Jury Convicts Debra Dillard Of Murdering Daughter-In-Law:

Debra Y. Dillard (mug shot HCSO)

A jury in Wright County has convicted a woman from Moody of first-degree murder and armed criminal action for killing her daughter-in-law in November of 2009.

On November 13, 2009, a passerby called 9-1-1 to report a fatal car crash on Hwy FF near Missouri 142, but authorities were suspicious immediately because the fatal wounds to Becki Lynne Dillard, 24, suffered weren't from a car crash, but from two bullet wounds to the head.

Dillard's family told investigators that she left to buy makeup at Wal-Mart for her sister's birthday but she never made it to the party.

Investigators say that Debra Yvonne Dillard, 53, Becki's mother-in-law, told detectives that her boyfriend, Billy Joe Eastep, hated Becki and followed her down Highway FF and pulled her over.
-
Court documents say that Eastep began yelling at Dillard and as she turned to walk away from the confrontation he allegedly shot her in the back of the head.  Sheriff Mike Shannon says that after Becki fell to the ground, Eastep walked over to where she lay and shot her once more in the head.


Billy Joe Eastep (mug shot HCSO)

According to the probable cause statement, Debra Dillard allegedly sent signed confessions to several people implicating herself in her in Becki's murder.

Becki Dillard worked as a hairdresser at Wal-Mart in West Plains and had  two little boys, Cobey 4, and Kryckett who had just turned 1 at the time of their mother's murder.

Howell County assistant prosecutor Josh Corman says that Justin Dillard testified during the week long trial that he and his mother were home watching a movie at the time of his wife's murder.
-
"The defendant confessed, then tried to retract her confession.  In a written statement she said now Becki can't hurt anyone anymore.  She's [Debra Dillard] probably the only one that can tell you why she did it," said Corman.
-

Eastep, 42, who is also charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action for Becki Dillard's murder, is scheduled to stand trial in March.

-

Debra Dillard will be sentenced on April 8th, but it will merely be a formality on the armed criminal action charge because the only sentence available on a first-degree murder conviction is life without the possibility of parole.  Her trial was moved from Howell County to Wright County on a change of venue.

Joplin Murder Suspect Who Eluded Capture For Four Years Apprehended In Texas:

Jose Alberto Deleon "Chino" Cazares (mug shot JPD)

A murder suspect who has been on the run from authorities in Joplin for over four years and has been featured twice on America's Most Wanted has been captured in Texas.

Jose Alberto Deleon Cazares, 25, who was wanted in connection to the July 14, 2006, murder of 30 year-old Joshua Olson of Duenweg was taken into custody in Brownsville, Texas, on Monday.

Detectives say that Olson and a friend went searching for Jose Deleon Alberto-Cazares, who goes by the street name "Chino," and his brother Gerardo Cazares Jr., who is known as "Jerry," because Olson believed they stole the rims off of his vehicle on July 14, 2006.

Their search led them to S. Pearl Avenue in Joplin where investigators say an "argument got heated between Olson and the Cazares brothers."  According to authorities, to avoid further conflict, "Josh turned away and walked to his car." Enraged, Jose Cazares followed Olson to his car where he allegedly shot him in the head.

officers responding to a shot's fired call found Olson lying behind a house at 1617 S. Pearl Avenue. He was pronounced dead a short time later at a Joplin hospital.

A man who lived in the neighborhood told investigators that he heard three people yelling at each other in Spanish and then someone yelling in English several times...“Get off my property.” The man then heard a gun shot followed by a softer voice repeating: “Oh, my God. Oh, my God.”

Detective Mike Hobson says that investigators initially hit some stumbling blocks in the beginning of their probe into Olson's murder. The friend who accompanied Olson to the Cazares brothers house didn't want to identify the alleged shooter because "he wanted to take matters into his own hands and avenge his friends death."



Joplin Police Public Information Officer Lt. Brian Lewis



Lt. Brian Lewis says Cazares has numerous aunts and uncles who live in Brownsville, Texas, and authorities always believed that he was traveling back and forth between the border town and Matamoras, Mexico. According to Lewis, "An anonymous tip phoned in to authorities in Cameron County led to deputies finding Cazares hiding in the closet at a relatives home."
-

Casares, who is charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action, is being held in the Cameron County jail pending extradition back to Jasper County.

Taney County Judge In Stable Condition After Suffering Brain Aneurysm:

Associate Circuit Court Judge James Justus (courtesy MO Sec. of State)

A judge in Taney County who has served the county for nearly 30 years is now in stable condition after suffering a brain aneurysm at home Saturday morning.

Judge James Justus, 59, served as prosecuting attorney and assistant prosecuting attorney before being elected to the bench as an associate circuit court judge in 2003.

Taney County Circuit Clerk Brenda Neal says Justus was first treated at Skaggs Hospital in Branson and then transferred to St. John's in Springfield where he underwent surgery and is now in the progressive care unit. Neal says additional surgery is expected.  "He's talking and shows no sign of a stroke, which we're all thankful for.  He's taking medication that will hopefully prevent a stroke."

Neal says she's spent most of the day on the phone with officials in Jefferson City trying to secure a substitute judge/or judges to assume Justus' dockets.  "I've gotten many calls from Judges asking how they can help out.  I think we'll be okay."

Justus' daughter, Senator Jolie Justus, said via Twitter, "He's hanging in there. Good sign - He told me to get back to Capitol to defend judicial payraises!"

Estate Of Former City of Nixa Employee Who Pled Guilty To Bilking City Out Of Close To A Million Dollars To Be Auctioned:

Larry Covington (CCSO)

The living estate of Larry and Paula Covington will go on the auction block this weekend in Nixa.

Larry Covington who was the streets superintendent in Nixa pleaded guilty in federal court to setting up bogus business along with another former employee, David Griggs, to bilk the city out of close to a million dollars.

Larry Covington was sentenced to nine years in federal prison without parole and ordered to pay $756,000 in restitution to the city.  Griggs was sentenced to two years and eight months in federal prison without parole and was ordered to pay $272,718 in restitution.

Paula Covington (CCSO)

Covington's wife, Paula, pleaded guilty to federal money laundering charges last year in connection to the scheme. She was ordered to serve one year and one day without parole in federal prison.

~~UPDATED~~Monett Authorities Searching For Man Who Allegedly Raped Girlfriend's Child:

SUSPECT CAPTURED 01-24-11:

Authorities in Monett are searching for a man accused of raping the child of his girlfriend.

Dewey Gene Stewart, 44, of Monett, was charged with first-degree statutory rape last week and is on the run from cops according to Monett police chief Tim Schweder.  The charges were filed after someone made a hotline call to the Missouri Child Abuse Hotline to report a child under 12 was being treated at Cox Monett hospital.

Stewart is on parole for several drug and traffic offenses according to Schweder.

Anyone with information on Stewart's whereabouts is asked to call Monett police at 417-235-4241; the Barry-Lawrence Crime Stoppers tips line at 354-8477 or 9-1-1.
-
UPDATED - 01-24-11:

Stewart was arrested at a mobile home near Monett this morning.  Barry County Sheriff's deputies assisted officers from Monett in the arrest.

Stewart is being held in the Monett jail on $75,000 cash only bond pending transfer to the Barry County jail. 

Man Who Carried Loaded Weapon Into Store On Black Friday Headed To Prison:

Tyrel Lee Campbell (mug shot SCSO)

A man from Ozark man who was arrested with a loaded weapon and a backpack full of ammuniation in a store crowded with Black Friday shoppers has been sentenced to three years in prison.

Prosecutor Matt Selby says Tyrel Lee Campbell, 29, pleaded guilty to charges of unlawful use of a weapon after the prosecutor dismissed charges of possession of a controlled substance against him.
-
Just two months ago authorities arrested Campbell after they were tipped off that he was headed to Wal Mart in Branson with the weapon. Branson West police chief Doug Rader had officers working security at the store who spotted Campbell near the Lawn and Garden section in a crowd of shoppers. 

According to court documents, "We [officers] approached the male the male from behind. I then quickly ordered the male away from Wal-Mart customers. As we enter an aisle the male began reaching for the inside of his coat pocket with his right hand. I then ordered the male not to reach for anything in his pocket and grabbed his right hand. I then asked Campbell where the gun was located and he replied, in my front pocket."

The arresting officers say Campbell told them he felt people were watching him and the customers at Wal-Mart were “were out to get him.”
-

When Campbell was arrested he had 550 rounds of ammunition for the .22 handgun.  He also was in possession of "anti-government conspiracy literature."

Jasper County Authorities Charge Man With Impersonating Federal Agent:

Jeremiah J. Hulen (mug shot JPD)

Authorities in Joplin have charged a 20-year-old man with  impersonating a federal agent and want to hear from anyone else who may have had similar dealings with the man.

Joplin police Lt. Michael Hobson said in a news release that Jeremiah J. Hulen was taken into custody following a traffic stop yesterday.   That stop was made after the truck and license plates matched the description of a vehicle that was involved in an incident Saturday afternoon in the parking lot of PetSmart at 520 S. Range Line Road.

On Saturday, a man wearing a hat with the word “Police” on it pulled in behind a woman and accused her of speeding in her vehicle, then allegedly identified himself  as a federal agent.

An off-duty police officer was nearby in the store's parking lot at the time, spotted what was taking place, approached the man and woman, pulled out his badge and told them he was a Joplin police officer.

Hobson says the man then ran to his green Chevrolet truck that had Arizona plates and sped off.

Joplin police are asking anyone who may have been approached in a similar manner recently or witnessed the incident Saturday call Detective Ron Buchanan at 417-623-3131, ext. 239.

Fight Between Neighbors In Nixa Turns Deadly; Suspect Released As Investigation Contiues:

An alleged fight over money between neighbors turned deadly about 8 p.m. last night in the 400 block of South Patricia Avenue in Nixa.

Detective Jason Hartsell says 51 year-old Rex Hicks and his girlfriend called their neighbor R. B. and his wife and began arguing about $200 R. B. owed them for an entertainment center.  Hartsell says Hicks (who lived at 417 Harrison) and his girlfriend then went to 410 South Patricia where the ongoing feud turned deadly when Hicks was shot with a hunting rifle after being told to leave the property.

Hartsell says it's not the first time authorities had been called to break up disturbances between the neighbors.

Hartsell will meet with Christian County prosecutors this afternoon to determine if involuntary manslaughter charges will be filed in this case.

R.B. is being held in the Christian County jail on a 24 hour investigative hold pending the filing of formal charges.
-
UPDATE 01-18-11 @ 9:20 P.M.:

According to assistant prosecutor Donovan Dobbs, R. B. was released from custody and the investigation into the shooting continues.  "They're (police) looking into different things, talking to additional people and continuing the investigation. There wasn't enough evidence to charge him right now so he was released this evening."

Elderly Ozark Woman Receives Probation For Shooting Ex-Boyfriend:

Sharon Kern (mug shot CCSO)

An elderly woman from Ozark who shot her ex-boyfriend with a shotgun last September was placed on five years probation after pleading guilty to domestic assault charges.

Rex Butler told investigators that Sharon Kern, 69, came to his home on North 11th and shot him when he refused to reconcile with her. The two had lived together but had split up two months before the shooting, according to court records.  Kern says the shooting was accidental.

Kern, who says the shooting was accidental, was ordered to pay Butler's medical bills (he’s had surgery on his left arm, his colon, and his intestines) related to the shooting and must undergo a substance abuse evaluation.

If  Kern violates her probation she could be sent to prison for ten years.

Branson Man Sentenced To Ten Years For Knowingly Infecting Former Lover With H.I.V.:

Jeffrey Scott Trumbo (mug shot TCSO)

A man from Branson was sentenced to ten years in prison for knowingly infecting a former lover with H.I.V.

Taney County Prosecutor Jeff Merrell says that Jeffrey Scott Trumbo, 42, pleaded guilty to the felony last week.

According to Merrell, the female victim and Trumbo had been in a long-term relationship but had broken up last summer.  The victim told investigators last August that Trumbo then told her he was H. I. V. positive. 

Lab tests later confirmed that the woman had been infected sometime during the relationship and Trumbo was charged with recklessly infecting another with H.I. V. in October.

"Hopefully the Taney County community feels safer knowing that its local law enforcement, including the Taney County Prosecutor’s Office, understands that this is not acceptable behavior, nor do I think the community accepts this kind of behavior," said Merrell.

The prosecutor adds, "This is an unusual crime that has tragic consequences for its victim and this community. Although it is rare that we see this sort of crime, let there be no mistake that we all take it very seriously.”

Williamson Pleads Guilty To Conspiracy To Commit Murder:



Jimmie Williamson (mug shot CCSO)


A man from Nixa admitted in court today (01-14-11) that he attempted to hire a hit-man to kill his wife and stepson in December of 2009.

Jimmie Michael Williamson Jr., 37, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and was sentenced to seven years in prison.  Williamson also pleaded guilty to an unrelated domestic assault for an incident that happened in November of 2009.  He received a seven years on that charge as well.

According to the probable cause statement in the murder for hire case, a "cooperating citizen" contacted police and told them of Williamson's plan. The informant told authorities that if they did not intervene, "Jimmie had several shady contacts that might be willing to take him up on his offer."

Cops then had their informant set up a meeting with Williamson where he offered an undercover officer, who was wearing a wire, $15,000 to have his family killed.

Court documents say that Williamson then drew the cop a diagram of his house at 940 Riverdale Road.

When the officer asked Williamson if he still wanted to go through with the deal he said, "I don't see any other way. She's going to take me for everything. I don't have anything left. Either go all out to jail for ever, forever, forever, or just give her all my money."

What Williamson was referring to was that he had been in a motorcycle accident in which he lost a leg and received a substantial insurance settlement.
-

Donna Williamson filed for an order of protection (ex parte) onNovember 30, 2009, after an alleged domestic assault at the couples home. She then filed for divorce on December 9th.
-

When Williamson was arrested on December 28th, 2009, he was out of jail on a half million dollars bond for the November 30th domestic assault. In that case he was also facing firearm and explosive charges as well as a drug paraphernalia charges. Cops say they found a meth pipe on Williamson when they searched him.
-

Williamson was sentenced on December 21, 2010, to twelve years in federal prison after pleading guilty to transporting firearms, shipping explosive material and possession (receiving) of an unregistered firearm.
-
Judge Mark Orr ruled the seven-year sentences in Christian County will run concurrently (at the same time.)  

In August of last year, Williamson alerted authorities to a plan to kill a Christian County Sheriff's deputy while he was being held in the county jail.

Authorities In Joplin Need Public's Help In Cracking 25 Year Old Cold Case:



Robert Nuttle (provided by JPD)



Authorities in Joplin are taking a closer look at a 25-year-old cold case that they thought they had solved twice, and are asking the public for help.

On January 7th, the Joplin Police Department issued a news release seeking information that might help solve the September 26, 1985, murder of nightclub owner Robert Nuttle.

Detective Trevor Duncan says Nuttle, 45, was found dead on floor of the Country Roundup at 1700 W. Seventh Street about 11 a.m. by a woman who had come to look for a friend of hers.  The woman told investigators the door was unlocked.  The weapon used to kill him was found nearby.

Duncan says it was not unusual for Nuttle to stay all night at the bar when he was working late doing paperwork.

When the homicide was first investigated 25 years ago, tips led investigators to believe the catalyst for Nuttle's murder was his involvement in a love triangle.  Investigators questioned two people in connection to that allegation, but didn't have enough evidence to make a case and released them. 

In 1986, Aaron Dean Davis, who was 26 years old at the time, told police he was responsible for Nuttle's slaying.  He was charged with second-degree murder the same day he was handed consecutive prison terms totaling 50 years for two armed robberies in Joplin. However, the murder charge was dropped six months later when police determined Davis lied about his involvement in the businessman's murder.

Almost ten years after Nuttle's murder investigators took another look at the case after his daughter provided them with additional information about the two people alleged in the love triangle that cops originally had questioned.  The prosecutor refused to file any charges at that time citing lack of evidence.

Joplin Police Detective Trevor Duncan

Duncan, who has been working on the case since September of 2010,  says, "There’s someone out there who has some information that can help us solve Mr. Nuttle's murder.  Now that 25 years have passed, relationships have changed and people have grown older and they may be willing to come forward now."

If you know anything about Nuttle's murder you're asked to call Detective Duncan at 623-3131, ext. 600. You can also submit anonymous tips on the department’s website at http://www.joplinpolice.org/

UPDATED~~ Charges Filed Against Man Who Allegedly Shot Ozark Woman In The Head; Suspect Sought:

Authorities are looking for Robert Wendell Berry

Authorities in Christian County are looking for a man who allegedly shot a woman in the head and hand last night in Ozark.
-

Sheriff Joey Kyle says Donelle Woodruff, 50, was inside her home at 1013 Golden Rod Road when police believe her son-in-law Robert Wendell Berry allegedly fired shots into the house. Authorities believe Berry knocked on the front door and opened fire on Woodruff when she went to answer the door.

Woodruff home on Golden Rod Road (courtesy of Springfield News Leader)

-

Woodruff was able to flee to a neighbors house who called authorities.  She was transported to a Springfield hospital where she has undergone surgery and is in a medically induced coma.  A family dog was killed by one of the gunshots.

-

Kyle says they are looking for Berry, 45, of Ava, who has access to several vehicles and has lived in Christian, Ozark and Douglas counties.  Sheriff Kyle says Berry was recently charged with child molestation and it's not clear if the attack on Woodruff is related to those charges. Online court records did not show the molestation charges this morning.
-

Kyle says three residences wee searched overnight, including Berry's mother's home in Sparta where several weapons were missing.  He says he may call ask for help from the U.S. Marshal's fugitive task force in apprehending Berry who is  5’09” and 170 pounds.
-
Anyone who knows the whereabouts of Berry, or if you see him is asked to call 9-1-1.
-
UPDATE 4:10 P.M.:
-
Christian County Prosecutor Amy Fite has charged Berry with first-degree assault, armed criminal action and first-degree burglary for last night's shooting.

~~UPDATED~~Springfield Police Launch Suspicious Death Investigation After Woman Found Dead Behind Storage Business:



Yvonne Lowers (SPD)

Police in Springfield are investigating the "suspicious" death of a woman found about 8 a.m. this morning behind Go Mini's at 3115 S. Scenic.

Corporal Matt Brown says authorities aren't sure how long the woman, who was unclothed from the waist down, may have been there as the business which houses warehouses for Churchill Coffee and portable storage for business isn't utilized much during the weekend.



Body found behind Go Mini's (courtesy KTTS)



Brown says investigators are in the beginning stages of the investigation and could not comment on whether or not the woman had any visible wounds to her body.  Brown also wasn't sure if the storage business or another business across the street had surveillance cameras. 



People passing by the business reported that a Jeep had run into a ditch near the business earlier in the morning.  Brown says he's not sure if that is related to the investigation.



UPDATE 01-12-11:

Police have identified the victim as Yvonne Lowers who lived about a mile-and-a-half from where she was found dead.

Preliminary autopsy results did not reveal a cause of death.  Greene County Medical Examiner Doug Anderson believes hypothermia could have been a contributing factor.

The Springfield Police Department is asking anyone that has information about Lowers activities from about 1 p.m. on Sunday January 9th until her body was found to call them at 417-864-1810.

~~UPDATED~~Death Investigation Launched In Taney County After Missing Man Found Dead:



Donald Wayne Burton


Authorities in Taney County have launched a death investigation after a man who has been missing since Christmas was found dead this morning north of Forsyth.

Sheriff Jimmie Russell says Donald Wayne Burton, 29, of Forsyth was found on the floor of a garage next to an abandoned trailer on Julie Lane in the Venice on the Lake area.  Burton's parents reported him missing on December 28th.
-

When asked last week if authorities were familiar with Burton, Russell replied, "We have dealt with him in the past." When asked if the disappearance could be drug related Russell replied, "All I'm gonna tell you is he's a missing person." 

Russell said he didn't alert the media because he didn't want to hinder the investigation.

Southwest Missouri Forensics will conduct an autopsy on Burton in Springfield on Tuesday.

-
Russell will not comment on whether foul play is suspected in Burton's death.  In a news release he says he will release more information after reviewing autopsy results.
-

UPDATE 01-12-11:

Preliminary autopsy results indicate that Burton died from a brain aneurysm.  It will take several weeks for toxicology reports to come back.

UPDATED ~Boyfriend Of Woman Missing For Three Years Charged With Murder; Simino Convicted:

Kelly Robert Simino (mug shot MCSO)

Four years after Brandi Mathews disappeared and almost two years to the day after her remains were found under a concrete bridge in Miller County, her boyfriend has been charged with her murder.

Brandi June Mathews worked as a dancer known as Faith at several strip clubs in the Lake of the Ozarks area when she went missing in September of 2006.  But it wasn't until March of 2008 that authorities would take a missing person report on the woman.
- 

Mathews' mother, Deanna Roberts, says law enforcers wouldn't listen or help her find her daughter until a detective in Osage Beach began helping her after he found her crying in the lobby of the police station.

-

At the time of her disappearance, Mathews was not in contact with her family because of custody disputes involving her then 18 month old son.
-

On January 3, 2009, a family out walking their dog along a creek near Eldon discovered a human skull with teeth and other bones partially wrapped in fabric protruding out of mud and called 911.
-

At the time Mathews remains were found Miller County Sheriff Bill Abbott said that Mathews was known to be associated with alleged drug dealers in the Eldon area, and was in an abusive relationship with one of them.
-

Miller County Sheriff Bill Abbott (courtesy lakenewsonline.com)

Kelly Robert Simino, 33, Mathews boyfriend, was always the chief suspect in the young mother's disappearance.  Authorities say Mathews had made at least six reports of violence towards her by Simino.
-

Brandi Mathews with her son (family photo)

-
Osage Beach Police Detective Tracy Robinett writes in the probable cause statement, "On about August 15, 2006 Brandi Mathews provided information to Law Enforcement in Eldon Missouri leading to the arrest of Kelly Simino for narcotics, (Eldon Police report #179722, August 2006). On August 16, 2006 Brandi Mathews obtained an order of protection against Kelly Simino after she assisted in his arrest. On the protection order application it states that Brandi Mathews is seeking the order of protection from Kelly Simino because she assisted law enforcement in the arrest of Kelly Simino for possession of drugs in Eldon Missouri. Brandi stated on the application she was afraid that Kelly Simino would retaliate against her for her role in his arrest. A copy of this paperwork was served on Kelly Simino on August 16, 2006."
-

According to court documents, "On December 17, 2008 Investigators interviewed a witness in the case concerning Brandi Mathews. This witness reported during September or October of 2006 Kelly Simino made an unsolicited visit to the witness's residence. During this visit Kelly Simino was very emotional and told the witness, he killed Brandi Mathews by choking her or breaking her neck."
-

"Another witness and associate of Kelly Simino stated he was called to the residence of Anthony Scott to view the Ex Parte Kelly Simino has received. This witness stated he went to Anthony Scott's residence and spoke with Kelly Simino there. According to this witness, Kelly Simino stated that if could kill "that bitch" (Brandi Mathews), and get away with it she would have done been dead."
-

Authorities say the latest break in the case came after a witness saw Mathews picture on T.V. in a news story about the case.
- 

Court records reveal, "An eye witness reported that in the fall of 2006 he witnessed an assault occurring on Salem Rd. near the Rd. Salem Bridge in Eldon Missouri. (This bridge is a short distance upstream from where the Skull of Brandi Mathews was found). This witness stated he noticed a male and a female fighting on Salem Rd. and the male appeared to be choking the female. The witness stated the woman broke out of the male's grasp and ran to the side of a black car. The witness stated the woman was the same woman he had recently seen in the news (Brandi Mathews). The male subject was later identified by the witness in a photo lineup as Kelly Simino."
-

Simino was arrested the same day medical examiners positively ID'd that the bones recovered near Eldon belonged to Mathews.  He has a lengthy rap sheet and has remained behind bars since then on a parole violation.  He was scheduled to be released from jail last week.
-

Simino's will be formally arraigned for Mathews murder sometime next week.
-
UPDATE 11-02-11:

According to witnesses in the courtroom during Simino's murder trial, he appeared smug and thought it was all a game.....that is until jurors convicted him for the 2006 murder of Mathews.

The jury has recommended a sentence of twenty years in prison.  He is scheduled to be sentenced on January 6, 2012, in Laclede County where the case was moved to on a change of venue.

~~UPDATED~~Taney County Authorities Searching For Man Missing Since Christmas Day:



Donald Wayne Burton mug shot from August 2010 (TCSO)

-
Authorities in Taney County have launched a missing person investigation into the disappearance of a Forsyth man on Christmas day.

Sheriff Jimmie Russell says the parents of Donald Wayne Burton, 29, filed the report with his office on December 28th.

"We have dealt with him in the past," said Russell.  When asked if the disappearance could be drug related Russell replied, "All I'm gonna tell you is he's a missing person."

According to online court records, Burton pled guilty last year to domestic assault and was given 120 days shock time.  He has numerous drug related convictions going back to 2001.
-
If you have any information on the disappearance of Burton you're asked to call the Taney County Sheriff's Office at 417-546-7250.

UPDATE:

 Sunday, January 9, 2011

Death Investigation Launched In Taney County After Missing Man Found Dead:

Donald Wayne Burton

Authorities in Taney County have launched a death investigation after a man who has been missing since Christmas was found dead this morning north of Forsyth.

Sheriff Jimmie Russell says Donald Wayne Burton, 29, of Forsyth was found on the floor of a garage next to an abandoned trailer on Julie Lane in the Venice on the Lake area.  Burton's parents reported him missing on December 28th.
-

When asked last week if authorities were familiar with Burton, Russell replied, "We have dealt with him in the past." When asked if the disappearance could be drug related Russell replied, "All I'm gonna tell you is he's a missing person." 

Russell said he didn't alert the media because he didn't want to hinder the investigation.

Southwest Missouri Forensics will conduct an autopsy on Burton in Springfield on Tuesday.

-
Russell says he will release more information after reviewing autopsy results.

Attorney Who Sold Meth Out Of Law Office Sentenced:



Baker in a campaign picture (l) and after her arrest in 2009

-
An attorney from Berryville, Arkansas, who was caught selling methamphetamine out of her law office in October of 2009 has lost her license to practice law and has been sentenced to ten years in prison.

Cindy M. Baker, 37, who now lives in Reeds Spring, MO, admitted that she sold meth to a confidential informant who had paid for the drugs with marked money provided by undercover officers.

When police raided her office, Baker was found to be in possession of meth and the marked money.

Baker, who is now pregnant, will spend the next four years (six years of her sentence was suspended) at the Department of Community Corrections where drug rehab is available, followed by 14 years of supervised probation. The judge hearing Baker's case told her that if she failed to complete the terms of her sentence, she will be incarcerated for 14 years.

Sheriff Bob Grudek SAYS, "It just shows you what drugs can do to you no matter what your career is.  Professional people and everyday people are affected......drugs don't discriminate."
-

Jason Devron Campbell (SCSO)

In an unrelated case involving Baker, her boyfriend, Jason Devron Campbell, 40, was shot seven times after he allegedly chased her while holding a knife to her sister's Reed Spring home following a domestic disturbance on December 15th. When no one inside the sister's house would open the door for him, he kicked it in and was shot seven times by a 39 year-old man inside the residence.  

Man Who Killed Laclede County Couple Married Nearly Sixty Years Due In Court Tomorrow:

Jesse Dean Driskill (mug shot LCSO)

A Laclede County man charged with two counts of capital murder for the deaths of a Bennett Springs couple last July is due in court tomorrow.
-

Prosecutors say Jesse Dean Driskill raped and sodomized 76 year-old Coleen Wilson before he shot her and her 82 year-old husband Johnnie after the couple caught him stealing outside their rural Laclede County home. 

Authorities say Driskill poured an accelerant on the couples bodies and attempted to burn them in an attempt to destroy evidence, but the fire never fully ignited.
-

Johnnie and Coleen Wilson

Driskill, who has an extensive criminal history and was wanted for a parole violation, was spotted by a Laclede County deputy in Bennett Springs state park shortly before midnight on July 26th.  He fled into a heavily wooded area and stumbled on the couples remote home, which is about two miles from where he was last seen. 

The couple had just celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary the day before they were killed.

According to the probable cause statement, Driskill allegedly confessed to someone who picked him up in Dallas County, not far from where the Wilson's stolen vehicle was found burning, that he killed a couple and set their house on fire.

Motions for a change of judge and venue were filed with the court before Driskill's public defender's withdrew from the case.  New attorney's and those motions are expected to be heard tomorrow.

The News Leader has a gallery of Driskill's mug shots here.