November 22, 2009
R.J. Cooper - Courthouse Reporter
Recent Stories
Stewart sentenced in sodomy case
Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009
A St. Joseph 17-year-old received a 15-year prison sentence Thursday for sodomizing a 4-year-old boy.
However, how much of that sentence Harry L. Stewart Jr. serves will be a matter of conjecture for the next few months.
Mr. Stewart pleaded guilty to statutory sodomy of a person less than 14 years old last month in Buchanan County Circuit Court. On Thursday, Judge Dan Kellogg gave the defendant 15 years, then sentenced Mr. Stewart to 120 days of shock, prison detention.
Friday, Nov. 20, 2009
Benny Willmore’s flailing attempt at self-defense nearly killed someone and landed the St. Joseph man in prison for at least 120 days in the ensuing case.
County officeholders to forgo raisesThursday, Nov. 19, 2009
Buchanan County’s officeholders unanimously voted Wednesday to not accept raises for the next two years.
Rathman’s bond remains at $100KTuesday, Nov. 17, 2009
The alleged abuse that killed Donald Rathman was not a one-time occurrence, according to Buchanan County prosecutors.
Program offers addicts a chance to take back their livesMonday, Nov. 16, 2009
Jacob Hughes began his trek toward rehabilitation nearly two weeks ago, in a third-floor courtroom of the Buchanan County Courthouse.
The 20-year-old man, standing in an orange, jail-issued jumpsuit and shackles, pleaded guilty to a pair of felonies in front of Judge Dan Kellogg. Back in April, Mr. Hughes was high on methamphetamine at his St. Joseph apartment complex when he saw a fellow resident deposit money in the night drop box. Mr. Hughes grabbed a curtain rod and unsuccessfully tried to fish the money out of the box, earning him an attempted burglary charge. Three months later, he bought cigarettes with a stolen credit card.
Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009
Rita Miller’s criminal history began in 1995; however, her drug history started about a decade prior.
By the time police arrested her for stealing, Rita had nursed a cocaine habit since the mid 1980s. The St. Joseph woman eventually shook the grasp of cocaine through Buchanan County’s drug court, and now has been clean for five years. But had her four previous attempts at rehabilitation involved a conviction, Rita wonders whether prosecutors and Judge Dan Kellogg would have allowed her into the program at all.
“After awhile they just assume: ‘This person isn’t going to change. They’ve been in the system too long,’” she said.
Drug court weighs criticism with success
Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009
Rita Miller cried so hard she threw up.
There was no escaping a paper trail that led right to her, but she couldn’t stop. She stole to support her drug habit for about a decade, but after two convictions on that front, she turned to another source of cash — however brief and easy to trace it might have been. And despite her violent physical reaction to another round of lies, the mother of two resorted to forging checks worth nearly $3,100.
By 2002, Rita had pleaded guilty to three felonies in seven years — two for stealing and one for forgery. Her addiction to cocaine was such that she would leave her two teenage daughters for two days at a time to go on drug binges.
Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009
If there’s one place decorum still lives comfortably, it’s in the courtroom.
Courtesy titles, last names, standing to address the judge and other such formalities are common practice in Buchanan County Circuit Court — just not this particular Monday.
Judge Dan Kellogg, still sporting his black robe, bounces out from behind the bench and presents a woman with a certificate for one year of sobriety as the courtroom bursts into applause. The judge then discusses topics that range from free chicken at KFC to whether a new mother grabbed any sleep the night before as he progresses through his docket.
Friday, Nov. 13, 2009
A St. Joseph teen initially will serve 120 days in prison for sodomizing an 11-year-old boy.
Accused of child abuse, defendant pleads guiltyWednesday, Nov. 11, 2009
Judge Weldon Judah gave Zachery K. Ellis every chance to remove his guilty plea.
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