Gainesville man charged in WP with felonies, including bribery of a public servant


Anthony Scott Collins. Photo courtesy Howell County Jail.

Reprinted with permission from the West Plains Daily Quill

 

A Gainesville man is charged with several felonies including bribery of a public servant after he reportedly offered a police officer drugs in exchange for letting him go during an arrest after an alleged assault.

Anthony Scott Collins, 33, was taken into custody at about 6 p.m. Sunday by West Plains Police Officer Travis Howell. Other charges include second-degree domestic assault and first-degree tampering. He was transferred Monday to the Howell County Jail and is being held on $4,500 bail.

Howell said he responded to the parking lot of Westlake Ace Hardware off Mitchell Road in West Plains to investigate a report that a man had stolen a woman’s vehicle and was driving around the parking lot.

In speaking to the alleged victim and Collins, the officer determined she and Collins began arguing after meeting at the hardware store, and Collins had twisted her arm before he took her car keys and the vehicle, driving it around the parking lot and behind the business.

The alleged victim is reportedly Collins’ girlfriend, and Howell noted she had redness to her arm and was bleeding from the ring finger on her right hand.

Collins told Howell he took her keys more than once and drove away in her vehicle. Collins denied assaulting her.

According to court documents, during the ride to the police department, Collins first asked the officer if he wanted anything in exchange for not taking him to jail before offering drugs in exchange for letting him go.

Ozark County Times

504 Third Steet
PO Box 188
Gainesville, MO 65655

Phone: (417) 679-4641
Fax: (417) 679-3423