Thursday, June 11, 2020

Springfield man charged with deliberately running over police officer, pleads not guilty, charged with earlier incident

The Springfield man charged with assault and armed criminal action after apparently deliberately running down Springfield police officer Mark Priebe, faces additional charges in connection with an act of vandalism committed June 6 at McDaniel Park, 2405 S. National.

Jon Tyler Franklin Routh, 28, pleaded not guilty to the felony charges during an arraignment this morning in Greene County Circuit Court.

Two misdemeanor charges of tampering with a motor vehicle were filed against Routh today.

The Springfield Police Department issued the following news release:

On June 6, 2020, Carolyne Moss’s vehicle was vandalized at McDaniel Park, 2405 S. National, by a suspect who wiped feces on her vehicle and deflated the tires. 


 On June 9, 2020, Jon T. Routh assaulted and seriously injured Officer Mark Priebe by striking him with his vehicle at the Springfield Police Department Headquarters. 








Investigators have determined that Jon T. Routh was responsible for the vandalism to Moss’s vehicle as well as the assault on Officer Mark Priebe.

Following the assault of Officer Priebe and the arrest of Jon Routh, witnesses came forward after seeing the suspect’s photograph on local news programs. Two witnesses said they had spoken with Routh at McDaniel Park on June 3, 2020, three days before Moss’s vehicle was vandalized. Both witnesses stated that Routh was in a white SUV, which matched the suspect vehicle description in the vandalism incident.

When investigators interviewed Routh, he admitted to vandalizing the vehicle with feces. Routh said he had been sleeping in his vehicle at the park for several days. Routh said he thought the victim’s vehicle belonged to a male subject he was angry with and did not realize the vehicle was owned by Carolyne Moss. Investigators presented new charges to the Greene County Prosecutor against Routh for 2nd Degree Tampering.

Detectives continue to investigate this crime and are asking anyone who has information about this incident to contact the Springfield Police Department at (417) 864-1810 or make an anonymous call to Crime Stoppers at (417) 869-TIPS (8477).

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