Missouri

Several Ozarks area first responders and citizens to be honored with Missouri Public Safety medals

Published

1 year ago

September 26, 2023

Several Ozarks area first responders and citizens to be honored with Missouri Public Safety medals

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – The State of Missouri will honor 18 first responders and several civilians on Thursday (Sept. 28) in recognition of their heroic acts beyond the call of duty performed during 2022.

The presentation of Missouri Public Safety Medals will be made by Lt. Governor Mike Kehoe at the Missouri State Highway Patrol headquarters in Jefferson City at 1:30 p.m.

Several of the honorees are from the Ozarks.

The Medal of Valor honors public safety officers who exhibit exceptional courage and decisiveness in attempting to save human lives. This year Lawrence County Deputy Sheriff Shane Blankenship is among that group being recognized for the life-saving rescue of a driver trapped inside a burning truck in Lawrence County.

A pair of Branson police officers will also be receiving the Medal of Valor as Sgt. Tanner Muckenthaler and Officer Brendan Gamble also rescued a man trapped in a burning car following a head-on collision.

“Driving down the road, I see two cars that are kind of off the road in a ditch, and I see smoke coming from at least one of the vehicles,” recalled Muckenthaler. “While I was getting one man out of a car Mr. Childress (more on him in a moment) had gotten two occupants out of the vehicle that was on fire. When Officer Gamble arrived on scene, we went to the final passenger in the vehicle that was on fire. We knew we didn’t have much time. He was in the front passenger seat, and you could see flames coming out of the engine compartment and going up on the windshield. So we knew we had to get him out immediately and that we couldn’t wait for anybody else to provide assistance on that one. We don’t do this for recognition or anything like that, but I’m very grateful for the opportunity and grateful that I was at the right place at the right time on that day.”

“There are plenty of officers out there who don’t get recognition for all that they do,” Gamble added. “Unfortunately, stuff like this (rescuing people out of cars) happens all the time. I just wish there would be more recognition for some of the other officers out there who do stuff just like we did.”

A pair of Branson civilians are also being given Public Safety Civilian Partnership Awards for assisting public safety officers.

Shane Childress helped officers during that same wreck. He was one of the first to arrive on scene and helped get occupants out of the cars.

“Mr. Childress also used some fire extinguishers to keep the fire at bay while Officer Gamble and I cut that final individual out of the car because his seatbelt was still attached and not releasing,” Muckenthaler said.

“At one point, he grabbed a rolling chair to help us as we were able to sit one of the occupants on that chair to get him away from the fire,” Gamble added.

Another civilian award will be awarded in Jefferson City to Joseph Sapp, who will be recognized for assisting a Branson police officer who was being assaulted in an apartment complex parking lot.

The Red, White, and Blue Heart Award at the public safety honor event is given to those who have lost their lives in the line of duty or sustained serious injuries.

This year’s honorees include three Joplin officers. Cpl. Benjamin L. Cooper and Officer Jake A. Reed were killed when a suspect they were attempting to take into custody pulled a concealed gun and shot them in March 2022. Officer Rick Hirshey was severely wounded when the fleeing gunman shot him in the face. The officers had responded to a disturbance call involving suspect Anthony Felix, who stole a police car after shooting two of the officers. He was eventually shot and killed by another officer.

Another posthumous Red, White, and Blue Award will be given to Ebenezer firefighter Dustin Brandhorst, who was killed when his tender truck overturned while trying to go around a curve on the way to a fire call in March 2022. His family and several members of the Ebenezer Fire Protection District will be on hand for the ceremony.

“It will rekindle some emotions, I’m sure,” said Assistant Chief Chad Shell, who was also a neighbor to Brandhorst. “You don’t ever really forget and you don’t get over it. You just find ways to live with it and move on. For me, it’s just helping support his family. Dustin was a good friend of mine and this is a huge honor because it helps you understand just how much people care.”

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Missouri

College football QB transfer tracker: QB Beau Pribula headed to Missouri

Published

5 hours ago

December 23, 2024

Press Room

College football QB transfer tracker: QB Beau Pribula headed to Missouri

It’s both transfer season and bowl season in college football.

The poor timing of the sport’s calendar means that players need to enter the transfer portal immediately after the end of the season to enroll at a new school for the second semester. That means players across the country have to leave their current teams before a bowl game to find a new school. And that coaches have to both prepare their current players for a bowl game while also recruiting transfers for the 2025 season.

Here’s our tracker of notable QB transfers across college football ahead of the 2025 season.

Beau Pribula to Missouri

After leaving Penn State ahead of the College Football Playoff, Beau Pribula has found his new home.

Pribula is set to transfer to Missouri, according to multiple reports on Sunday night. Pribula served as Drew Allar’s backup quarterback this season at Penn State, though Pribula announced that he was going to transfer away before the Nittany Lions’ blowout win over SMU in the first round of the playoffs. Allar announced he will return to Penn State next season, too.

Pribula will have two years of eligibility remaining at Missouri, where he’ll likely replace Brady Cook. Pribula, a former four-star recruit, went 26-of-35 for 275 yards with five touchdowns and an interception this season. He had 242 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 38 carries, too. Missouri also has Drew Pyne, who backed up Cook this past season, on its roster.

The Tigers went 9-3 this season, the fifth under coach Eli Drinkwitz. They will wrap up their season against Iowa in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl on Dec. 30.

Maalik Murphy transferring to Oregon State

Former Texas and Duke quarterback Maalik Murphy is heading west.

Murphy committed to Oregon State on Thursday according to multiple reports. He joins the Beavers after one season in Durham following his transfer from Texas.

Murphy was 254-of-421 passing for 2,933 yards and 26 TDs with 12 interceptions in 2024. He spent the 2023 season as Texas’ No. 2 quarterback and started in Quinn Ewers’ absence when Ewers suffered a shoulder injury. However, due to the timing of the transfer portal, he left the Longhorns before the College Football Playoff.

Murphy will have two seasons of eligibility with the Beavers. Oregon State went 5-7 in 2024 as three different quarterbacks played in at least five games.

After Murphy entered the transfer portal at the end of the season, Duke moved quickly to secure a commitment from Tulane’s Darian Mensah.

Liberty’s Kaidon Salter heads to Colorado

One of the most productive QBs in college football during the 2023 season is heading to Colorado.

Liberty’s Kaidon Salter committed to Colorado on Wednesday for his final season of eligibility. Salter had 44 total touchdowns in 2023 as Liberty went undefeated and won Conference USA before losing to Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl. Salter returned to Liberty for the 2024 season after he briefly entered the portal following the Fiesta Bowl loss.

Billy Edwards commits to Wisconsin

Former Maryland QB Billy Edwards said Monday that he was heading to Wisconsin. Edwards was 273-of-420 passing for 2,881 yards and 15 TDs with nine interceptions over 11 games in 2024. He also rushed for 148 yards and five touchdowns. Edwards appeared in 15 games over his first two seasons at Maryland before becoming the team’s primary QB in 2024.

Wisconsin is undergoing an overhaul at the QB position as the team made a coordinator change at the end of the season. QBs Braedyn Locke and Tyler Van Dyke have entered the transfer portal already. Locke was the team’s starter for most of the season after Van Dyke suffered a torn ACL against Alabama.

Wazzu QB John Mateer enters portal

Washington State QB John Mateer was one of the most dynamic players in college football in 2024. He’ll be playing at a new school in 2025.

Mateer is entering the portal after leading college football with 44 total TDs. He threw for 29 scores and rushed for 15 others as he had at least one passing TD and one rushing TD in 10 of Washington State’s 12 games.

Penn State QB Beau Pribula leaves team before playoff

The Nittany Lions will have a new backup behind Drew Allar for the College Football Playoff.

No. 2 QB Beau Pribula announced Sunday that he was entering the transfer portal ahead of the postseason. Pribula lamented the timing of his announcement because of college football’s calendar, and his sentiments were backed up by coach James Franklin, who said he supported his QB’s decision to find a new school.

Pribula’s decision to transfer came a day before Allar announced he will return to Penn State for the 2025 season.

Pribula saw significant playing time in 2024 behind Allar. He was 26-of-35 passing for 275 yards and five TDs and rushed 38 times for 242 yards and four scores while appearing in all 13 of PSU’s games.

Miller Moss will spend final season at Louisville

The Louisville Cardinals will likely have a one-year transfer starting at quarterback for a second straight season.

Former USC QB Miller Moss committed to the Cardinals on Saturday. Moss was USC’s starter for much of the season in 2024 before he was replaced by Jayden Maiava. Moss was 233-of-362 passing for 2,555 yards with 18 TDs and nine interceptions across nine games.

The Cardinals and coach Jeff Brohm got an up-close look at what Moss can do in the Holiday Bowl at the end of the 2023 season. With Caleb Williams opting out for the NFL Draft, Moss started the game and was 23-of-33 for 372 yards and six TDs.

Tyler Shough spent the 2024 season as Louisville’s starter after stints at Oregon and Texas Tech. In his seventh season of college football, Shough has completed 63% of his passes and thrown for 23 TDs and just six interceptions.

Ex-Stanford QB Ashton Daniels joins Jackson Arnold at Auburn

Auburn added a second starting QB in less than a week on Monday when Stanford’s Ashton Daniels committed to the Tigers. In 11 games in 2024, Daniels was 170-of-271 passing for 1,700 yards and 10 TDs with 12 interceptions. He also was the Cardinal’s leading rusher with 148 carries for 669 yards and three TDs.

Daniels has appeared in 33 games over his Stanford career and is 366-of-602 passing for 3,986 yards. His commitment came days after former Oklahoma QB Jackson Arnold committed to Auburn. The Tigers will have a new starter in 2025 after Payton Thorne is out of eligibility and Hank Brown transferred to Iowa.

Utah adds New Mexico QB Devon Dampier and OC

Dual-threat QB Devon Dampier is heading to Utah.

The Utes got a commitment from Dampier on Dec. 11 after the Utes hired former New Mexico offensive coordinator Jason Beck to call plays.

Dampier thrived under Beck in 2024 as one of the most underrated players in college football. Dampier was 226-of-390 passing for 2,768 yards and 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He also rushed 155 times for 1,166 yards and 19 scores. He was the only player to rush for over 1,000 yards while throwing for over 2,500 yards this season.

Dampier is set to be the presumptive starter for the Utes as they attempt to rebound from a poor 2024. QB Isaac Wilson was the team’s primary starter after Cam Rising’s multiple injuries. Wilson was briefly in the transfer portal before recommitting to Utah.

Thomas Castellanos goes to Florida State

After an ignominious end to his Boston College career, Thomas Castellanos is heading to Florida State.

The former BC QB entered the transfer portal at the end of the season after he lost his starting job in November. Through eight games in 2024, Castellanos threw for 1,366 yards and 18 TDs.

But Castellanos’ season was effectively over after Grayson James replaced him in a win over Syracuse. Castellanos stepped away from the team after BC coach Bill O’Brien announced that James would remain the team’s primary QB and announced he was heading into the portal a short time later.

Texas A&M QB Conner Weigman heads to Houston

Conner Weigman decided to stay in Texas after transferring from Texas A&M.

The former Aggies starter committed to Houston after putting his name in the portal. Weigman was the team’s starting quarterback but lost his job to Marcel Reed during the Aggies’ comeback win over LSU.

A former four-star recruit, Weigman has dealt with injuries during each of the past two seasons. He missed time in 2024 because of a shoulder injury and played in just four games in 2023 before a foot injury sidelined him for the rest of the season.

Maalik Murphy transfers from Duke, Darian Mensah commits

Duke effectively made an early transfer portal QB trade once the 2024 season ended.

Starter Maalik Murphy entered the portal after one season with the Blue Devils. Just days after Murphy said he was transferring, Duke added former Tulane QB Darian Mensah.

Mensah was one of the top-rated QBs in the portal since he announced he was leaving Tulane two days after the AAC title game. He threw for over 2,723 yards and 22 TDs as a redshirt freshman in 2024.

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Missouri

Mizzou ends inches away from Braggin' Rights win

Published

13 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

Mizzou ends inches away from Braggin’ Rights win

ST. LOUIS – Down to the wire, the Missouri Tigers kept fighting.

Missouri fell behind 10 late, but came back to take the lead and eventually tied the game again with a minute to play, but two final 3-pointers fell off the mark as the Illinois Fighting Illini won a new Braggin’ Rights classic in St. Louis on Sunday.

“It was a great atmosphere, both staffs, both coaches, I have tremendous respect for the program, but I wish we could have come away with a win,” Missouri coach Dennis Gates said. “It was a great NCAA Tournament atmosphere, that’s what it looked like to me.”

Neither team had a double-digit lead at any point until Kylan Boswell hit a couple of free throws with 6:33 left to create a 67-57 advantage.

Then the Tigers played with some chaos.

“Nobody does that better than Missouri,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said.

Tamar Bates drove to hit a fading midrange jumper, then Tony Perkins grabbed a defensive rebound and was fouled, which sent him to the line where he hit both shots.

Trent Pierce then grabbed a defensive board and flipped it ahead to Mark Mitchell who found Jacob Crews in the left corner for the Tigers’ second 3 of the game to cut the lead to 67-64 with 5:27 left.

Bates hit two more free throws, then forced a steal that led to a Pierce layup, giving the Tigers a 68-67 advantage with 4:13 left, their first lead since late in the first half.

“The thing we didn’t do is hang out head, and we kept fighting,” Gates said. “We kept our foot on the shovel and we kept digging. And that’s the sign of a good team.”

But the lead lasted about 18 seconds as Tre White hit a jumper to retake a 69-68 lead for the Illini.

The Tigers would not lead again.

“We cut the lead two or three times … and each time, Illinois made a tough shot, made a tough shot, so they had timely execution,” Gates said. “… Sometimes players just make big plays and you can’t, can’t do nothing about it.”

But they would tie it again, first at 72 with 2:29 left, then at 75 with 1:14 to go and again at 77 with 45 seconds left.

But each time, the Illini hit the shot they needed, going up 75-72 on a Kasparas Jakucionis 3, then 77-75 on two Boswell free throws and taking the lead for good on a Jakucionis jumper with 28 seconds to play.

With Illinois leading 79-77, the Tigers turned to Mitchell, who hit a late 3 in the Border War to hold off kansas’ charge and maintain Mizzou’s advantage, but this time, the shot was off and Boswell came down with the rebound.

A foul sent him to the line, where he made just one, leaving the lead at 3 with 8 seconds left.

The Tigers charged down the floor and gave an open look to Crews from the right wing, but it clanged off the back iron as time expired to give Illinois its second consecutive Braggin’ Rights win.

“I thought we had a great look, could have called timeout, but I wasn’t going to get an open shot, more open than what we got with two-versus-one against a set defense,” Gates said. “I trust our players and trust what they do, and ultimately, it was in and out.”

After consecutive blowouts in the St. Louis matchup the past three seasons and the most recent close game played in Columbia, the 2024 edition gave fans all the excitement they could hope for from the rivalry.

“Missouri’s got unbelievable history, they’ve got unbelievable tradition,” Underwood said. “I, again, I have so much respect for programs that have that. Not everybody has that. … When you get those two teams together and you get them in the unique circumstances, you get a crowd like today.”

The Tigers jumped out to the game’s initial lead, going up 5-0 as Mitchell and Bates each hit a layup and Mitchell added a game-opening free throw, but the Illini fought back to tie at 7 and took Illinois’ first lead at 10-7 with 14:50 left in the first half.

The Illini held the lead through much of the first half, but the tigers chipped away with this season’s bread and butter, the free-throw line.

Two Perkins free throws cut the lead to 24-22, then Marques Warrick grabbed a defensive rebound and dished it ahead to Perkins for a transition dunk to tie the game at 24.

A Mitchell free throw gave the Tigers the lead again at 25-24, then a Mitchell and-1 layup put the Tigers ahead 28-24 with 4:48 left before halftime as the Tigers attacked the paint again and again, scoring 34 points in the paint.

But as it did every time Missouri gained momentum, Illinois got the shots it needed. A jumper from Tre White and a second-chance jumper from Morez Johnson tied the game at 28, then Johnson added a layup before White hit two free throws to extend the lead to 32-28.

Mizzou came back to tie on a Mitchell layup and two free throws, but a five-point Illinois run ended the half with the Illini up 37-32.

“They ended the half with an unbelievable run in a minute and 30 seconds,” Gates said.

Illinois maintained a lead throughout most of the second half, building to the 10-point advantage late, but the physicality of the game got out of hand at points, helping lead to a combined 60 free throws and a rare Gates technical foul with 16:53 left.

After a very physical sequence with bodies clanging together under the basket and Ant Robinson falling to the floor after trying to pass following a steal, Gates sprang onto the floor in the middle of the play and got in the face of the official, earning a technical that allowed Illinois to go up 42-34 after the two free throws.

“I didn’t mean to get a tech, but I had to,” Gates said. “I had to, I had to get a tech and our guys responded from that technical foul. Because if, if I did not get a technical foul on that, Lord knows what would have taken place the entire game. What I do know was right in front of me, Ant Robinson fell, I don’t think he fell on his own, but that was after a couple other situations that took place.”

Missouri (10-2) ends its winning streak at 10 games and will look to get back in the win column as it plays its final non-conference game following a break for Christmas. The Tigers will host Alabama State at 6:30 p.m., Dec. 30.

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Missouri

Bombshell update in horrific decades-old cold case murder of Missouri teen

Published

20 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

Bombshell update in horrific decades-old cold case murder of Missouri teen

A woman’s ex-boyfriend has been arrested for her murder 32 years after she was found shot to death in her car in Missouri.

Leon P. Lamb, 52, was charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action for the murder of Mischelle Lawless, who died at the age of 19 in November 1992.

Lawless’ case was reopened in June 2023 and 18 months later, investigators gathered enough evidence to bring an indictment against Lamb.

The ex-boyfriend was arrested in Conway, Arkansas, and is being held without bond.

He was the last person to see Lawless and the pair had an on-and-off-again relationship, according to The Standard-Democrat.

Another man, Josh Kezer, was charged and convicted for the crime in 1994, but was later acquitted in 2009.

He was convicted after Mark Abbott testified he saw Kezer at a payphone near the exit ramp.

Several jailhouse witnesses also testified he had confessed to the murder at party, where Chantelle Crider, said she saw him arguing with Lawless the week before, according to Southeast Missourian.

Leon P. Lamb, 52, was charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action for the murder of Mischelle Lawless, who died at the age of 19 in November 1992. The ex-boyfriend was arrested in Conway, Arkansas , and is being held without bond

He was the last person to see Lawless and the pair had an on-and-off-again relationship

After Kezer’s exoneration, Abbott’s name was pushed forward as a suspect, as people said he had confessed to the murder, with one witness saying he told him: ‘I took care of that bitch.’

Lamb was also a suspect early on as his DNA was found underneath her nails, but he told investigator the pair had sex and she had scratched his back, according to the outlet.

He also told investigator that Lawless had left his house in a good mood before she was found dead off the highway exit.

Lamb also passed a polygraph test, according to Southeast Missourian.

Allen Moss was named special prosecutor of the case last year, and he brought investigator David James out of retirement to help him find Lawless’ killer, he told KFVS 12 at the time.

Neither had any ties to the case when they started, but were certain they’d find who they were looking for among the thousands of pages in the teen’s case file.

Lawless had been out with friends in Sikeston on November 7, 1992 and she never made it home.

She was found by a couple driving of I-55. Off an exit ramp, sat her red car with the engine still running and the lights on near the guardrail.

Lamb was a suspect early on as his DNA was found underneath her nails, but he told investigator the pair had sex and she had scratched his back

She was found by a couple driving of I-55. Off an exit ramp, sat her red car with the engine still running and the lights on near the guardrail

Deputies arrived around 1:30am and found Lawless’ body in the car. Blood was found on the guardrail (pictured)

Allen Moss (right) was named special prosecutor of the case last year and he brought investigator David James (left) out of retirement to help him find Lawless’ killer

Deputies arrived around 1:30am and found Lawless’ body in the car.

‘And it looked like there had been a confrontation at the car of some sort,’ James said in 2023. ‘Her window was down on her car partially. And they found evidence of blood on the guardrail.

‘There’s blood on the ground. And so it looked like and appeared that there was a struggle of some sort that either started at the car or ended at the car.

‘But somehow or another she was over the guardrail and down the embankment. She ends up back in the car. And once inside the car, she is shot several times.’

Early on in the reinvestigation, James visited Lawless’ grave to talk to her, where he told the dead teen that he was ‘sorry’ for what happened to her and that he was ‘here to try and find out what happened.’

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