The Marshfi eld Mail congratulates Chiefs Kingdom marshfieldmail.com Vol. 128, No. 48 February 5, 2020 a Super Bowl victoryon$1.00 Marshfield man arrested following shooting By Karen Craigo karenc@marshfieldmail.com Michael Griffin, 33, of Marsh- field is in custody for allegedly shooting a man in the head. The victim, whose name has not been released, remains alive with life- threatening injuries at Cox South ‘No’: Marshfield mayor refuses City administrator Hospital in Springfield. The Webster County Sheriff’s to leave Office received a report of a vic- Griffin to resign after alderman vote tim with a gunshot wound to the John Benson, Marshfield’s city head at 4:13 p.m. Friday. A wit- By Karen Craigo fers points of debate or comment. administrator, has taken employ- ment in the south Texas city of ness located unharmed at the scene, a residence karenc@marshfieldmail.com On Tuesday, he came prepared at 199 Sequioia Drive, Niangua, claimed to have with a written statement, over Beeville and is leaving employ- witnessed Griffin shoot the victim in the head By a vote of 3-1, the Marshfield three pages, single spaced, and he ment with Marshfield. with a small pistol. Board of Aldermen requested made up for lost time. With a population of 13,000, A probable cause statement completed by Mayor Robert Williams’ resigna- Bowers’ statement begins Beeville is a larger city for Ben- Sheriff Roye Cole said that Griffin had stated he tion at a special meeting Tuesday, with a denial of the idea that the son, who brings to his new posi- would not go back to prison and would kill any Jan. 28, in city hall. aldermen were upset simply by tion a large portfolio of experi- officer who tried to arrest him. Griffin was taken Immediately after the vote, the mayor’s letter. He writes, “First ence in community development into custody Saturday. Mayor Williams offered a straight- off, I want to say that if I were to and several major infrastructure Griffin has a prior record of second-degree as- forward response: “I can give you address every misrepresentation projects. sault from 2017. my answer now. It is no.” that has been voiced to the public Benson’s last day of work in In an interview with The Mail, Sheriff Cole said The mayor has five and a half over the last couple of weeks, we Marshfield is Valentine’s Day, that early in the investigation, a witness failed meetings left in his term, and would need two or three more Feb. 14. to tell the whole story. “It took us a little time to he intends to serve them out, he of these meetings. I also want piece it together,” he said. “We were able to use said. The aldermen do not have to make it clear that we are here the information we had and the evidence to logi- the power to fire the mayor, who today not because a couple of Mayor pulls out cally talk our way through.” is elected by popular vote. Voting aldermen had their feelings hurt The victim was shot in the top of the head, al- in favor of the request that the and decided to make a scene; on of alderman race legedly by Griffin. mayor resign were aldermen the contrary, Alderman Lee and By Karen Craigo “Ironically, this isn’t the first case we worked Mark Bowers, Stacy Lee and I called this meeting because we karenc@marshfieldmail.com where he shot someone at that house,” the sheriff Rob Foster. Opposed was Vicki take our job seriously. For us, this said. Montgomery. is very much a matter of con- Marshfield Mayor Robert Griffin’s brother-in-law lives at the residence, At issue is what three of the science and duty.” Williams has decided not to which has a lot of traffic in and out, Sheriff Cole aldermen perceive as a lack of Bowers goes on to present a run for an East Ward Alder- said. requested information from the timeline of when information was man seat after all. city staff, and a belief that the requested and occasions when it See GRIFFIN, Page 3A Williams, who made mayor himself is restricting the was denied. The allegations of the the decision not to run for staff from providing the infor- mayor’s blockage of information reelection as mayor, had filed mation. The mayor responded has to do with planned renova- to run for the alderman seat to this allegation in a letter he tions of the new city hall, which when he believed that the Freezer case hearing set submitted to The Marshfield Mail will be in the building on the incumbent in that position, Larry Dinwiddie, the man who confessed to newspaper, at which point two of square where Seymour Bank is Rob Foster, was not run- killing his wife, Cynthia Dinwiddie, and storing the aldermen, Bowers and Lee, located. ning for reelection. However, her body in a freezer for several years, had a court staged a boycott of the last regular Bowers mentions The Mail Foster later filed a petition to appearance Monday. meeting Jan. 23 and demanded specifically in part of his letter, run for reelection, and Mayor Judge David Tunnell set a preliminary hear- Thursday’s special meeting. stating, “While it is an easy way of Williams pulled his bid. ing for 9 a.m. Wednesday, April 22, in the Webster The motion to request the garnering public support, Alder- “I decided long ago that County Circuit Court. mayor’s resignation came from an man Lee and I decided against my reason for running was to The state has six witnesses to present, and a unlikely source: East Ward Alder- submitting this information to fill the seat if Rob was not,” half-day has been set aside for the hearing. man Mark Bowers, who always the newspaper without first ad- Williams said. appears to follow along thought- dressing the issue in a special See MAYOR, Page 3A fully at meetings, yet seldom of- See RESIGN, Page 3A Sheriff dispels bomb threat at courthouse Missouri newspapers lobby in Jefferson City By Sarah Bicknell Journalists back public records, transparency sarahb@marshfieldmail.com By Karen Craigo On Monday, the Webster County Sheriff’s Office karenc@marshfieldmail.com responded to a call regarding a bomb threat at the Webster County Courthouse in Marshfield. JEFFERSON CITY — In their Sheriff Roye Cole confirmed there was no bomb day-to-day lives, journalists con- found in the courthouse, after a sweep of the entire duct interviews, cover meetings, building was conducted by deputies. According to immerse themselves in docu- Cole, he received the call about the bomb threat ments or rush to cover breaking from one of his deputies at 8:49 a.m. Cole informed news — and driving all of these the deputy to tell all of the office holders in the actions is an insistence on the courthouse before doing a sweep of the entire public’s right to know. building. “Around 8:51 a.m. dispatch contacted me, On Thursday, members of the so I could get an audio recording of the call to do 153-year-old Missouri Press As- followup,” said Cole. “Dispatch got the ambulance sociation met in Jefferson City for and the bomb squad on standby. We basically its annual Day at the Capitol. The proceeded to tell our office holders what happened event offers a chance for journal- and then checked the facility. There was no bomb.” ists to speak to their lawmakers Cole said the incident is still under investigation, about the importance of trans- adding this isn’t an unusual event. He explained parency in government through they do get bomb threats and it’s something the open records law. sheriff’s office handles based on the information The Marshfield Mail par- they’re given. ticipated in the day’s lobbying “We have a protocol in place to help us check Mail photo by Karen Craigo events, and also represented the facilities for bombs,” said Cole. “We look anywhere State Sen. Mike Cunningham offers The Mail a tour of the Thomas other four weekly newspapers in in the facility and check everything to make sure Hart Benton room at the Statehouse. All walls of the room feature we’ve covered it.” Missouri scenes painted by Benton. See NEWSPAPER, Page 2A Entire Contents Copyright 2020© INSIDE TODAY’S ISSUE: Community breakfast brings together ag community. 11A The Marshfield Mail DEATHS: Robert M. “Bob” Anderson, Caleb Marvin “Jr.” Mackey, Jr., Roger Allen Merrell, Dana Sue Robertson, William (Bill) Thomas Stroud, Jr. Marshfield 222 S Crittenden, Unit C Mountain Grove Ozark 926 N. Main St. 340 S. 3rd St 577559s 2A | The Marshfi eld Mail | February 5, 2020 NEWS NEWSPAPER: Missouri journalists lobby in Jefferson City Mail photo by Karen Craigo Missouri Governor Mike Parson welcomed reporters to the Governor’s Mansion for a lunch and press conference Thursday as part of the Missouri Press Association Day at the Capitol. Continued from Page 1A record provides a reliable depository for publication of notices on a website coverage of programs from his offi ce the Phillips Media Group. To remind for this information with online access maintained by Missouri newspaper that can help Missourians, and he them of the importance of accessible and a physical and online archive. with notices also published in local pa- singled out a recent story from The public information, The Mail visited Many people in areas like ours do not pers, and we also pointed out several Mail on his MO ABLE program — Sen.