Charged with stealing friend’s guns stored after tornado

A man who reportedly agreed to store a friend’s gun collection after a 2023 tornado is now accused of stealing the weapons after deputies found nine of the missing firearms and a green gun safe in a Theodosia storage shed occupied by Dustin Kyle Wallace, 46, of Theodosia. He is charged with 19 felony counts of stealing a firearm and one misdemeanor count of stealing an item valued at $150 or less. (Editor’s note: The Dustin Wallace charged in this incident is not the Theodosia man by the same name who owns Dustin’s Body Shop in Theodosia.)

According to the probable cause statement prepared by Ozark County Sheriff’s Lt. Matt Rhoades, the officer spoke with a woman calling on behalf of another man. She said that after a tornado damaged the man’s home in 2023, he had asked his friend, Wallace, to store approximately 30 firearms and a green stand-up gun safe at his home in Willow Springs. Wallace agreed, and the man delivered the guns and the safe to Wallace’s house.

Sometime after that, unbeknownst to the gun owner, Wallace was evicted from the rental property, the woman said. The man attempted to contact Wallace through Snapchat several times over the span of a year but never received a response until March 12, 2025, when Wallace messaged him back, saying he would return the guns after they negotiated storage fees. The man replied that no storage fees had been discussed when the guns were left there, and Wallace then stopped responding, the report says.

In June 2025, the man reportedly contacted Wallace’s girlfriend, who told him the firearms were no longer in Wallace’s possession and that he had left them at the Willow Springs residence after the eviction. The man said Wallace’s girlfriend repeatedly told him that the firearms were gone and they would not  be retrieving them.

The man provided Lt. Rhoades with a list of 15 firearms, some with serial numbers, and photographs showing all the firearms inside a standing green gun safe. He also told the officer he had seen a photo Wallace posted on Snapchat showing him with the same green gun safe visible in the background. The safe appeared to be inside a mini-home-style storage shed at a home Wallace and his girlfriend shared in Theodosia, the man said.

The report says the victim believed Wallace was still in possession of the firearms due to inconsistencies in Wallace’s and his girlfriend’s statements. Specifically, Wallace had indicated a willingness to return the firearms contingent on storage fees, while his girlfriend claimed they were left behind during the eviction. The presence of the gun safe in the Snapchat photo and Wallace’s refusal to communicate further supported the victim’s suspicion.

Rhoades contacted the landlord of the Willow Springs property, who confirmed that no firearms or gun safe were found when the property was reclaimed after Wallace’s eviction.

The officer then conducted an area check at a Theodosia property and found two dark gray storage sheds with white trim on an empty wooded lot, identifiable by a blue mailbox labeled “Riech,” an alias Wallace is known to have used in the past. The report states that Wallace does not own the lot and that he and his girlfriend were squatting on the property. It also notes that they have not resided there for the 10 years required for adverse possession under Missouri law.

Rhoades requested and was granted a search warrant, which was executed on July 11. Officers found nine firearms and the stolen safe inside one of the sheds, the report says.

Under Miranda, Wallace stated that he was not trying to keep the firearms from the victim but had blocked communication after being asked to return them, according to the report.

Wallace was arrested Oct. 6 and held in the Ozark County Jail for two days before being granted supervised bond release. He is scheduled to reappear in Ozark County Associate Court at 9 a.m. Nov. 18 before Associate Judge Raymond Gross.

Wallace is also charged in an unrelated newly filed case with felony non-support of a child. He is scheduled to appear in that case at the same time as the firearms case.