Clay County, Missouri Sheriff

10/16/2026

The victim in this case was more than 80 years old. As the Prosecutor states, that's considered a special victim in Missouri and enhances the severity of the charge.

Defendant Charged for Assault on Special Victim

Today, Clay County Prosecutors charged Defendant Charles Morris with the Felony of Assault in the 3rd Degree with a Special Victim, which is punishable by up to seven years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. Under Missouri law, charges may be elevated on certain crimes when the victim is over the age of 60.

According to the probable cause statement, deputies from the Clay County Sheriff’s Office responded Wednesday to a reported assault outside a residence in Liberty. The encounter began when the victim, who is over the age of 60, contacted Morris to ask him if he would help pick up storm debris. Following a verbal altercation, the victim began to drive away, prompting Morris to allegedly throw an object at the vehicle.

After the victim exited his vehicle, Morris allegedly struck the victim, knocking him to the ground. The victim suffered injuries to his face and hand but was able to return to his vehicle and drive away.

Morris was later arrested without further incident. After our office filed charges, the Court issued an arrest warrant and set bond at $50,000.

The investigation remains ongoing, and charges may change depending on the evidence our office receives. We thank the Clay County, Missouri Sheriff's Office for their work and collaboration, which allowed us to successfully file charges within 24 hours.

The information above was obtained from the court-filed probable cause statement in case 26CY-CR02730. All individuals mentioned are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The charges are allegations only and do not constitute evidence of guilt. The Clay County Prosecutor’s Office remains committed to seeking justice inside the courtroom.

10/15/2026

Sheriffin' can look a little different than work at other types of law enforcement agencies. By popular demand, here are some of our most sheriffin' calls for service from the last few months.

10/14/2026

This is how our patrol deputies spent much of their evening after last night's storms: clearing debris off roadways around the County. Please travel carefully today. We have continued to receive downed tree reports all morning.

10/13/2026

As a teenager tried to get home on his bike on Salem Road near NE 158th Street the evening of Oct. 1, the rain started again. It was just after 7:30 p.m. and was dark. The teen saw a vehicle coming, so he got off his bike and walked it off the road. A truck then swerved off the road right where the boy was and struck him. The truck then took off. A Good Samaritan was coming the opposite way of the truck and witnessed everything. That driver called 911 and attempted to follow the driver of the truck to get his information, but the truck’s driver took off and turned off his headlights.

The Good Samaritan returned to the scene and got the injured boy in his vehicle and out of the rain. The teen thankfully suffered only minor injuries, but paramedics indicated it looked like his leg had been run over.

The Good Samaritan had a dash camera that captured some of the incident. That, combined with data from license plate reader cameras and tire tracks found at the scene, led investigators to the truck that struck the teen. They interviewed the registered owner of that truck. Terance R. Goodface, 41, has been charged with leaving the scene of an accident causing physical injury, a felony. He is in custody in the Clay County Detention Center on a $50,000 cash-only bond. He was arrested on a different charge last week during a warrant sweep.

10/12/2026

4:45 P.M. UPDATE: The highway has reopened. The crash and spill have been cleared.

ORIGINAL:
210 Highway is closed in both directions at JJ due to a semi crash that spilled corn on the road. No other vehicles were involved. The driver was able to get out and walk, but an ambulance transported him to the hospital due to reported pain.

10/11/2026

Clay County offices are closed Monday, Oct. 12, in observance of Columbus Day, a federal holiday. This includes our administrative offices, CCW and S*x Offender Registration and Enforcement offices. There also will be no inmate visitation in the Detention Center.

10/09/2026

UPDATE:
North Kansas City Animal Control reports the owners have been located. Thank you!

ORIGINAL:
We're searching for the owners of these dogs who were threatening a woman who was walking her dog in North Kansas City. Some of our deputies were passing by at 1:19 p.m. today, saw the incident occurring, and intervened. They were at NE Prather Road and N. Garfield Avenue.

If the dogs are yours, please contact the City of North Kansas City Animal Shelter. Thanks to NKC Animal Control for help getting the dogs into "custody."

10/09/2026

NEWS RELEASE:

An operation led by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office yesterday resulted in the arrest of 15 people and the recovery of two teenagers who had been reported missing.

The Sheriff’s Office coordinated the warrant sweep that involved more than 50 law enforcement officers. In addition to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, eight additional agencies assisted: Missouri State Highway Patrol, Platte County Missouri Sheriff's Office, Gladstone MO Police, Kansas City Missouri Police Department, Kearney Missouri Police Department, Liberty, Missouri Police Department, City of North Kansas City Police Department and Pleasant Valley Missouri Police Department.

During the operation, law enforcement discovered two teenagers who had been reported missing from Stone County, Mo. They were safe and turned over to juvenile authorities.

While trying to make another arrest, they came to an apartment in Gladstone with illegal drugs and paraphernalia in plain view. They were granted a search warrant, which led to the recovery of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia, which could lead to additional criminal charges.

Below are the individuals arrested and their felony charges:

* Benjamin K. Barnes – aggravated driving while intoxicated (DWI)
* William R. Braxdale, Jr. – resisting arrest by fleeing and DWI
* Shelly R. Cassels - failure to appear in court on narcotic possession charge
* William D. Christeson – chronic DWI
* Terance R. Goodface – failure to appear in court on narcotic possession charge
* Ryan D. Hatfield – failure to appear in court on narcotic possession charge
* Steven Jarvis – failure to appear in court on charges of burglary, stealing and property damage
* David J. Keech – probation violation for narcotic possession
* Beverly A. McCormack – failure to appear in court on forgery charge
* Kenneth J.T. Painter – parole violation
* Ann Marie Vrab – resisting arrest by fleeing
* Kevin S. Walter – statutory so**my
* Kimberly Wroten – domestic assault
* Two individuals with charges pending for narcotics possession

10/08/2026

Thank you to everyone who stopped by our Coffee with a Cop on a Roofop event yesterday morning at the Liberty Hy-Vee Fresh Express and Caribou Coffee. It was great to get to talk with you, and we greatly appreciate the $300 you donated to Special Olympics Missouri!