KRISTEN'S STORY -
MLB Rookie Uses Signing Bonus To Pay Off Parents’ Debt
It always feels good to give back to the people who’ve gone out of their way to help you and this year Major League Baseball prospect Brady Singer did that for his parents in a huge way. He was a first-round pick in the 2018 MLB draft and used some of his $4.25-million signing bonus to pay off all of his mom and dad’s debt for Christmas.
The Kansas City Royals player posted a heartwarming video on Twitter of his mom opening a card from him, thanking them for all they’ve done for him. You can watch it below.
“There’s absolutely no way I could’ve done this all by myself. Both of you constantly took off of work and spent every dime you made just to put a smile on my face,” Singer writes. “My smile and appreciation for both of you has never stopped and it never will.”
In the video we see Singer’s mom take a pause from reading before finishing the letter, which explains that he’s paying off their bank loan as well as all of their debt. His mom is crying and his dad is emotional too, as she reads the touching words from their son, “Your giving hearts helped shape my tiny dream into a reality.”
JASON'S STORY -
Pot Bust Tossed Over Bad Search
A Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper did not have a reasonable cause to stop and search two Illinois women found in July to be carrying 50 pounds of marijuana, a circuit judge has ruled.
In his ruling, Koffman wrote that Cpl. Dennis Mathes’ stop of Kostansek was illegal and all evidence gathered during it had to be thrown out.
The officer pulled over the vehicle and found 52 pounds of pot, 12 grams of methamphetamine, marijuana wax and several smoking pipes in the black Toyota van she was driving.
Mathes stopped the van, because Kostansek briefly crossed the white fog line on the right side of the road, according to court filings. Mathes also claimed Kostansek was suspiciously driving between 65 and 67 in a 70 mph zone, and as she was driving, she was sitting stiffly in her seat with her mouth open, the court records show.
“The Court cannot understand how driving stiff or with one’s mouth open is an indicator of anything,” Koffman wrote in his ruling.
Mathes did not have reasonable suspicion to stop Kostansek’s van, Koffman wrote.
Mathes followed Kostansek for about 35 miles on eastbound I-70 after he spotted her at the 63-mile marker in Saline County. Though his stated reason for making the stop was that Kostansek crossed the white fog line into the shoulder around the 97-mile marker, he did not pull her over until she had pulled off the highway into a gas station at exit 98.
Since Mathes waited to pull Kostansek over, there was no reason for him to believe she was having a medical emergency that required a stop, Koffman wrote in his order. Besides, crossing a fog line alone isn’t a sufficient reason for a stop, especially when the driver crosses for only a second or less, Koffman wrote.
Driving just below the speed limit isn’t grounds for a stop and search either, Koffman wrote.
In his motion to quash evidence gathered during the stop, Kostansek’s attorney Clark Jones argued the fact she was following the law shouldn’t have given Mathes reasonable suspicion to stop her.
Ultimately, Koffman ruled the stop was an unreasonable search and seizure in violation of Kostansek’s Constitutional rights. He ruled the state cannot use any evidence gathered during the stop, or any statements Kostansek made after the stop.
“He had a good hunch, as the fruits of the stop prove,” Koffman wrote, “but a hunch is not sufficient.”