A Platte County jury on Tuesday found a Parkville woman guilty of tax evasion for falsely claiming her children as dependents after her former husband was murdered. Letti Strait, 50, was convicted of attempting to evade state income tax and filing false tax returns. Strait has been described as a person of interest in the murder of her former husband, Charles Cammisano, in September 2007. The jury’s verdict came in shortly before 5 p.m. Tuesday. Strait served as her own attorney in the trial, which was heard in the courtroom of Judge Abe Shafer.
A former court clerk for the City of Parkville has filed a lawsuit against the city and its municipal judge, claiming she was wrongfully terminated. Jennifer Ozias, 35, of Kansas City in Platte County, filed the lawsuit last week. She had worked as a clerk in Parkville Municipal Court under Judge Sandra Ferguson from November of 2004 until April of 2009. The petition alleges wrongful termination against the judge and against the city, as well as defamation, and demands a jury trial.
The Platte County R-3 Board of Education has approved the purchase of 43 video surveillance camera units for school buses at a price of $64,415. The cameras have full audio availability, infrared capabilities for night surveillance and passive GPS which can show where the bus is–or was–at any time.
