January 1, 2023

On Thursday, December 29, 2022, Ian Wood, age 43, of Rolla, Missouri, was arrested in the 500 Block of West 2nd Street Rolla, Missouri, for Promoting Child Pornography 1st Degree, Possession of Child Pornography, and Invasion of Privacy. Wood was incarcerated at the Phelps County Jail pending warrants. On Friday, December 30, 2022, two counts of Possession of Child Pornography

December 6, 2022

An investigation by the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department has led to the arrest of a Fulton man. On December 3, 2022, investigators from the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department arrested John E. Bias, age 51, of Fulton, on a Phelps County warrant charging him with two counts of Statutory Sodomy 1st Degree and Deviate Sexual Intercourse. Bias is currently being held

December 5, 2022

An investigation by the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department has led to the arrest of a St Robert woman. On December 4, 2022, Tamika Marie Rodriguez, age 36, surrendered to authorities in St Robert, Missouri, on a Phelps County warrant charging her with one count of Sexual Contact with a Student, a Class E Felony. She was released after posting a

November 8, 2022

On November 3, 2022, at about 8:58 AM, Deputies were dispatched to the 23000 block of State Highway P for a report of suspicious activity. The reporting party stated that two white males were pulling a trailer with kayaks when it came loose from the towing vehicle and ended up in the ditch. The reporting party further stated the two

November 1, 2022

On October 31, 2022, the Rolla Area Drug Enforcement (RADE) and Phelps County Property Crime Detectives concluded a short-term narcotics investigation at the 100 block of Eisenhower Street, Doolittle, Missouri. Officers from RADE, the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department, the Missouri Department of Conservation, and the Rolla Police Department served a search warrant at the residence in connection with this investigation.

September 20, 2022

On September 20, 2022, at 11:50 am, Phelps County deputies arrested Charles Andrew Mason, age 37, of Newburg, on felony warrants from the State of North Carolina. Mason is charged in the Durham County Superior Court with Statutory Rape of a Child less than 15 years of age, Statutory Sex Offenses with a Child less than 15 years of age,

September 1, 2022

On August 31, at approximately 4:30 am, Central Dispatch received a 911 call regarding a shooting at a residence in the 800 Block of N. Walnut Street in Newburg, Missouri. Deputies responded and determined a 51-year-old man had suffered a gunshot wound to the leg. Medics from Phelps Health treated him at the scene and airlifted him to University Hospital

September 1, 2022

A 3-week investigation completed by the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department has resulted in criminal charges being filed against a Rolla man. Wilbert David Messex, age 39, has been charged with Sodomy or Attempted Sodomy 1st Degree, Statutory Sodomy or Attempted Statutory Sodomy 1st Degree, and Statutory Sodomy 1st Degree. Messex is currently incarcerated in the Phelps County Jail in lieu

August 24, 2022

PRESS RELEASE UPDATE: The charges on Michael Douglas Billingsley have been amended. He is now charged with Murder 2nd Degree – Felony Murder, Domestic Assault 2nd Degree, and Abandonment of a Corpse. He still has NO BOND! On August 22, at about 12:44 am, Central Communications was notified of an unresponsive female at a residence in the 19000 Block of

August 15, 2022

Narcotics Arrest During the early morning hours of August 15, 2022, a Phelps County deputy stopped to check on a suspicious vehicle near county roads 1000 and 1010 in eastern Phelps County. While conducting routine inquiries on the occupants of the vehicle, the deputy learned the passenger Kent Daniel Hasse Mertz, age 24, of St James, Missouri, had outstanding arrest