MSHP trooper reportedly injured in Gainesville incident with fugitive


Jordan C. Haden

Area law enforcement officers are investigating a case in which an unidentified Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper was apparently injured Saturday night in Gainesville in an incident involving Jordan Christian Haden, 25, of Mountain Home, Arkansas. The Times has been told that the unidentified trooper may have suffered a broken jaw in the incident, but that information could not be officially confirmed.

The Ozark County Sheriff’s call log list this incident at 11:05 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, on Highway 5 north by the Antler restaurant in Gainesville: “Trooper in pursuit was assaulted.” The call log notes that a subject was arrested, but the person is not named on the call log.

However, MSHP online arrest records list the arrest of Haden at 11:05 p.m. Saturday in Ozark County. The charges listed, which are described in the MSHP online report as “mere accusation and not evidence of guilt,” include (1) a felony Barton County, Kansas, warrant for rape, (2) assault on a law enforcement officer, (3) two misdemeanor Platte County warrants for failure to appear, (4) a misdemeanor Ozark County warrant for failure to appear, (5) driving while intoxicated and (6) driving while revoked.

Ozark County Ambulance was out on another call at the time, and the sheriff’s department call log notes that Howell County Ambulance responded in mutual aid, but the call log doesn’t specific whether anyone was transported.

Ozark County Sheriff’s Deputies Justin Urich and Nick Jones were on scene, according to the OCSD call log.

On Monday, Ozark County Prosecuting Attorney John Garrabrant filed a charge in Ozark County Court of out-of-state fugitive against Haden. In relation to that charge, documents were also filed requesting that a warrant be issued, noting that Haden is a fugitive from Kansas who is “ alleged to have committed the felony of rape in the County of Barton, State of Kansas” and that he was found in Ozark County on Dec. 2.

The Barton County warrant attached to Garrabrant’s filing was dated April 26, 2017, and notes that the rape charge against Haden was a “severity level 1 ... felony” and that the appearance bond was set at $500,000 cash/surety.

At press time Tuesday, Haden was being held in the Ozark County Jail. It’s expected that additional charges based on the MSHP accusations will be filed sometime soon.

Ozark County Times

504 Third Steet
PO Box 188
Gainesville, MO 65655

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