The Springfield News-Leader from Springfield, Missouri • Page A10

10A EWS -L EADER dropastampedlettertoSanta onlineat macys.com/believe, OnNationalBelieveDay, specialwishestochildrenwith life-threateningmedicalconditions incitiesnationwide. GoodMorningAmerica from 7a.m.–9a.m.toseehowyourlettertoSantacan Bepartofthemagic macys.com/believe#MacysBelieve totalgivingtoMake-A-Wishsince2003. droppedoffin-storeandonlinethroughDecember24th. JOINUSFOR ONESPECIALDAY! DOUBLEDONATIONSAND SL-0000412274 Nine more defendants of them from Springfield were indicted Wednesday for their alleged roles in a drug distribution ring that brought more than 60 pounds of Mexican meth to Missouri. Jake Nixon, 19, Aaron Stull, 51, and Michelle Gray, 49, all of Springfield; Jarub Baird, 27, of Carthage; Breann Hall, 25, of Ozark; Lanny Ham, 26, of Bakersfield, California; Cindy Nevatt, 62, of Gulf Shores, Alabama; and Autumn Provience, 23, and Tara Harken, 44, of Marion, Illinois, were indicted on federal drug charges, according to a news release from the U.S.

Attorney for the Western District of Missouri. The release says six other people have already been indicted in connection with the drug distribution ring Michael Ryan Ne- vatt (the son of Cindy Ne- vatt), 26, Kara Baze, 23, and Scott Sands, 51, all of Springfield; Kenneth Lake, 55, of Strafford; Jerry Brown, 43, of Lebanon; and Travis Lee Bethel, 45, of Urbana. The 15 defendants are accused of participating in aconspiracy to distribute more than 60 pounds of meth in Missouri from January 2014 to November 2016. The indictment contains aforfeiture allegation that would require the defendants to pay the government more than $1 million, which represents the estimated proceeds of the meth-trafficking operation. The defendants are also charged in a money-laundering conspiracy.

The release says members of the group bought cars and gambled at casinos to clean the drug money. The release says the investigators caught a break in the case in July 2015 when authorities in St. Joseph arrested a person with $5,000 and more than a pound of meth. That person allegedly identified Michael Nevatt as his source. Authorities believe Michael Nevatt was the middleman between Mexican meth suppliers and dealers in southern Missouri.

A confidential informant told investigators that he or she went to Dallas with Michael Nevatt about 20 times in one year to pick up pounds of meth that was then transported to Springfield. In addition to the drug- trafficking and money- laundering conspiracies, Michael Nevatt is charged with Cindy Nevatt and Pro- vience in a conspiracy to possess and use various firearms as part of the meth distribution operation. 9more indicted in 60-pound meth ring HARRISON KEEGAN After using his SUV to fatally hit a man outside of aDallas County bar in 2014, Timothy Frye pleaded guilty this week to manslaughter and leaving the scene of a crime. Frye, 25, previously faced charges of second- degree murder, assault and leaving the scene of an accident, but the charges were reduced through a plea deal he made with prosecutors, according to Dallas County Prosecutor Barbara Viets. Authorities said Frye hit Corey Arthur outside of Lil Dallas Bar and Grill near Fair Grove in the early morning hours Dec.

13, 2014. Arthur was transported to Mercy Hospital in Springfield but died two weeks later, according to court documents. Charging documents said Frye also tried to hit another man with his SUV that night before driving away from the scene. Frye has previously been convicted of several crimes, according to Viets, including burglary, resisting arrest and endangerment of a child. As a prior and persistent offender, Frye faces up to 15 years in prison for manslaughter and up to seven years for leaving the scene of a crime, Viets said.

think this is a fair and appropriate plea she said. According to Viets, witness accounts of the crime varied and had changed over time, and conviction still carries harsh penalties. Asentencing hearing has been scheduled for Feb. 24. Court documents said witnesses saw an SUV driven by Frye hit Arthur and then strike a metal post as it drove away from the scene in December 2014.

Springfield police recovered the SUV four days after the incident when it was abandoned in the 1600 block of East Madison Street, according to court documents. Documents said investigators collected DNA samples from the steering wheel, door handle and light switch, along with paint scrapings from the front bumper and an energy drink bottle. The case was heard in Webster County after Frye requested a change of venue, Viets said. Dallas County man pleads guilty to reduced manslaughter charge GIACOMO BOLOGNA Timothy Frye KANSAS CITY- Colleges that expel students whom they suspect of having committed sexual assault are being asked to go further by specifying the reason for expulsion on their transcripts. advocates say critical to ensuring that such students end up on other campuses without their new schools knowing the potential risk and to holding them accountable, long term, so they just move on with a clean slate.

Virginia and New York already have such a requirement and a California congresswoman, Rep. Jackie Speier, introduced abill Thursday that would expand it nationwide while allowing such notations to eventually be expunged. Speier, a Democrat from the Bay Area, said most schools already note incidents of cheating on records, so it makes sense to note if someone was expelled for sexual misconduct. assault is a far more serious offense that deserves at least as much, if not greater, Speier said in an email last month. Opponents, though, say such transcript notations would be unfair.

They point out that these sexual misconduct findings are made by the schools, not the courts, and that in many cases, prosecutors have opted not to press charges due to a lack of evidence. Furthermore, schools have a lower bar for determining culpabili- ty than the justice standard of beyond a reasonable doubt. Title IX, the federal law prohibiting gender-based discrimination in education, including sexual harassment and sexual violence, requires schools to find an accused student responsible if a better than 50-50 chance a sexual assault occurred. is an uneven playing field from the said Justin Dillon, a Washington-based lawyer who has defended dozens of students accused of sexual misconduct. of what colleges want to say, the burden is always on the accused student to prove his innocence, not the other way The Title IX requirements can expose schools to lawsuits.

the case at the University of Kansas, which is being sued by two former members of the rowing team who accuse the school of mishandling their claims against a football player. Daisy Tackett reported that the player raped her and Sarah McClure said he touched her breasts without permission in a separate incident. The AP generally publicly identify alleged victims of sexual violence, but both women have said they want their names used. The player was never charged and denied any wrongdoing. The office of Institutional Opportunity and Access, though, concluded that he had with Tackett and violated the sexual harassment policy with McClure.

In their Title IX lawsuits, Tackett and McClure said the school showed by allowing the player to withdraw instead of expelling him. alleges that the university was more interested in avoiding being sued by her attacker than in giving her to legitimate Furthermore, the women said that although the university agreed to place anotation for on the transcript, it was inadequate because he was able to resume his athletic career at a different school. When that new school learned that the Kansas misconduct was sexual in nature, he was cut from that football team. In its written response to lawsuit, the University of Kansas denied that it misled her. It also acknowledged the awkward position of having to handle such cases.

university system is a place of higher education, not a court of law, and as such has much more limited the school wrote. Brett Sokolow, executive director of the Association of Title IX Administrators, estimates there are about 10,000 reported sexual assaults at the roughly 4,000 colleges each year, of which roughly 500 to 600 cases result in expulsion. Mike Reilly, who heads the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, said people often question why schools frequently handle sexual violence reports instead of law enforcement. In many cases, law enforcement find enough evidence to warrant charges, he said. Student record notation considered for assault BILL DRAPER ASSOCIATED PRESS.