Pulaski County

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...

ST. ROBERT, Mo. -- The Missouri State Highway Patrol says a 55-year-old man died after a fire broke out in a mobile home.  Firefighters were called to the home a little before 10 on Monday night near St. Robert.  When the first unit arrived, firefighters found one room of the trailer in flames. The name of the victim hadn't been released by late morning Tuesday.  The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Highway Patrol and the State Fire Marshal's Office.  Pulaski County Sheriff J.B. King says it "definitely looks suspicious" to him.

WAYNESVILLE, Mo. -- Authorities in Pulaski County have recovered a piece of equipment stolen from the Crocker Fire Department back in May. Officers from multiple agencies were serving several search warrants. Personnel from the Crocker Fire Department were assisting in one of the locations when they spotted a pump that had been stolen from a fire truck that was at the Hawkeye Fire Station. Three suspects were arrested in connection with the investigation. One of the men is charged with receiving stolen property.

RICHLAND, Mo. -- Pulaski County Assessor Roger Harrison died last Saturday after falling while working on a barn near Richland.  An ambulance took Harrison to the hospital at Fort Leonard Wood but doctors were not able to save him. Harrison, 65, had served as county assessor since 1989.  He was elected to his seventh term last November, but assessors' terms don't begin until Sept. 1 because of the cycle of the work of their offices. Sheriff Ron Long said in an e-mail message that the fall appears to be “an accident, with no suspicious elements surrounding it.” Harrison's funeral is Wednesday at 2 at First Baptist Church in Richland.  The assessor's office is closed until Thursday morning.  County commissioners ordered flags at county facilities to be lowered to half staff in his honor on Wednesday.

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.

ST. ROBERT, Mo. -- A suspect accused in a week long crime wave has been captured. Deputies Saturday morning arrested 38-year-old Chad Lange in Rolla.  Lange is wanted for numerous felony charges, including auto theft and burglary.  Law enforcement officials initially began searching for Lange after he was suspected of numerous car thefts and burglaries in the Dixon area over the past week.  The search escalated on Thursday evening when the...

WAYNESVILLE, Mo. - A tractor-trailer crash briefly closed a portion of Interstate 44 in Pulaski County Thursday morning between Waynesville and St. Robert. Transportation officials said the freeway's westbound lanes were blocked to all traffic at roughly 6 a.m. due to an overturned tractor-trailer. One lane opened a short time later, but delays were expected to last until beyond 8 a.m. There's no word as to the condition of the truck's driver at this time.  Keith Porter shared this video with us.

CROCKER, Mo. -- Retailing experts predict Americans will spend almost as much on Halloween this year as they will on Christmas: $7 billion.  That means high season runs the next four weeks for costumers and candy makers, haunted houses and pumpkin patches.  One family here in Pulaski County is gearing up for a grand opening despite a rough economy and growing season. Yik the llama and Yak the yak - yes, a real baby yak -- were the only two youngsters on the place on Friday but, starting Saturday, the first of 1,000 kids with reservations are coming to Happy Hollows Pumpkin Patch.  Josh Hall, father of three, was doing some last minute testing on the kid stuff.

WAYNESVILLE, Mo. – A man died, another man is in critical condition, and a woman is less seriously injured after a shooting in Pulaski County on Tuesday night.  Investigators said Wednesday that the shooting was the result of an argument between several people at a drinking party at a home. The man who died was William Mullen III, 47, of Waynesville.  He died of a shotgun wound.   The man who is in critical condition is Michael Fennell, 51. Dispatchers at 8:08 p.m. sent sheriff’s deputies to Fennell’s home at 22170 Lafayette Road, which is between Waynesville and St. Robert.  The deputies found Mullen dead and Fennell injured.

WAYNESVILLE, Mo. - The Pulaski County jail is closed for repairs.  Sheriff Ron Long said late Friday afternoon that the repairs would take several weeks.  He said details about the repairs and the jail closure would be released on Sunday. While the jail is closed, Pulaski County inmates will be housed in jails in nearby counties.  Pulaski County has paid to house prisoners in nearby county jails, including Miller and Phelps, for many years when its jail got full.  Long said his deputies would continue to arrest people and lock them up while the jail is closed.

WAYNESVILLE, Mo. - A tractor-trailer crash briefly closed a portion of Interstate 44 in Pulaski County Thursday morning between Waynesville and St. Robert. Transportation officials said the freeway's westbound lanes were blocked to all traffic at roughly 6 a.m. due to an overturned tractor-trailer. One lane opened a short time later, but delays were expected to last until beyond 8 a.m. There's no word as to the condition of the truck's driver at this time.  Keith Porter shared this video with us.

LAQUEY, Mo. -- Pulaski County sheriff's deputies and the coroner believe a 27-year-old man may have died of a drug overdose.  His body was found in a small trailer behind a home off Highway NN on Thursday morning. The sheriff has not released the man's name.  Investigators don't suspect foul play.  An autopsy is pending.

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.

PULASKI COUNTY, Mo. - Sheriff's deputies in Pulaski County say they have solved a theft ring that had gone on for weeks -- and the thieves' primary targets were firearms. Ryan Kelley, Justin Cristoffer and Joseph Paschell are in the Pulaski County Jail after all having been arrested last week. They face a variety of charges, including possession of stolen property, felon in possession of a firearm and burglary. Pulaski County deputies say many residents over the past few weeks had found their homes broken into upon returning home.

LAQUEY, Mo. -- A Laquey High School student is in custody after being accused of making threats against other students. Pulaski County Sheriff Ron Long said the student, whose name and age were not released, made verbal and electronic threats to shoot several Laquey students.  School officials and a school resource officer felt the situation was urgent and called deputies, who responded shortly before noon Wednesday. The student was taken into custody and referred to a juvenile officer.  Deputies found no weapons on school grounds.

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...

WAYNESVILLE, Mo. -- The Pulaski County Sheriff's Department asks for the public's help in catching three fugitives believed to be in the area.  These individuals are: Ryan Kelley, 31, 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, brown hair, blue eyes, usually wears a baseball cap; Ryan has multiple felony arrest warrants for burglary and firearm-related crimes in Pulaski County; he has an extensive criminal background, and should be considered “armed and dangerous.” ...

DIXON, Mo. --The Pulaski County Sheriff's Department is on the lookout for an inmate who escaped from the county jail in Dixon early Monday morning. Sheriff J.B. King says two men were able to break out as a third man distracted an on-duty dispatcher.  Shortly after the jail break, the two escaped inmates broke into a home on Burlington Road near Crocker and robbed the family. Shortly after the robbery, one of the suspects was found in a nearby abandoned house. At this time the remaining inmate, Brandon Kelley Monell, age 23, who is from the Crocker area is still at large.  Monell was being held on a charge of statutory rape.

PULASKI COUNTY -- Three people were charged with robbery on Saturday, just one day after authorities said they broke into an acquaintance's home, beat the woman up and swiped some cash. 23 year old Michelle Mahr, her 24 year old brother Matthew Mahr, both of St. Robert, and 21 year old Jessica Munoz, of Dixon, all face one count of second degree robbery.      The incident happened Saturday shortly after midnight on Rawlings Road in Richland.      Pulaski County deputies said the suspects broke in through a locked front door, and then kicked the victim in the ribcage and face.

WAYNESVILLE, Mo. -- Authorities in Pulaski County have recovered a piece of equipment stolen from the Crocker Fire Department back in May. Officers from multiple agencies were serving several search warrants. Personnel from the Crocker Fire Department were assisting in one of the locations when they spotted a pump that had been stolen from a fire truck that was at the Hawkeye Fire Station. Three suspects were arrested in connection with the investigation. One of the men is charged with receiving stolen property.