer Award through CivicPlus, the nation’s leading technology platform for local government. The City has been given the opportunity to submit a nomination for this award, but first, they want to hear from you. Volunteerism is vital to the success of ciyt’s like Kirksville, and according to CivicPlus, small town communities across the country are seeing a decline in volunteers to serve as board/committee members, coaches, elected officials, firefighters, and more. You are invited to nominate an individual or organization you believe is worthy of recognition for their volunteer efforts for the City of Kirksville. All nominees will be reviewed by the City Council, and one individual or organization selected for submission. All nominees will receive a Certificate of Recognition from the City Council. To nominate, complete the form found online at: www.kirksvillecity.com/nominate.

Kirksville Parks and Recreation is thanking the Rotary Club of Kirksville for building and installing a free community library at Brashear Park. Community members can take books at their convenience, and leave books so that they can be enjoyed by others. You can stop by and check out the great selection of books that are available for all ages.