Higginsville Advance News

LEXINGTON, MO – Lafayette County Prosecuting Attorney Kristen Hillbrener announces that Martin Constante, Jr, 38, of Lexington, Missouri was convicted on February 5, 2026, of two counts of statutory rape and one count of possession of child pornography, along with two other felonies. At trial, evidence was introduced that Constante committed these acts at a hotel located in Lexington as well as at a local orchard. Numerous witnesses testified over the course of the three-day trial, which was litigated by Prosecutor Kristen Hilbrenner.

Lafayette County Commissioners are beginning preliminary work and getting questions answered from the State Auditor’s office as they prepare to navigate the changes of being reclassified as a thirdclass county, Southern Commissioner Michael Brown remarked in a recent Facebook post Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick recently issued notifications to three local counties for reclassification. Pettis, Saline, and Lafayette counties are slated to be reclassified from fourth-class counties to third-class counties. Lafayette County is set to become a third-class county on January 1, 2027.

The Lafayette Regional Health Center Auxiliary is offering $1,000 scholarships to eligible students.

Lafayette County residents will be asked to approve a reallocation of the county’s use tax in the April 7 election.