State briefs 1/7/16

Nixon seeks raise of gas tax by 1.5 cents

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon said he believes small increases in fuel taxes are the best way to raise money for roads and bridges. At a Jefferson City news conference Tuesday, Nixon said he favors a bill from Poplar Bluff Republican Sen. Doug Libla to raise the gasoline tax by 1.5 cents per gallon and the diesel tax by 3.5 cents. A similar bill didn't make it out of the Senate last session. The Missouri Department of Transportation is searching for funding after voters rejected a sales tax in 2014. Other proposed methods for funding road and bridge repairs include raising taxes on tobacco or moving the Missouri Highway Patrol out of the Transportation Department budget. Nixon said those proposals aren't realistic long-term fixes.

Man sued by family of shooting victim

OAKVILLE, Mo. -- Four relatives of a south St. Louis County woman fatally shot while sitting on her back porch last summer have filed a lawsuit against a neighbor they believe is responsible for her death. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported the wrongful-death lawsuit filed in St. Louis County Circuit Court on Tuesday accuses 77-year-old Raymond Bodicky of killing 84-year-old Betty Lou Knight while shooting his gun in his backyard June 26. The suit accuses Bodicky of "negligently and carelessly" killing Knight by shooting across private property in violation of county ordinance and state law. The suit was filed by Knight's husband, Dale A. Knight, and their three children. Bodicky declined comment. Police still are investigating.

Health inspector guilty of bribes

ST. LOUIS -- Sentencing is scheduled for April for a St. Louis health inspector who admitted in federal court he accepted a bribe from a grocery-store owner in connection with his job. Kevin Huntspon, 50, of St. Louis pleaded guilty Tuesday to a felony bribery count. Huntspon admitted a year ago, he accepted $200 in cash from the unnamed grocer. Huntspon was placed on forced leave after he was charged. He faced a termination hearing, although it wasn't clear Tuesday whether he still is employed by the city. He faces up to a decade in prison when sentenced April 5.

$2M lottery win revealed on holiday

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A northwest Missouri man held on to a secret for three weeks to give his wife the Christmas surprise of a lifetime. Robert Bowlin of Platte City won a Missouri Lotto jackpot in early December, splitting a $4 million prize with another person who correctly matched all six numbers. Bowlin, a retired operating engineer, discovered he had won Dec. 3. He notified a financial adviser and a CPA but otherwise didn't tell anyone until Christmas, when he told his wife. He collected his winnings Dec. 29. The father of three and grandfather of two said he hasn't made any plans for his winnings. Bowlin bought his winning ticket from Trex Mart 2 in Tracy, Missouri, which will receive $2,500 for selling one of the winning tickets.

Powerball jackpot surges to $500M

DES MOINES, Iowa -- The Powerball jackpot has climbed to an estimated $500 million as more people across the country buy a chance at the biggest prize in nearly a year. Officials with the Multi-State Lottery Association raised the jackpot estimate from $450 million because of strong sales before Wednesday night's drawing. The jackpot ranks as the sixth-largest offered in North America and the biggest since a $564.1 million Powerball prize shared by players from North Carolina, Texas and Puerto Rico in February. A winner of Wednesday's jackpot could claim the pre-tax $500 million prize through an annuity over 29 years or in a single pre-tax payout of $306 million. Powerball is played in 44 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

Man shot by police leaves hospital

JOPLIN, Mo. -- A man wounded by police during a domestic disturbance call is a fugitive after leaving a Joplin hospital against medical advice. Joplin police Capt. Bob Higginbotham said 49-year-old Jeffrey Hill was in serious, if not critical, medical condition when a friend helped him leave Freeman Hospital West in a wheelchair on Dec. 21. Police said officers shot Hill, who is white, Nov. 30 when he attempted to run over an officer with a vehicle. The Joplin Globe reported Hill was not under guard at the hospital at the time because he hadn't been arrested in the incident. But a warrant has been issued charging him with violating his parole. Higginbotham said the friend who helped Hill leave the hospital didn't violate any laws.

Impersonating cop leads to arrest

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Authorities have arrested a Columbia man who is accused of impersonating a Louisiana sheriff's deputy to avoid arrest. The Columbia Daily Tribune reported William Broadus, 29, is charged in Boone County with possession of a controlled substance. No attorney is listed for him in online court records. The probable-cause statement stated Broadus caught the attention of a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper by driving a car without a license Sunday afternoon. Broadus said he hadn't registered the car after buying it a few months earlier, and he was on his way to buy drugs. The statement said Broadus told the trooper he was a law-enforcement officer and showed him a Louisiana parish sheriff's badge. But the statement said he couldn't explain what agency he worked for.

-- From wire reports