Court News
Robert Hudson
Several guilty pleas were accepted during the June 4 session of Ozark County Circuit Court’s Law Day.
William Hansen refused a plea offer and his case will go to trial as scheduled. Hansen is charged with the D class felony of stealing $750 or more.
Guilty pleas
Robert Hudson pleaded guilty to...
A man driving on the blufftop along County Road 354 near Blair Bridge and the North Fork of the White River left the roadway and overturned onto the river’s edge Sunday. Photo by JB Duke.
Tecumseh Assistant Fire Chief JB Duke, who owns Duke’s Towing, shared the above photo of a vehicle after it careened off County Road 354, on the KK Highway side of the North Fork of the White River, near the Blair Bridge access last Sunday, June 29.
This week’s sheriff’s report says the incident...
William Bridges
Police say William Bridges, 57, of Bakersfield, had a blood alcohol level that was nearly 4.5 times the legal driving limit when he took a joyride through Bakersfield May 1, causing a pair of hit-and-run crashes, all while missing his front wheel. And after the collisions occurred, Bridges...
During the May 21, Ozark County Circuit Court, Judge Craig Carter heard from 13 defendants, including Timothy Kendrick of Springfield.
Kendrick is charged with driving while revoked in January 2023 and was originally arraigned in circuit court on Aug. 9, 2023. The case was continued because of the...
Brandon Mills
In a wild story from Pontiac, officers say a man illegally moved into a lakeside vacation cabin, turned it into his own personal dog kennel and attempted to claim ownership of the home with a hand drawn sign nailed to a tree, which hung beside a homemade mailbox the man installed to make the...
Ozark County Sheriff’s Department photo A multi-agency law enforcement effort that included local deputies, SWAT, U.S. Marshals and other officers was carried out June 9 at a residence in Ocie in an attempt to arrest federal fugitive Joshua Cook. The suspect reportedly barricaded himself inside the home and threatened to shoot officers, but after negotiations with Ozark County Deputy Todd Beaver, the man peacefully surrendered himself and was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshal’s office.
What began as a quiet Monday morning in Ocie erupted into a high-stakes law enforcement operation last week as officers descended on the residence of Shane Cook, who they suspected was harboring federal fugitive Joshua Cook. By the time the dust settled that afternoon, three men were in handcuffs,...
Luke Seidel of Drury is facing several charges after shooting near a couple late Wednesday, May 21, and pointing a rifle at Ozark County deputies.
An entry in the Ozark County Sheriff’s report stated that Ozark County dispatch received a 911 call at approximately 9:29 p.m. from a man who said shots...
William Heulsenbeck
William A. Huelsenbeck of Gainesville will serve 80% of his 15 year sentence in the Missouri Department of Corrections after he was found to be in violation of his probation.
Huelsenbeck pleaded guilty on Dec. 18, 2024, to statutory rape of a 12-year-old girl in 2008-09, and was sentenced to 15...
Circuit Court Judge Craig Carter processed 29 defendants during the May 7 session of Ozark County Circuit Court.
Guilty pleas
Nathan T. Rodman pleaded guilty to second degree burglary. Pursuant to a plea agreement, Rodman was sentenced to 3 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections, SES,...
Nathan T. Rodman pleaded guilty to second degree burglary. Pursuant to a plea agreement, Rodman was sentenced to 3 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections, SES, and 5 years probation. An SES, or suspended execution of sentence, means a defendant will be sentenced to a prison term but will...