Trooper honored for public service

At the Missouri State Highway Patrol's 17th annual awards banquet held recently in Columbia, superintendent James F. Keathley announced that Lt. James E. McNeill of Sikeston received the MASTERS public service award for devotion to his community and state as an officer and as a private resident. He was among 12 others honored at the banquet.

McNeill is a 29-year veteran assigned to Troop E, where he handles the daily operations of the Troop E Service Center, is an assistant drug testing officer, handles troop reconstructions and coordinates Troop E's chaplaincy program.

He is responsible for organizing and implementing the annual Torch Run in Southeast Missouri, which involves multiple agencies. Since 1993, McNeill has coordinated a contingent of officers annually at the Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo, which brings in 40,000 spectators and participants over a four-day period.

McNeill is active in the Fellowship Baptist Church in Sikeston, where he has served as a deacon for the past 14 years and on numerous committees. He has been a member of the Gideon's Organization since 1997.