Sprague pleads guilty to assaults

Timothy Kyle Sprague, 36,  pleaded guilty by way of Alford plea to two charges of third degree domestic assault. He was sentenced to four years SES in the Missouri Department of Corrections and five years probation to run concurrent with all other sentences.

An Alford plea means that Sprague is not necessarily admitting the crime, but he believes the evidence could convince a jury of his peers to find him guilty, which could lead to a stiffer penalty than the charge and sentencing offered in the plea agreement.

An SES, or suspended execution of sentence, means a defendant will be sentenced to a prison term but will be placed on probation and will not go to prison unless they violate the terms of that probation.

Charges stem from alleged assaults on his then-girlfriend on Aug. 23, 2023, and Nov. 25, 2023.

According to the probable cause statement filed in the November 2023 by Ozark County Sheriff’s Lt. Matt Rhoades, at 4:35 p.m. Nov. 25, the OCSD dispatch office received a call about a reported domestic violence situation in progress at the suspect’s residence in Gainesville. 

The woman reportedly said that Sprague, who she had been dating, was angry with her for not wanting to go to Springfield. The woman said she was afraid and got into her vehicle and locked the doors, as Sprague has assaulted her in the past and threatened to harm her. 

According to the report, she said Sprague then began beating the vehicle with her inside. “…he kicked both the passenger and driver side  doors and left shoe marks in the dust of the car. He ripped the driver side windshield wiper off the wiper arm, which was still in the upright position. He then got into his truck, backed up behind her vehicle and rammed it from behind, pushing her vehicle forwards causing significant damage to the rear quarter panel of the car,” the report says. 

The woman said she believed Sprague was going to kill her if he could get to her. 

Rhoades also investigated the Aug. 23 assault. In that case, the officer said he was assigned to the case around 9:30 p.m. Aug. 23, after a report of the assault was filed. 

“The victim lives with the suspect at his house. They got into an argument about forgetfulness, and the victim decided to leave because [Sprague] was becoming angry. 

“As she tried to leave his garage, he approached her from behind and pushed her against the garage door. He put his right arm around her neck to put her in a choke hold, injuring her lower lip and chin in the process. He then pulled her to the ground and mounted her from behind. He grabbed her neck from behind and started choking her as she was on the ground. She was not able to breathe but did not lose consciousness. After several seconds, he released her and got off her. 

“She ran to her car, got inside without her shoes on and drove away to the sheriff’s office. She fears for her safety due to past threats he has made and his criminal history,” the report said in that case.