Greene County

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A man died after he was stabbed in the chest in central Springfield on Wednesday night.  The brother of Curtis Storey, 29, is suspected of killing him. Police were called to 603 S. New Ave. around 9 p.m.  A neighbor made the call about a fight in the backyard of a house there. When officers arrived, they found Storey in the yard.  He was quickly taken to a hospital, but doctors were not able to save him. Police questioned and released Storey's brother.  They'll send a report to the Greene County prosecuting attorney's office for possible charges.

SPRINGFIELD,D Mo. -- Two teens accused of brutally murdering a couple in Stone County this year still don't know if they'll be tried as adults.   The 16 year-old and 17 year-old boys appeared in court on Wednesday.  The judge will rule later on the teens' future. The boys are being held in Greene County's juvenile detention center but, if they were sentenced as juveniles, they'd likely be moved to a correctional facility for just a few years until they turn 18, maybe 21.   "There was a large amount of blood and injury, there was blunt force trauma, severe injuries that led to their death.

BATTLEFIELD, Mo -- KSPR News has been asking the tough questions about the death of a 23-year-old woman in Battlefield. Desiree Haugen was found dead April 8th. A few days later, police shot and killed a man in Joplin -- a man they called a person of interest in Haugen's death. Officers say Michael D. Findley, 45, was wanted for a parole violation. Today, cops say that case started in Nixa, and it involved stolen property and assaulting a cop. There was no word on what relationship, if any, Findley had with Haugen.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Springfield is the scene of a destructive tornado -- at least that's the scenario that emergency responders will deal with during a disaster drill on Thursday. Greene County's Emergency Management Office will have several monitors set up to keep an eye on any damage or victims, so responders know what to do in a disaster. The Emergency Management director says their team will work as the  main line of communication between several agencies like medical, police, and firefighters.  Crews from those agencies will be on hand too to simulate what would happen in a true tornado disaster.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo -- Greene County Sheriff Jim Arnott says citizen volunteers are becoming a growing part of law enforcement. Most of the job is to be on the lookout for suspicious activity, or assist deputies in situations like the suspicious death on Tuesday in Battlefield. Arnott says citizens on patrol (COPS) will canvass neighborhoods and interview witnesses. So think of them as an extra set of eyes and ears in Greene County neighborhoods - except there are 31 of them.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A state lawmaker proposes using your tax dollars to fund a pre-school system in Greene County.  He says it would fix a host of problems from child abuse and neglect to high school dropouts. "What if I told you, with a very small investment, we could get rid of child abuse and neglect, or at least reduce it, lessen the aggression and discipline problems in our classrooms, reduce public safety costs, and reduce our reliance on social services?" Denise Bredfelt asked a room full of Springfield City Council members on Tuesday afternoon.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Two community groups will give more than $80,000 to senior citizens' well-being programs in Greene County on Monday. The Community Foundation of the Ozarks and Greene County Senior Services Fund Board will divvy up $80,109 in grant money to several services. The recipients include the following: · ARC of the Ozarks: $15,000 for services for clients in the day habilitation support programming.  · Ash Grove Food Pantry: $2,400 for food, storage equipment and distribution to meet the food needs of seniors.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- It is a first in Greene County that is one step closer to being a reality. Development plans are finalized for the county's own morgue. The project was put on hold earlier this year, after a problem with access at the original site. The county bought a new location in Springfield at 916 N. Campbell Ave., where a church currently stands. It is across from the Emergency Management Building and will look almost identical to it. It has been a long time in the making for the Medical Examiner's Office in Greene County.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Kidnapping. Rape. Murder. Violent acts that victims said came from one man. Monday, Taney County prosecutors filed five charges against Sean Roberson, including assault and murder. They said Roberson cut and strangled Branson teenager Andros Valentin-Vargas. A week before Valentin-Vargas died, Springfield police focused on Roberson for kidnapping and rape. As detectives investigated that case, Branson police had a case of their own that involved Roberson: murder.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo -- It's a new reality - police say mental illness is playing a prominent role in crime. Greene County Sheriff Jim Arnott and Springfield Police Chief Paul Williams met with psychologists at the Burrell Center today. Topics included crisis intervention training and how to safely end a tense situation. Everyday -- they say officers deal with suspects who have mental illnesses like depression, bipolar disorder and PTSD. Even if they commit a crime, the sheriff says arresting them may not be the best decision.