After arrests in KC-area town, Missouri investigation finds ‘credible’ conflicts
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A. Missouri State Auditor’s Office an investigation small village Near Kansas City, credible conflicts of interest were found between the village’s elected board of directors and a prominent developer; This points to recent findings that resulted in scandal. arrests among the town’s elected officials.
One The investigation report was published on Monday By Republican state auditor Scott Fitzpatrick 2023 survey By The Star to River Bend, a small village in northern Jackson County.
As The Star previously revealed, each member of the village’s elected board was professionally or through family connected to Jack Mitchell, an influential marijuana businessman who pursued a weed-based entertainment district called the Smokey River Entertainment District.
“Our review found that concerns about trustees’ dealings with a developer were credible and that the village incurred significant expenses related to the development project,” the report from Fitzpatrick’s office said, acknowledging that Mitchell had since scrapped the project and elected officials at the center of the controversy had been arrested.
The report marks the culmination of a years-long saga that has upended the small village north of the Missouri River. The sparsely populated village, home to a variety of industrial businesses, has long puzzled local and state officials and business owners.
Due to its small population size, River Bend is classified as a village rather than a city or other municipality under Missouri law. Its exact population is disputed, and estimates vary from three to 11 individuals.
State investigators also detailed the financial ramifications of the controversy in Monday’s report, showing the village’s expenses related to the failed development project skyrocketed in 2023. The village recovered only a small portion from Mitchell, according to the report.
The report found that the village’s legal expenses jumped 1,100%, from about $10,000 in 2022 to $120,000 in 2023. The bulk of the spending ($113,000) was related to Mitchell’s proposed entertainment district.
“The village entered into an agreement with the contractor to reimburse up to $100,000 of these expenses,” the report stated. “But the village only received a refund of approximately $42,000.”
Fitzpatrick’s office also found that the village had not filed a required 2024 financial statement with the state. Monday’s report cited the village clerk who said his predecessor “failed to keep records, making it difficult to create the statement.” The village submitted this statement last December.
State authorities began investigating the village in 2024 after receiving a complaint from whistleblowers about allegations of nepotism and conflict of interest. Monday’s investigation report marked the official end of that investigation.
“We will issue a closing letter advising the Board of Trustees to refrain from creating or giving the appearance of a conflict of interest with village projects, seek reimbursement for the remainder of legal fees in accordance with the village agreement, submit financial statements in a timely manner, and develop a policy to maintain all records as required by law,” the report said.
In several text messages to The Star, Mitchell said he had “lots of ideas” about the report.
“We had very expensive lawyers who told us everything was done legally and without conflict,” Mitchell said. “We would certainly ask them to review any findings that contradict this.”
Brandon Decker, who owns a trucking business in River Bend and has long opposed Mitchell’s influence in the village, expressed disappointment with the state investigation’s findings in a statement to The Star on Monday.
“I was hoping their investigation would be more than just getting better results in the future,” said Decker, who said he believes Mitchell still owes thousands of dollars to the village. “There are different organizations, law firms, different firms still reaching out to the village for overdue bills estimated at between 30,000 and 50,000, all from Jack Mitchell’s development plan.”
in the village
Founded in 1993, River Bend has fostered a laid-back, business-friendly culture that has attracted industrial warehouses and businesses for years.
The little-known municipality’s troubles began soon after the development proposed by Mitchell, a businessman, attorney and former board member of the state’s powerful marijuana industry group, MoCannTrade.
Mitchell announced ambitious plans for the Smokey River Entertainment District in late 2022, calling for an amphitheater and food and beverage venues.
The area, which is also used as a festival area, has hosted celebrities such as Ric Flair, Wiz Khalifa and Mike Tyson. A man overdosed at one of the festivals and later died after taking “Molly,” the common nickname for MDMA, The Star previously reported.
In 2023, The Star spoke with village business owners and stakeholders who claimed Mitchell had effectively taken control of the municipality through his ties to the board. They worried about conflicts between the board’s decisions and Mitchell’s business and whether officials had lived there long enough to remain on the board.
Mitchell canceled plans for the entertainment district just days after The Star asked about his connections to the village board. One day after the newspaper published the news about these connections, the village’s zoning director resigned.
In the months that followed, every member of the village’s five-person elected board of directors was arrested on election-related charges for allegedly not living in the village long enough to serve on the board. Three people have since pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges, while two others entered into diversionary agreements with the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office.
