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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - The Missouri House has approved legislation creating a test program designed to help children spend more time with their incarcerated parents.

The program would provide transportation for children and their caretaker who live more than 50 miles away from their parent's prison for visits.

Two Missouri men's prisons and two women's prisons would be selected for the program's trial. Prisoners convicted of offenses where the victim was a child or were found guilty of child abuse would be excluded. The Department of Corrections would have to submit a final report to lawmakers on the program's effectiveness in 2017.

The measure is sponsored by Democratic Rep. Penny Hubbard, of St. Louis. The House voted 140-6 Thursday to send the measure to the Senate.

A St. Louis man convicted of brutally beating to death his 2-year-old son will spend the rest of his life behind bars. 

The reasons may be unknown--an alcohol fueled rage or bipolar disorder--but a jury has made sure 32 Aaron Lucy of south city  will never hurt another child. 

He was found guilty of first-degree murder and four felony counts of child abuse, evidence tampering and armed criminal action in the death of his son, Kyle Lucy. He has no chance for parole.

The boy's mother,30-year-old Amanda Newman, told the St Louis Post Dispatch she was satisfied with the life sentence because she believes it will keep Lucy away from their daughter, Abby, who is now 7. 

Prosecutors said Lucy beat Kyle to death the day after Christmas 2010 while the family was at a holiday play. 

Authorities said Lacy left bruises and scrapes on almost every part of the toddler's body and caused two skull fractures and a fatal brain injury. Blood was found throughout the apartment, including on the back of a picture frame, a broken drawer an overturned television that had been thrown across the floor. 

Lucy's mother argued he should be in a mental hospital rather than prison.

 

ST. CHARLES, Mo. (AP) - A registered sex offender in St. Charles County has been sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to more sex crimes.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that 54-year-old Dennis Lee Noack of St. Charles was sentenced Monday to three life terms for statutory sodomy and child molestation. The sentences will run concurrently.

The three victims ranged in age from 7 to 16.

Noack was previously convicted of sexual conduct with a 12-year-old girl in a 2000 case, and sentenced to 179 days in jail.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A Missouri statute requiring both parties to sign a marriage license in the presence of a county recorder of deeds has been deemed unconstitutional when the prospective bride or groom is incarcerated.

U.S. District Judge Fernando Gaitan Jr. in Kansas City, Mo., issued the ruling Thursday in a lawsuit brought by five women engaged to Missouri inmates.

Because betrothed inmates can't make it to the recorder's office, marriage license applications involving inmates typically are brought into a prison. The lawsuit claimed that Cole County's recorder had been allowed inside prisons for 17 years, but was denied entry in August and unable to bring marriage licenses to several prisoners. The reason: He declined to list his Social Security number on a form.

The weddings scheduled for Sept. 24 were called off.

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. (AP) — An attorney for a Southern Illinois University student released from prison says his client hopes to resume his education.

Olutosin Oduwole was convicted of threatening a violent rampage but an appeals court threw out the conviction last week. The aspiring rapper was freed on Monday.

Clayton, MO - AP - A St. Louis County woman has been sentenced to three years in prison for a drunk-driving accident that killed a bicyclist.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that 31-year-old Emily Hagan of Kirkwood will be eligible for parole after serving about one year in prison.

Authorities say Hagan's blood-alcohol content was more than three times the legal limit when she rear-ended and killed Samuel Scott last year in University City. The 19-year-old was riding his bike home from the pizza shop where he worked as a cook.

Hagan was charged with first-degree manslaughter. In a plea deal reached Friday, a judge reduced the manslaughter charge from a Class B to a Class C felony.