people feel threaten their values, can also affect behavior. In a survey of U.S. adults yet to be published

5 min readDec 12, 2020

A 43-year-old Jacksonville man pleaded guilty to two counts of producing images of himself as he sexually abused a child, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Columbus Donavan Jeffrey faces a potential sentence of 15 to 60 years in federal prison when he is sentenced, a date not set yet, prosecutors said

The case against Jeffrey began in May 2019 when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children got a tip from a company that hosts a social messaging application, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. The tip was that a user named “hideme1977,” identified as Jeffrey, uploaded several pornographic images. The images showed Jeffrey sexually abusing an 11-year-old child.

On Oct. 3 2019, Sheriff’s Office detectives and other investigators executed a search warrant at Jeffrey’s home. He said he had used the “hideme1977” username on the app and also identified himself and the child in one of the photos, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Detectives found the child, who confirmed Jeffrey’s sexual abuse on at least three occasions and that photos were taken during two of them.

An examination of Jeffrey’s cellphone revealed 635 images and 57 videos depicting the sexual abuse of minors, some showing him sexually abusing the same child in his home, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

On Nov. 23, with COVID cases surging and the local hospital overflowing, the City Council brought a mask order back for another vote. As protesters marched outside, Councilman Nick Obermark, an electrician, was the sole member of the nonpartisan council to change his vote, causing the mandate to pass.

One of his many reasons? He has a child the same age as Washington Middle School student Peyton Baumgarth, 13, who on Halloween became the youngest person in Missouri to die of COVID complications.

“That hit pretty hard,” Obermark said later. Though the councilman doesn’t like wearing a mask, he said it’s worth it if we can keep one or two people from getting COVID-19.

Washington became the latest community to flip its stance on masks and other restrictions while the coronavirus ravages the country.

As America enters a dark winter without national directives to curb the pandemic, numerous cities, counties and states must decide: enact more restrictions now or leave people to their own will? Some in this tightknit city of 14,000 have discovered that the answer — and the key to changing hearts and minds — lies in how close and real the danger seems.

Families attended weddings with hundreds of guests. Downtown merchants held “Thirsty Thursday,” with participants mingling over drinks. Even as officials at the city’s hospital urged COVID restrictions, 356 people signed a letter to the local paper vowing their opposition to being “forced to cover our mouths in public.”

Republican Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has declined to enact a statewide mask mandate. Franklin County Presiding County Commissioner Tim Brinker posted on Twitter July 29: “Franklin County MO. No mandates, low case counts, low to no hospitalizations. Logic! Keep hands clean, and if you don’t have the space, cover your face. We love Freedom and respect human life. Come to Franklin County and raise your children in God’s Country! #COVID.”

Embracing freedom and tradition is as expected here as following deer hunting season or attending the Washington Town & Country Fair. The city’s downtown, within view of the swirling brown Missouri River, is lined with historical red-brick buildings and quaint shops. The Missouri Meerschaum Co. still produces corn cob pipes on Front Street. Its motto: “Over 150 Years & Still Smokin’.”

In the months before the election, yards sprouted signs for President Donald Trump, who has downplayed the threat of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.

But the virus crept closer in September when 74-year-old Ralph Struckhoff died of the disease. The Missourian newspaper published a story describing him as a healthy man who had just done a day of construction work at his church before he fell ill. “Please wear a mask in memory of Ralph,” his widow, Jayne Struckhoff, wrote in a letter to the editor. “If this virus can take Ralph, it can take down anyone.”

people feel threaten their values, can also affect behavior. In a survey of U.S. adults yet to be published

Written by Muchchar