Howell County

WEST PLAINS, Mo. -- A woman from Howell County likely will spend the rest of her life behind bars.  A jury found Debra Dillard guilty of first-degree murder for the death of her daughter-in-law on Wednesday night. It took the jury three hours to convict Dillard.  Investigators say Dillard admitted to pulling the trigger, killing Becki Dillard, 24, in November 2009.  Prosecutors argued Dillard staged the death as a car crash. Debra Dillard's boyfriend, Billy Eastep, 41, faces murder charges in the same case.

WEST PLAINS, Mo. -- Sheriff Mike Shannon said a task force of law enforcement officers arrested Lloyd Miller of Alton on Friday in Springfield.  Miller is the inmate who escaped from the Howell County jail on Dec. 21. Miller was a trusty, an inmate with a few more privileges in exchange for doing chores because he earned jailers' trust.  Online court records show Miller has an extensive criminal background in Howell, Oregon and Shannon counties. ...

WEST PLAINS, Mo. -- Sheriff Mike Shannon says a Howell County jailer resigned in the wake of three inmates breaking out of their cell last month.  Shannon says the jailer resigned last Thursday, 12 days after being jumped by Daniel Wilson, Carey Reese and Shawn Clark. The escapees took off in the jailer's pickup but were caught that week.  Shannon says two employees should be on hand whenever a cell is opened but and that wasn't the case when the men got loose.

HOWELL COUNTY -- The mother of an inmate who escaped from the Howell County Jail will go before a judge this week. Ella Miller, 59, is accused of helping her son, Lloyd Miller, escape from jail, giving him money and taking him to several hideouts while he was on the run.     Authorities captured Lloyd in Springfield on January 13. He will be in court February 6th.

WEST PLAINS, Mo. - The Howell County Sheriff's Department tells KY3 news it is investigating the death of a man late Friday night. Twenty-nine year old Jackie Yarber of Birch Tree was found on County Road 6970, just outside West Plains. Authorities are not saying how Yarber died, but confirm an arrest has been made.  They tell KY3 News more arrests are likely.

WILLOW SPRINGS, Mo. -- Ambulances took two men and a woman to a hospital on Wednesday morning after all three were shot in a rural area northeast of Willow Springs.  Howell County Sheriff Mike Shannon said the call about the shooting came in about 5 a.m.  In a news release, Shannon identified the three people as Gregory Riley, 34, and Regina Riley, 34, both of Willow Springs, and Johnny Starry of Mountain Grove.  The news release didn't say...

WEST PLAINS, Mo. -- A Howell County resident says she was just trying to help stray animals.  Authorities say her goodwill just got out of hand, however. A raid on Thursday found more than 50 animals at the woman's home about five miles west of West Plains.  Rescuers say they found dogs, cats, horses, a goat, a rabbit and even a skunk living in bad conditions.   The woman fought to keep the animals.  A shelter in Texas County took most of the animals.  Some may go up for adoption immediately.  ---- from Ed Button, Ozark Area Network: Howell County Sheriff Mike Shannon reports 56 animals were seized on Thursday from a home at 10398 CR 6970 near West Plains.  That includes 50 from inside the residence.  Animals collected include 24 dogs, 20 cats, chickens, a rabbit, a skunk, a number of doves, a pigeon, a goat, a horse, a donkey and a chinchilla.

WEST PLAINS, Mo. -- The Howell County coroner says a 7-year-old boy from Willow Springs died Wednesday morning.  Because the cause of death is unknown, by state law, a Child Death Review Board will look into it.  The board includes law enforcement officers and representatives from other agencies.  An autopsy will be in Springfield on Thursday.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Mo. -- The third inmate who escaped the Howell County jail was arrested without incident late Tuesday.  A caller told the sheriff's department that Carey Reese was walking on a road on the north side of Mountain View. Officers quickly arrested him. Reese is one of three men who jumped a jailer, took his keys and drove off in his pickup on Sunday morning.  Officers found the other two inmates, Daniel Wilson and Shawn Clark, in a home near Mountain View on Monday afternoon.

WEST PLAINS, Mo. -- Law enforcement officers arrested a third person in connection with a murder in West Plains over the weekend. Bradley Jenkins, 22, of West Plains was arrested Monday night by the Howell County Sheriff's Department.  Daniel Baird, 24, and Heather Bennett, 21, both of West Plains, were also arrested for the murder. All three are charged with second-degree murder, first-degree robbery and armed criminal action.  Investigators believe the three suspects killed Jackie Yarber while they were stealing his truck.