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Jan. 31, 2018 UPSP 213-200 Vol. 153, No. 36
Serving Daviess County Since 1864 — Our Best To You Each Week!
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Former paramedic convicted of stealing painkillers
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Bethany man replaced vials of morphine and fentanyl with water while working locally
iling label your paper. A former paramedic with renew today! northwest Missouri ambulance
districts in Gallatin and Bethany was sentenced in federal court Jan. 26 for stealing painkilling drugs and replacing the vials with water. Joseph L. Comstock, 31, of Bethany, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips to
two years and six months in federal prison without parole, according to Timothy A. Garrison, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri. On Sept. 12, 2017, Comstock pleaded guilty to three counts of tampering with a consumer product (fentanyl and morphine) with reckless disregard for the
risk that another person would be placed in danger of death or bodily injury, and under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to such risk. Comstock admitted that he emptied vials of morphine and fentanyl, taking it for his own personal use, and replaced the pain-killing drugs with sterilized
Health Department offers free Heart Healthy lunch on Friday The Daviess County Health Department will be hosting its 3rd Annual Free Heart Healthy Lunch for Women’s Health from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 2. There will be educational material available. All women from the community are invited to attend. The health department wants everyone to be aware that one in three women die of heart disease and stroke each year. You are encouraged to join the movement to end heart disease and stroke in women because it’s not just
a man’s disease. Here’s what it means to Go Red: G: GET YOUR NUMBERS. Ask your doctor to check your blood pressure and cholesterol. O: OWN YOUR LIFESTYLE. Stop smoking, lose weight, exercise, and eat healthy. It’s up to you. No one can do it for you. R: REALIZE YOUR RISK. We think it won’t happen to us, but heart disease kills one of three women. E: EDUCATE YOUR FAMILY. Make healthy food choices
for you and your family. Teach your kids the importance of staying active. D: DON’T BE SILENT. Tell every woman you know that heart disease is our No. 1 killer. Raise your voice here at GoRedForWomen.org. Come join us at the Daviess County Health Department in our fight for women’s health. Educational materials will be available and there will be drawings for door prizes (do not need to be present to win). Remember... LIFE IS WHY.
Great Northwest Day at capitol Feb. 6-7 As legislators are gearing up for a new season in Jefferson City. So, too, are the citizens of Northwest Missouri. The Great Northwest Day at the Capitol steering committee will gather and prioritize legislative priorities affecting the Northwest Missouri region for the region’s annual visit to the state capitol city on Feb. 6-7. In 2017, over 300 people from the 18-county region visited Jefferson City to make their regional voice heard in a single, cohesive message. Great Northwest Day’s legislative platform highlighted a theme of Growing the Missouri of the Future, and included the following priorities, in no particular order: ● Creation of a Rural Policy Office
The fabric of America is rural communities. It is here where generations of families worked together to plant, nurture and
harvest crops on small family homesteads. Our nation grew as a result of this hard work. Now, as society changes, we cannot abandon our history. One way to address this is through the creation of an Office of Rural Policy in the Office of Administration. ● Investment in Infrastructure
The definition of infrastructure has expanded over the past decades to include critical facilities such as water and wastewater systems, levees, storm sewers, streets, public storm shelters, bridges and broadband. Local governments have a challenge obtaining necessary funding to properly address this expanded description as well as meet the needs of rural Missouri; therefore, we encourage the creation of an infrastructure and economic development bank for the state of Missouri. The bank will provide low-interest, long-
term financing that can be used for a number of purposes. This action will add jobs, have longterm local impacts and build a stronger competitive base from which to grow our northwest Missouri communities.
water. Comstock tampered with the drug vials while working at both the NTA Ambulance District in Bethany and the Community Ambulance District of Daviess County in Gallatin in 2014 and 2015. Comstock started tampering with drugs in March 2014, following a medical procedure to remove his tonsils. He accessed drugs on ambulances and was able to bend up the lid of the plastic boxes and dump out the drugs he wished to tamper with. He obtained both fentanyl and morphine from ambulances and replaced the drugs with sterile water. Comstock admitted there were at least two occasions where he personally treated patients with drugs he knew he had tampered with. These patients were both hip fracture patients that were supposed to receive fentanyl but instead received sterile water that Comstock had placed in the vial. Federal officials were notified on March 4, 2015, of possible drug tampering at the NTA Ambulance District in Bethany. The chief of EMS reported that an employee had noticed two morphine syringes had broken tamper-evident seals. On Jan. 30, 2015, an employee noticed that two morphine syringes had broken tamper-evident seals. On Feb. 27, 2015, ambulance em-
ployees looked through narcotic boxes kept on the three NTA ambulances. They found a number of drugs that were missing tamper-evidence caps and had broken tamper-evident seals, including midazolam, lorazepam, morphine and fentanyl. Federal agents installed surveillance equipment at the Bethany NTA building on March 18, 2015. A camera was also placed on an ambulance which was taken out of service. Comstock was recorded on the surveillance video as he stole morphine from the ambulance on two separate occasions on March 19 and March 23, 2015. Comstock later admitted that he had tampered with drugs on all the ambulances prior to that as well. Comstock also admitted that he tampered with drugs when he visited the Gallatin ambulance building on Feb. 24, 2015. An employee found Comstock (who had stopped working at the Gallatin ambulance company in June 2014) inside the Gallatin ambulance building. Comstock explained he had come by the Gallatin facility to use the treadmill. Later that same day, the employee went on a service call and treated a man suffering from leg pain with 100 mcg of fentanyl; however, the man did not receive any pain relief. When the employee returned, he examined (continued on page 3)
● Fiber Optics: “Final Connection”
Access to broadband is essential to growing our economic communities. Access to the world marketplace allows our local companies to offer their products and services at an international level, and allows our residents to remain connected to the world around them.
● Investment Education, including Pre K-12 and Higher Education
An investment in the education of Missouri is an investment in economic development. Having an educated population who are ready to work with the right knowledge and skills will attract businesses to our state.
Rotary Club to host event Saturday at lake The 3rd Annual Gallatin Rotary Trivia Contest will be held on Saturday, Feb. 3, at the Lake Viking Clubhouse, main level. Doors open at 6 p.m. and competition begins promptly at 7 p.m. Teams of eight are encouraged, but not required. The cost is $20 per participant. Make checks payable to Gallatin Rotary Club. Register by calling 660-663-2831 by Feb. 1. Heavy appetizers, snacks and soft drinks are provided. Those who are between the ages of 18 and 20 will be admitted with an adult and must be a team member. A silent auction will be held.
Plan now to take the ‘Polar Plunge’ to benefit Special Olympics The 11th Annual Polar Plunge at Lake Viking may be an “unbearable” event, depending upon the weather. But it is also an unique opportunity to show your bravery as you support local Special Olympics athletes by walking, running or crawling into the frigid winter waters of Lake Viking. This year’s plunge is Feb. 24. Registration at the Lake Viking clubhouse is 11 a.m.; the traditional parade of costumes at 1:30 p.m. The plunge immediately follows at 2 p.m. This year’s theme is “Let your inner Zeus loose!” In 2017, the Lake Viking Plunge had about 100 plungers and raised over $30,000! This one-of-a-kind event promises a fun atmosphere complete with music, crazy costumes and lasting memories for everyone! Participants must be at least 10 years old and raise
a minimum of $75 each by event day. Fundraising prizes will include an anorak pullover at the $300 Goosebumps Level; a backpack at the $500 Chilly Level; a packable puffer jacket at the $1,000 Frost Level; and a weatherproof down blanket (plus one of each other level) at the $2,000 Arctic Level. This year, an added attraction will be the PeeWee Plunge for youngsters, which will take place at 12 noon, located under the shelter behind the clubhouse. (Children under the age of eight are required to wear life jackets to be within 50 feet of the water, which is why the event is located behind the clubhouse.) This event, for future Polar Plungers, will require participants to raise $25, and they will receive a goody bag and certificate of participation. There will be a special prize for the top fund-raising
PeeWee. Concessions will be served by Mi Mexico, featuring Mexican “gyros” with a Greek flair (street tacos) and chili, hot chocolate and coffee. Proceeds benefit Special Olympics Missouri (SOMO). SOMO exists to provide year-round sports and training opportunities for individuals with intellectual disabilities and our athletes need you to get involved. Become a coach, volunteer, recruit a future athlete and learn how you can make a difference! The Polar Plunge is a project of the Law Enforcement Torch Run® for Special Olympics Missouri. Chillicothe Correctional Center, Western Missouri Correctional Center and Crossroads Correctional Center are proud to host this event.
The kidnapping of Caty Sage has Daviess County connections! See page 13