Court News
John Reed
A Mountain Grove man convicted of repeatedly sexually abusing children in Ozark County more than two decades ago was sentenced to 15 years in prison last week.
John Reed, 73, was handed the prison sentence during a Jan. 7 hearing before Circuit Judge Craig Carter in Ozark County court, bringing a...
Sentencing for convicted child molester John Reed was given out during the Jan. 7, 2026, session of Ozark County Circuit Court (see above). After hearing several victims’ statements, Reed was sentenced to 15 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections after the court had accepted his guilty...
Gary Donley
Two Theodosia residents are facing steep charges after officers say they uncovered more than 170 grams of meth, $1,700 in cash, drug paraphernalia including digital scales, a rifle and more at their home, pointing to what they believe was a meth distribution hub for the area.
The probable cause...
Darron Bolton
A New Year’s Eve joint operation between the Ozark County Sheriff’s Department and the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s State Technical Assistance Team (STAT) led to the arrest of a man who is alleged to have sexually abused a young teenage girl in Ozark County from the time she was 13 to 15. ...
Josh Barnes
A Tecumseh man faces drug charges and child endangerment stemming from a traffic stop in August 2025.
According to the probable cause statement filed by Ozark County Deputy Hunter Ryan, Tecumseh resident Josh Barnes, born 1981, was stopped for a possible traffic violation when Ryan became...
Charles Worthem
Gainesville resident Charles Worthem, born in 1986, now faces charges in connection with a Sept. 9, 2025, methamphetamine bust at a home in Gainesville.
According to a probable cause statement prepared by Ozark County Deputy Josh Sherman, the Ozark County Sheriff’s Department’s Special Enforcement...
Thad Ewry, 41, of Isabella, was taken into custody by the Baxter County (Ark.) Sheriff’s Department on Dec. 10, after leading law enforcement on a high-speed pursuit that began in Mountain Home and continued through several North Central Arkansas communities before ending just across the Bull...
Dustin Harrington
Dustin Heath Harrington pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance. He was sentenced to three years in the Missouri Department of Corrections to run concurrent with all current cases. Pursuant to a plea agreement the charge of unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia was dismissed....
Jeffrey William Kaufman
Jeffrey William Kaufman, 61, pleaded guilty to unlawful use of a weapon - exhibiting and misdemeanor second degree harassment. Pursuant to a plea agreement, Kaufman was sentenced to three years in the Missouri Department of Corrections for the weapons charge SES and five years probation. He was...
A jury trial was set and two guilty pleas were accepted during the Dec. 3 Ozark County Circuit Court law day, presided over by Judge Craig Carter.
Dalton M. Howard was discharged from probation.
Christopher Levi McKee was released two days early from 7-day shock detention. According to McKee’s...