Week in Review: Man Indicted for Murder, Steinhoff Asking for Vote Recount and More

Too busy last week to stay up to date on all the news happening in St. Charles? Not to worry. Patch has your back.

In case you missed them, here were some of the top headlines from the St. Charles Patch from the last few days.

• A St. Charles man was indicted Friday on forcible sodomy and child abuse charges in addition to first-degree murder in the death of a 4-month-old baby. A St. Charles County grand jury indicted Jordan Lafayette Prince, 24, of the 3600 block of Fremont Drive in St. Charles, for choking a 4-month-old baby on Dec. 3. The child died Dec. 4. St. Charles Police also said Prince forcibly sodomized and abused the infant, causing blunt trauma to the child’s ear, head, chest, abdomen, back and legs, and caused multiple tears in her rectum, bladder and uterus.

• A St. Charles man was driving under the influence of drugs when his car crashed head-on into another car carrying a pregnant woman, causing her to miscarry March 16, officials said. Paul Joseph Murphy, 52, of the 1000 block of Crescent Drive in St. Charles, was charged Tuesday with involuntary manslaughter and three counts of second-degree assault. St. Charles Police said that Murphy’s car crossed over the centerline at 2850 West Clay in St. Charles and collided with the oncoming car. The woman, who was 19 weeks pregnant, delivered a stillborn child upon arrival at the hospital.

Steinhoff Asking for Vote Recount After Slim City Council Loss

• Bryce Steinhoff is exercising his right to a recount of his four-vote loss to City Councilwoman Bridget Ohmes on April 2, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.  Ohmes reclaimed her seat on the city councilwith 482 votes, just four more than Ohmes' 478. State law allows a candidate to ask for a recount if they lose the vote by less than one percent of the total votes cast in the race. 

• More smoking ban news is making headlines—this time on a statewide level. State Rep. Kathie Conway, R-St. Charles, is pushing a bill through the state legislature that would place financial penalties on local counties and cities that enforce smoking bans.  According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Conay is trying to protect the rights of owners of bars, restaurants and other businesses to decide for themselves whether to allow smoking. 

New Eco-Friendly Restaurant Opens in St. Charles

• Prasino St. Charles, the environmentally friendly restaurant that was announced to be coming to the Streets of St. Charles in January, is now open. Prasino, which is Greek for "green", focuses on locally-sourced ingredients and uses organic, all-natural, steroid- and hormone- free foods. The restaurant will be open for breakfast through dinner, serving up items like a roasted beet salad, short rib tacos, Wisconsin ribeye and sushi rolls. Hours are set for 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week.