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Page 2 THE CRANE CHRONICLE/STONE COUNTY REPUBLICAN Thursday, May 17, 2012
Crane Chronicle/Stone County Republican
(USPS 136-740)
Combining and Continuing
THE
CRANE CHRONICLE
STONE COUNTY
REPUBLICAN
Published Each Thursday By
STONE COUNTY
PUBLISHING
COMPANY, INC.
114 MAIN, CRANE, (Stone
County) MISSOURI 65633-0401
Annette Jackson, News Editor
Whitney Anderson, Office Mgr
Phone (417) 723-5248
Fax (417) 723-8490
PERIODICALS POSTAGE
PAID AT CRANE, MO. 65633
POSTMASTER:
Send address changes to:
Stone County
Publishing Co., Inc.
P.O. Box 401
Crane, Mo. 65633-0401
VOLUME 126 • NUMBER 1
THURSDAY, May 17, 2012
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Two Women
Charged With
Burglary
By: Kathee Sanchez-Baird
Two women from Springfield
have been charged with burglary
after they were allegedly
caught with stolen property
shortly after a residential
burglary on Reno Springs
Road.
Telisha Marie Fletcher,
34, and Autumn Shalottie
Chambers, 21, were arrested on
May 7th and charged with two
counts of burglary in Stone
County.
Acting on a tip from
authorities in Greene County,
Stone County deputies began
searching for an older model
black Mitsubishi that was
believed to be casing houses
along the Stone/Christian
County line.
Shortly thereafter, a residential
burglary was reported at 13218
Reno Springs Road. As deputies
were investigating the burglary,
a Christian County Deputy
noticed a black Mitsubishi
matching the suspects
description parked in the drive
of an unoccupied residence on
State Highway 176 in Christian
County near the Stone County
line. At that location, a female
suspect was observed at the door
to that residence while a second
female suspect remained in the
vehicle.
As a deputy approached
the vehicle, he noticed tools
commonly used during
burglaries on the ground near
the vehicle. On making contact
with the vehicle occupant, the
deputy saw numerous items,
including two laptop computers,
that were reported stolen in the
Reno Springs Road burglary.
Christian County Deputies
released the vehicle and suspects
to Stone County Detectives.
A search warrant was sought
and issued for the vehicle. During
the search, detectives recovered
several articles allegedly stolen
from 13218 Reno Springs Road
and recovered additional articles
including a cloth bag that had a
name and address tag affixed.
The address was listed as 489
Shop Hollow Road. While the
vehicle was still being searched,
a property owner at 489 Shop
Hollow Road reported a burglary
and listed the bag as stolen.
Fletcher and Chambers are
jailed on $50,000 bond each.
City
Administrator,
City Of Crane
The City of Crane is accepting
resumes for the position of
City Administrator. The City
Administrator will be responsible
for carrying out those duties
described by the Mayor and the
Board of Aldermen; Position
will remain open until filled.
All applications will be treated
as confidential. Position
requirements are available from
the City Clerk. Send cover letter,
resume, references and salary
history to:
City of Crane, City Administrator
Position, PO Box 17, Crane,
MO 65633; or email to Collin
Brannan, Mayor at Mayor@
Crane-MO.com. EOE 52-2tc
Phillips 66 Cont..........
Elmore and COMET turned
over the evidence they had
collected to a judge who issued
a search warrant for the business
on May 9th. That warrant was
executed at 1:30 p.m. on May
10th.
The manager of the store,
Aman Pasricha, 29, has been
charged with promoting
gambling.
According to the probable
cause statement used as the
basis of the charge, undercover
officers visited the store on May
3rd and placed cash in the slot
machines and a short time later
cashed out and took the ticket
to the cashier who paid them
in cash from the store register.
“Pasricha told us the more we
play the better the chances of
winning.”
“We seized the two machines
and the US currency inside of
it. We also located an audit slip
dated April 24, 2012, showing
that machine #1 had taken in
a total of $2198.00 and paid
out a total of $1896.00 with a
grand total in being $8839.00
and grand total paid out had
been $4736.55. A second audit
slip from machine #2 dated
April 24, 2012, showed a total
of $455.00 in and $415.70
paid and and a grand total of
$5270.00 paid in and a grand
total of $1311.00 paid out.”
Seized were two electronic
gambling devices, several
hundred dollars in U.S.
Currency and other items of
evidentiary value.
There was one other person
in the store at the time of the
raid. That person was playing
one of the illegal machines,
according to Elmore. At this
time it is unknown if charges
will be pursued against that
person.
Officers with the Stone
County Sheriff’s Office and
the Crane Police Department
assisted COMET officers in the
execution of the warrant.
Pasricha is being held on
$2,500 bond.
Teenager From Reeds
Spring Killed In Horific Accident
By: Kathee Sanchez-Baird
A teenager from Branson
West who was late for curfew
after attending a birthday party
was killed in a “horrific” crash
Tuesday night about 4-and-a-half
miles south of his hometown.
Seventeen year-old Mason
Weitzel missed a curve on DD
Highway and his car slammed
into two trees before bursting into
flames, according to Eric Nielsen
with the Southern Stone County
Fire Protection District. “He
had called his mom and told her
While he has felt the call to
seek public office for a while
now, Scobee says he respected
the job that Kenneth Booth, who
died while he was in office, was
doing and didn’t want to run
against him.
Governor Jay Nixon appointed
Jim Huy, who is also running for
Northern Commissioner, about a
year and a half ago to serve the
remainder of Booth’s term.
Scobee says the system current
commissioners are using “is a
really good method and system
of doing things. I don’t see
myself making any big changes
with the way things are done. I
don’t believe in cutting people-
-I have seen first hand what
happens when you cut people.”
“The two biggest budgets
in the county are the Sheriff’s
(Office) and Road and Bridge
(Department).” Scobee’s father,
George Scobee, was sheriff in
Stone County in the 80’s and
he says he admired the way his
father struggled to stay within
the confines of his budget while
still giving the community the
best service possible. “I believe
the Sheriff’s Office should be
allowed to have enough money
to do their job properly and the
Road and Bridge Department
has two excellent foremen at this
time.”
Noting dwindling tax revenues
Scobee says, “We have to be
able to hold our head above
water and not go backwards.
I believe the knowledge and
training I received at MoDot has
prepared me to serve as Northern
Commissioner.”
“You can speculate about what
you’d do, but you’re not really
going to know until you get in
there. This job would be a step up
for me, and I understand its not
the same kind of job I had with
MoDot. It would be a challenge
for anyone - but I’m up for it.”
Scobee has been married to his
wife, Debbie, who is the Stone
Scobee Cont...
he was running late. Excessive
speed was a factor.”
Weitzel, who was a student
and baseball player at Reeds
Spring, was wearing a seatbelt.
“Our crews had to cut it off
of him.” One of those crew
members attended high school
with Weitzel, according to
Nielsen.
“This is a very tragic incident
for our area.....kids need to slow
down.”
County Circuit Clerk (which is
a state held office), for 30 years.
They have two children and four
grandchildren and he serves as
a Deacon at Keystone Baptist
Church.
“The only big change I would
like to see is the name plate on the
front of the desk of the Northern
Commissioner,” said Scobee.
Next week we will have an
interview with Robert Stone
who is also running for Northern
Commissioner.
Alderwoman Cont..........
arriving officers came and began
to shine their flashlights into
the White’s cars, in the cutilage
of their house. They did not
have any logical reason, much
less probable cause, to do so.
They certainly did not have a
warrant.”
“We don’t have an issue with
the Crane police officer,” said
Wiley.
The videotape does not show
anything that happened during
the traffic stop and arrest of
Thomas Barnett and it begins
near the carport of the White’s
home. At one point Jessica White
asks a deputy who is attempting
to cuff her husband, “who are
you...why are you doing this.”
“What happened next had
nothing to do with interfering
with an officer. It had nothing
to do with resisting arrest,” said
Wiley.
Wiley says Jessica White was
defending her family, when she
hit the officer in the back of the
head. “I believe it was a reflex
action when she saw they were
being hurt.”
He says his clients suffered
broken ribs, torn ligaments
and approximately eight taser
assaults, including at least one in
the genital area. Wiley has set up
Cont on pg 9