The Missouri House of Representatives' temporary committee on illegal immigrants and crime meets today

The Missouri House of Representatives' temporary special committee on illegal immigrant crimes will hold a public hearing this morning in Kansas City. House Speaker Dean Plocher (R-Des Peres) appointed the committee over the summer. House Representative Jim Schulte (R-New Bloomfield) tells 939 the Eagle's “Wake Up Mid-Missouri” that the committee is not conducting a witch hunt.:

“Our goal is to investigate the impact on the crime rate. And whether illegal immigrants actually have an impact on crime in Missouri. And we are trying to get to the bottom of that. It is not a witch hunt,” says Representative Schulte.

Mike Murphy of the Eagle, 939, reported in late June that five men believed to be illegal immigrants were arrested in Macon County in northern Missouri with a 14-year-old runaway from Indiana. Police say they allegedly smuggled her into the state of California.

Meanwhile, a Jefferson City man charged in a fatal hit-and-run crash in mid-July that killed a bicyclist on the shoulder of Highway 50 will appear in Cole County District Court again next week. District Attorney Locke Thompson has charged 23-year-old Diego Popp with two felonies: manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident. Popp remains in custody without bail, and the Jefferson City Police Department's probable cause statement states Popp “does not currently have legal residency status in the United States.” Rep. Schulte recently discussed the case on the Eagle on 939's “Wake Up Mid-Missouri”:

“This guy was obviously here illegally, he has a drinking problem and completely disregards our laws,” says Schulte.

In the JCPD's probable cause statement, Popp is quoted as admitting that he was drunk at the time of the crash. Court documents say Popp also does not have a valid driver's license. The crash killed 50-year-old John Brummit, according to Jefferson City police.

The House committee meets this morning at 11 a.m. at the Kansas City Public Library. Speaker Plocher wants the committee to complete its work by the end of the calendar year.