MIAMI, Okla. —
A judge sentenced Skye Reece to life in prison today for the death one year ago of 17-month-old Lanceton Hollenbeck but granted her the possibility of parole.
A jury convicted the 21-year-old Quapaw woman in December of first-degree murder in the death of the boy, who was the son of her former boyfriend, Ryan Nowlin, and recommended that she receive a life term with the possibility of parole.
District Judge Robert Haney took note of the relative youth of the defendant and her lack of a criminal history. He also expressed regret that her imprisonment will impact a 1-year-old son she has in common with Nowlin. But the case is even more tragic for the child who lost his life, the judge said before upholding the jury’s recommendation.
Reece claimed the boy fell off his small bed in the apartment they shared with his father and the son they have in common. An autopsy found his cause of death to be cranial and cerebral injuries from blunt-force trauma, with a large fracture on the left side of the skull and smaller, branching fractures.
Crime & Courts
Judge assesses life sentence for father’s girlfriend in toddler’s death
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Firefighters douse blaze inside wall; no injuries cited
The Joplin Fire Department used thermal-imaging equipment Wednesday night to detect a hidden fire inside a residence.
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Exeter resident hurt in accident in Barry County
An Exeter resident was injured in a single-vehicle accident at 2:15 p.m. Thursday on Missouri Highway 76, two miles west of Exeter in Barry County, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
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Pittsburg couple arrested; children taken out of home
PITTSBURG, Kan. — A Pittsburg couple was arrested and their three children removed from their care Wednesday when narcotics officers allegedly seized marijuana, methamphetamine and other items in a search of their home.
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Joplin man arrested on felony charge of past sexual abuse
A 16-year-old girl’s recent disclosures to her mother regarding past sexual abuse has led to the arrest and charging of a Joplin man.
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Identity-theft victim jailed on culprit’s warrant
Kurt Millard spent most of last weekend in the Jasper County Jail, locked up on another man’s arrest warrant. The 26-year-old Joplin resident could not convince his jailers they had the wrong guy. “I got the run-around the whole weekend,” Millard told the Globe. “I didn’t even get to wish my mother a happy Mother’s Day.”
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Attorney general files suit against California contractor
Attorney General Chris Koster on Thursday filed a lawsuit against a California man, alleging he failed to provide construction materials and home repair services that had been paid for by victims of the Joplin tornado.
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Pierce City man hurt in accident in Barry County
A Pierce City man was injured in a single-vehicle accident at 7 a.m. Wednesday on Missouri Highway 248, two miles west of Jenkins in Barry County, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
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Woman to stand trial on felony count of child abuse
A rural Joplin woman waived her right to a preliminary hearing Wednesday on a felony count of child abuse related to the alleged bruising of her 12-year-old daughter’s buttocks and arms.
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Fire destroys garage, two vehicles inside
CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — A Tuesday night fire that destroyed a garage and two vehicles at an address south of Carl Junction may have had an electrical cause.
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Worker hit in head with saw blade at construction site
A worker at a construction site in Webb City suffered a severe injury Wednesday when he was struck in the head by a blade from a power saw.
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