Pulaski County

ST. ROBERT - A St. Robert man is behind bars today after stealing from a local pastor who tried to help the man get back on his feet. According to the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office, the pastor told deputies he noticed items taken from his home after Chad Fajardo, 29, had stayed with him for a few days. The pastor told deputies that Fajardo admitted to him that he took the items and pawned them at a local pawn shop. Fajardo was arrested Wednesday and faces a charge of theft of over $500 but less than $25,000.

WAYNESVILLE, Mo. -- A lengthy follow-up investigation of several burglaries led to more charges against a man from Dixon.  Daniel Johnson, 30, is suspected of two burglaries last Dec. 21 at a home on Cave Road and a home on Cavalier Road, both near Dixon. Johnson is charged with second-degree burglary and theft for each break-in.  He's also charged with property damage for the burglary on Cavalier Road.  A judge set his bond at $100,000.   If he's convicted, Johnson could get a prison sentence as long as 32 years if the sentences were ordered to be served consecutively.

BUCKHORN, Mo -- A single car crash in Pulaski County on Saturday afternoon killed an 8-year old girl.  A vehicle driven by a 15-year old girl ran off the road on Interstate 44 near the 152 mile marker, which is west of Waynesville near the Missouri 17 exit. The driver over-corrected, ran off the other side of the road, overturned several times and finally came to rest on its wheels, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.  Hannah Lamb was thrown from the vehicle and died at the scene.

WAYNESVILLE, Mo. -- Two of three fugitives being sought by Pulaski County law enforcement are behind bars, as of Thursday morning. Pulaski County Chief Deputy John Groves said Kevin Keeling, 52, surrendered to Pulaski County deputies and Waynesville police serving a warrant at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday at a home in Waynesville.  Officers took Keeling into custody without incident, Groves said.  He was wanted on drug warrants and has an extensive criminal...

PULASKI COUNTY - A Pulaski County man has been charged with possessing child pornography after an investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies took place. Joshua Warner, 32, was arrested on a Pulaski County warrant June 5 and charged with two counts of possession of child pornography. An investigation into Warner's activities was conducted by the South Central Missouri Computer Crime Task Force, the Pulaski County Sheriff's Department and the Department of Homeland Security.

WAYNESVILLE, Mo. -- Three men face charges after the Pulaski County Sheriff's Department busted a gun theft ring.  The sheriff says several homes have been broken into over the past few weeks with firearms being the target.  More arrests could be made.  Formal charges are pending against the suspects.

RICHLAND, Mo. - The Pulaski County Sheriff's Office is waiting for the results of an autopsy to determine the cause of death for a young man who was found dead over the weekend. An 18-year-old man was found dead in his Richland home Sunday morning. Authorities say he had been at a social gathering in a nearby town the night before. Sheriff Ron Long says foul play isn't suspected.

ST. ROBERT, Mo. --  A shooting near St. Robert sent two people to the hospital early Monday.  Pulaski County Sheriff J.B. King says people inside a home at 21474 Highway Y got into a gun battle with several other people outside the home around 3:40 a.m. A man inside the home was hit in the upper leg.  A woman outside the home was shot in a knee.  Both were taken to hospitals. St. Robert police officers and Pulaski County sheriff's deputies responded to the scene, which turned out to be outside the city.

WAYNESVILLE, Mo.-- Pulaski County Prosecuting Attorney Kevin Hillmans, says he has been ordered to active duty in the Missouri Army National Guard beginning in early May for a deployment to Kuwait later this summer.  Mr. Hillman serves as the Command Judge Advocate for the 35th Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB).  The 35th CAB has been ordered to active duty with training at Fort Leonard Wood, Fort Hood, and then deployment to Kuwait for approximately nine months. “As a member of the National Guard, I have always had a contingency plan in place in case this happened,” said Prosecuting Attorney Kevin Hillman.

WAYNESVILLE, Mo. -- Three teenagers are accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl while she was intoxicated last month.  Investigators say the assaults occurred on Jan. 27 at a home on Route Y in Pulaski County. Ned Gordon, 18, of Waynesville; Andre Shephard Jr., 17, of Devil's Elbow; and Dvante Williams, 18, of St. Robert are each charged with one count of forcible sodomy.  Investigators say the girl was so drunk that she couldn't resist.  The investigation started four days after the assault and the men were charged the next day. A judge set bonds for all three men at $250,000.

PULASKI COUNTY, Mo. - The Pulaski County Sheriff's Office is releasing details of a Christmas Eve 2010 drug bust 1 1/2 years after the event took place, as a federal investigation of the drug lab involved has finally concluded. On Dec. 24, 2010 at 3:44 p.m., deputies found Thien D. Tran, 26, of Garden Grove, Calif., sitting on the side of Highway P near Starburst Drive in a vehicle that had been parked for more than two hours. The car had Nevada license plates and Tran was unable to show deputies a driver's license when asked.

PULASKI COUNTY - A Pulaski County man has been charged with possessing child pornography after an investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies took place. Joshua Warner, 32, was arrested on a Pulaski County warrant June 5 and charged with two counts of possession of child pornography. An investigation into Warner's activities was conducted by the South Central Missouri Computer Crime Task Force, the Pulaski County Sheriff's Department and the Department of Homeland Security.

WAYNESVILLE, Mo. - A 20-year-old man who fought law enforcement when they arrived at his Dixon home June 8 faces a felony charge of resisting and interfering with an arrest. Pulaski County Sheriff J.B. King says officers had to use an electric stun gun on Devon Cardin, who appeared to be high on a mind-altering drug such as bath salts. The officers went to Cardin's home at 17430 Cliff Road about 7:30 a.m. June 8 because he had a warrant for failure to appear in court on a charge of receiving stolen property.  This was the second time officers tried to arrest him; the first time, he fled into the woods behind his home.  The team included two sheriff's deputies and two state troopers.  King says the fight with Cardin caused a minor wound on the arm of one trooper.

WAYNESVILLE, Mo. -- A man from St. Robert is in the Pulaski County Jail on a murder charge after investigators say a woman died of an apparent heroin overdose.  Joseph Fraley, 45, is accused of causing the death of his niece, Melanie Fraley, 32. Pulaski County Sheriff J.B. King says deputies arrived at a home in the 21600 block of Harlan Lane in St. Robert on Saturday evening and found Melanie Fraley unconscious and unresponsive.  An ambulance took...

ST. ROBERT, Mo.-- Police in St. Robert say a 44-year-old man was killed around 2:30 Saturday morning.  He rolled his pick-up truck after veering off the road, then over-correcting which caused him to flip his truck. The driver was headed south on Route Y in Pulaski County and was approaching Link Drive when he went off the road and down an embankment.  The driver was the only one in the truck.  Police are not releasing his name, but say he is from Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Officers on the scene say he was not wearing a seat belt.

WAYNESVILLE, Mo. -- Two county courts are replacing traditional justice with alternatives.  They see it as a helping hand instead of a backhand for veterans of the armed services. Texas County recently opened a Veterans Court.  Now, Pulaski County is following suit.  The courts will put importance on treatment and rehabilitation rather than punishment.   "It's vital for everywhere across the country and the state too," said Pulaski County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Bill Hardwick.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Two suspects in the stabbing death of a 17-year-old from Republic will be tried in different counties.  A Douglas County judge granted change of venue requests for two men accused of killing Kenny Stout last December.  Christopher Jorgensen, 29, of Ava will be tried in Henry County and Nathan Jensen, 26, of Seymour will be tried in Pulaski County. They are both charged with first-degree murder. Prosecutors say Stout was beaten and left alive in the woods. They alleged the two suspects later returned and Stout was stabbed to death.

ST. ROBERT - A St. Robert man is behind bars today after stealing from a local pastor who tried to help the man get back on his feet. According to the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office, the pastor told deputies he noticed items taken from his home after Chad Fajardo, 29, had stayed with him for a few days. The pastor told deputies that Fajardo admitted to him that he took the items and pawned them at a local pawn shop. Fajardo was arrested Wednesday and faces a charge of theft of over $500 but less than $25,000.

WAYNESVILLE, Mo. -- Sheriff J.B. King says an inmate of the Pulaski County jail committed suicide on Sunday morning.   A jailer found the body of Charles "Chuck" Sarnas, 53, of Crocker hanging from a bed sheet tied to a bunk bed about 7:13 a.m. Sarnas was awaiting trial on charges of possession of methamphetamine, and unlawful use of a firearm.  He was arrested on those charges last Thursday and hadn't posted a $50,000 bond.  King says...

WAYNESVILLE, Mo.-- Pulaski County Prosecuting Attorney Kevin Hillmans, says he has been ordered to active duty in the Missouri Army National Guard beginning in early May for a deployment to Kuwait later this summer.  Mr. Hillman serves as the Command Judge Advocate for the 35th Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB).  The 35th CAB has been ordered to active duty with training at Fort Leonard Wood, Fort Hood, and then deployment to Kuwait for approximately nine months. “As a member of the National Guard, I have always had a contingency plan in place in case this happened,” said Prosecuting Attorney Kevin Hillman.