For Immediate Release
February 13, 2025
Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson announced today two former River Bend board members pled guilty to an election offense and have entered into an agreement to not seek election for the next five years.
Jessica Caswell and James Hoppe were originally charged with one count of a Class One Election Offense for willfully providing false documentation required for voter registration, and one count of Filing False Documents last year. The charges centered on discrepancies in the defendants’ residency status when they filed to be candidates on the River Bend Board of Trustees in 2023.
At today’s plea hearing, the defendants formally admitted that they were ineligible to be on the ballot because they did not meet the residency requirement to run for the Board of Trustees for the Village of River Bend. In addition to paying a $1,300.00 fine for the misdemeanor election offense they pled to, the defendants agreed to enter a 5-year diversion agreement in lieu of a trial. Among the terms in the agreement, neither defendant is eligible to seek any local, state, or federal elected office, or any appointments to boards or committees associated with any local, state, or federal governmental entity or office.
Additionally, both defendants must continue to abide by the Court’s conditions for no contact with Village of River Bend officials, the Jackson County Election Board, and witnesses associated with this case.
If these terms and others are not followed, the State can resume the prosecution of the Filing False Documents Charge, which is the subject of this agreement.
“Our office secured an admission of wrongdoing and significant consequences in this unique case, underscoring our commitment to election integrity in Jackson County. Candidates for public office must be genuinely connected to the communities they serve and have their constituents’ best interests at heart—which is why we have residency requirements in place in our state. Any attempt to violate Missouri election laws will face consequences,” said Prosecutor Johnson.
According to court records, concerns were raised to the Village of River Bend’s Board of Trustees on Aug. 22, 2023, that existing board members did not meet the residency requirements required for elected public officials under Missouri law. While serving as appointed board members, the defendants ran for and were elected to Trustee Board positions on Nov. 7, 2023.
Voting records for both defendants from the Nov. 8, 2022, General Election indicate their residence in Independence, Missouri. Their address does not change until Dec. 12, 2022, when the defendants filed a Voter Registration Application to update their residence address to within the Village of River Bend. But, according to records, the defendants directed all their mail to a different address in Gladstone, Missouri.
Chief Trial Assistant Kristiane Bryant and Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Patrick Browne prosecuted the case on behalf of the state of Missouri to achieve this favorable result.
Media Contact:
Jazzlyn Johnson
Director of Communications
Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office
415 E 12th Street
Kansas City, MO - 64106
(816) 929-1289
jazzlyn.johnson@jacksongov.org
https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com