This list is active listings available on 2/2/2012. If we can help you find something currently on the market, please feel free to contact us.

BUTLER, Mo. (AP) — Bates County authorities say a western Missouri woman wanted her ex-husband dead and asked for gruesome proof of the crime.

Thirty-two-year-old Joann R. Stepp of Rich Hill is charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder after trying to hire a hitman to kill her ex-husband and bring her his tongue.

The Kansas City Star reported Thursday that Stepp pleaded not guilty and is being held on $300,000 bond.

Court documents indicate that Stepp offered to pay a man $4,000 to commit the crime. The man was an undercover Bates County detective.

Stepp also allegedly asked the man to bring her pictures of the dead body so she could show her son that she had arranged the murder.

Online court records do not indicate if Stepp has an attorney.

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Information from: The Kansas City Star, http://www.kcstar.com


Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Mo-woman-charged-with-trying-to-have-ex-killed-1527817.php#ixzz1SmQk1AO6

108 South Main Street Butler, MO

108 South Main Street Butler, MO is set for auction June 13, 2011. The auction is scheduled to take place at the Bates County, MO Courthouse.

The home was listed in the MLS as a 2 bedroom 1 bath of 884 square feet.

The sale is being handled by South and Associates Law Firm.

More information is available on their site.
http://www.southlaw.com/

According to the MLS the home last sold in 2006
Thanks for visiting Bates County Real Estate.

AMSTERDAM, Mo. -- An overnight burglary attempt has left a gaping hole in the front of McBee's General Store in Amsterdam, Mo.A car smashed into the front of the general store as thieves tried to take the store's ATM and cash register.One man is in jail and the Bates County Sheriff's Department was looking for another man.Police said the thieves were able to take the cash register but were unable to move the ATM.Residents will now have to travel to Louisburg, Kan., for supplies. The family that owns the store said they are unsure when they'll be able to reopen.

http://www.kctv5.com/news/27857372/detail.html

A registered sex offender has been charged in a double homicide and arson in Bates County, the sheriff's department said.

Raymond S. Harvey Jr., 38, is facing two counts of first-degree murder and other charges after two bodies were found Wednesday inside a burning house in rural Bates County.

Raymond Harvey is listed on the Bates County Sheriff's Departments website as a registered sex offender, his profile there is one of the few with out a picture. His address was listed as, Rt. 1 Box 266 A Rich Hill, MO. The site lists his previous offense as Forcible Rape!

We found more information at the Missouri Sex Offender site. Raymond S. Harvey...

Raymond Samuel Harvey Jr. DOB: 12/05/1972

Convicted of raping a 17 year old girl in Kansas City, Mo on January 1, 1992 at the age of 19 years old.

Listed as 6' tall, 208 pounds with green eyes and Red or Auburn hair.

According to the Missouri Sex Offender Database his address there was listed as Rr 3 Box 170 Butler, MO 64730.

The former clerk of two Bates County water districts pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to embezzling up to $77,870 from the districts.

Valerie Jill Berry, 36, of Butler, Mo., worked as the clerk and bill collector for Bates County Public Water Supply Districts No. 1 and No. 6 from July 2001 until September 2008.

When water district customers paid their bills with cash, Berry credited their accounts, but failed to include all of the cash in her bank deposits.

Berry reserved the right to contest the loss amount at her sentencing hearing.


Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/03/09/2712754/in-brief-man-admits-role-in-ponzi.html#ixzz1GEEEp4Yz

Enhanced 911

On 1/5/11 majority of the Bates County Office holders and representatives from the City of Butler met at the courthouse to discuss providing Enhanced 911 to the citizens of rural Bates County and upgrading the City of Butler’s current 911 equipment. Three issues were brought out during the meeting.

The first issue discussed was the increased volume of emergency calls the Sheriff’s Office receives. Currently when someone in the County dials 911, the calls are forwarded to the administrative lines and there is no way to know if it’s a 911 call or a regular call. The Sheriff pointed out that if someone calls in and doesn’t know their location, the responding emergency personnel search for the proverbial needle in the hay stack. This is also the case if someone calls 911 and cannot communicate verbally; there is no way to know where the call came from without Enhanced 911. Adding enhanced 911 would allow for the system to capture the location the call is made from and forward that information to the needed services. This system also includes locating the 911 calls that are made from cell phones. In the event that a farmer is injured in the field he can call 911 and the system would secure his GPS location and that location would be auto-populated and his location dispatch to emergency service personnel. This improves response time for fire services, ambulance services and law enforcement services. Currently the Sheriff’s Office is averaging 600 calls for service a month and of those calls the Sheriff projects that at least 40 would have utilized the E911 system if it was in place.

The second issue discussed was the need for the City of Butler to upgrade their antiquated 911 system. Chief Garnett first began working on replacing his system in early 2010 when the phone company advised him that there were no parts available to repair his system when it fails. The City’s 911 system was purchased around 15 years ago and the City has provided E911 to the citizens that live within the city limits without a tax to fund it.

The Third issue was how Enhanced 911 would be funded. Sheriff Anderson and Chief Garnett have been researching the possibility of purchasing equipment that would serve both the County’s needs and the City of Butler’s needs. They presented a case that showed by teaming together (city and county) and purchasing a system together there would be substantial savings versus purchasing separately.

While all the office holders and city officials in attendance agreed that E911 was a benefit and needed throughout the county, the discussion turned to how the system would be funded. It was proposed that Bates County’s portion of the hardware and software would be purchased out of existing funds from general revenue and the yearly database maintenance expenses would be maintained from the existing Law Enforcement Funds. This would mean that all county residence would be provided Enhanced 911 without the need for additional taxes.

Sheriff Anderson states that his research shows that 911 first became available in the United Stated in 1968 after a push from the United Association of Fire Chiefs, Presidents Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice. Since then generations of people have been raised on the theory that if you need help in an emergency then you just dial 9-1-1. The research also shows that 96% of the United States has Enhanced 911, which automatically gives dispatch the caller’s location.

Sheriff Anderson also pointed out that in 2009 the Sheriff’s Office joined together with four other counties to receive a grant to upgrade the reporting system for the Sheriff’s Office. With that grant each patrol vehicle in his fleet was equipped with a laptop computer with Global Positioning Systems. This system was designed to be integrated with a E911 system so that when the dispatch receives a call on 911 it auto-populates the call to the system and then pin-points that emergency call on the Deputy’s in car computer. This allows the Deputy to pull up the call and see it on a map so he can find the shortest route possible to respond to the call. The system also helps with resource allocation. When a 911 call comes in and the system pin points that call on the map then dispatchers can see the location of the Deputies and send the closest unit to the call, improving the response time for a call for help.

Sheriff Anderson says “I am excited to see all the Elected County Officials come together and work diligently to improve the quality of life for our Citizens and to be able to offer better life saving services to the citizens without asking for any additional taxes. I feel this is why the citizens have elected us to be their voice in government.”

While major steps have been taken to move forward to bring Bates County Enhanced 911 there are many things that still need to be taken care of. No definitive decision was made at the meeting but a goal was set to move to the next stage of planning for this project. This project if supported by the public may take up to a year to have in place and implemented.

January 14, 2011 here are all the residential listings from the MLS that are available in Bates County, MO as to this date. This list changes daily, contact us if you want an updated list.