Probable cause: Joplin man violates protection order, kidnaps, chokes, pistol whips and threatens to kill woman at Neosho hotel

Kidnapping charges were filed today in U. S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri against a Joplin man and a Rogers, Arkansas, man for allegedly holding a woman against a will at the Boonslick Lodge in Neosho, choking, pistol whipping and threatening to kill her.

Freddie Lewis Tilton, 47, Joplin, (pictured) arranged for the kidnapping of the woman by Alvin Dale Boyer, 35, Rogers, according to the probable cause affidavit.

The woman had a protection order against Tilton who, despite two decades worth of felony convictions, was free on $1,000 bond while awaiting trial on drug trafficking and weapons charges in Jasper County Circuit Court.

Online court records do not indicate when Tilton posted bond, but he was in the Jasper County Jail as recently as June 8, according to one notation.

The Newton County Prosecuting Attorney filed felony domestic assault and armed criminal action charges against Tilton in this case July 22.

Tilton has pleaded guilty to numerous felonies including tampering with a motor vehicle, multiple charges of possession of a controlled substance and previous weapons charges. Tilton has also been convicted on felony car theft, burglary and possession of stolen property charges in Oklahoma.

The allegations against Tilton and Boyer are detailed in the probable cause affidavit:

On July 19, 2020, at approximately 11:50 p.m., Neosho, Missouri, Police Department (NPD) Officer Dustin Honeyfield responded to the Boonslick Lodge located at 1602 Industrial Drive,
Newton County, Neosho, Missouri 64850. 

The caller reported that a female subject was being choked and dragged into room 216 by a male subject. Upon arrival, a Boonslick Lodge employee informed Officer Honeyfield that a female subject was being assaulted in room 216. 

Officer Honeyfield responded to room number 216 and knocked on the door. Officer Honeyfield could hear a male voice inside of the room, and after Officer Honeyfield announced he was a police officer, the male inside the room responded that he needed to put on clothes. 

A short time later, an adult female, S.T., opened the door and ran outside the room. S.T. informed the officer that the male subject inside the room, Freddie Tilton (hereinafter “Tilton”), had climbed out the
room’s back window. Due to the large amount of blood on S.T., Officer Honeyfield could tell
that she had been injured. 

 While questioning S.T., Officer Honeyfield learned that S.T. had arrived at the hotel to meet a male subject, Alvin Boyer. As S.T. entered room 216, she found Tilton waiting on her. S.T. had
separated from Tilton approximately four months prior and had an order of protection against
him. 

S.T. stated she attempted to exit the room, but was dragged back in by Tilton. Tilton began
striking S.T. with an unknown object causing lacerations on her head and above her left eye.

S.T. stated she was armed with a handgun when she entered the room; however, she lost the

weapon during the struggle. S.T. believed that Tilton recovered the handgun and used the
weapon to strike her. S.T. informed the officer that Tilton was armed with a handgun as he
exited the hotel room window after police knocked on the door. 

Emergency medical personnel arrived and transported S.T. to a hospital for treatment. 

Officer Honeyfield conducted a protective sweep and observed the contents of the room, which included a chair with rope and zip ties attached to it, and a blowtorch and lighter fluid on a nightstand
beside the bed. 

While looking inside the bathroom, Officer Honeyfield observed a black, semiautomatic rifle beside the bathtub. The room was secured and officers with the NPD began preparing a search warrant for the room. 

While NPD Officer Dustin Doty prepared a search warrant affidavit, NPD Lieutenant Robert Sharp contacted an employee at the Boonslick Lodge. Lieutenant Sharp confirmed that room 216 had been rented by Alvin Dale Boyer. Boyer presented an Arkansas identification card at the time of check-in and registered with a home address in Rogers, Arkansas. The registration, or check-in, time was listed as 8:45 p.m. on the registration paperwork. Boyer also provided the phone number, (417) 658-8163 on the registration paperwork. 

Lieutenant Sharp confirmed that the hotel maintained video surveillance of the property and was able to review the surveillance video that captured the hotel registration area. 

From the surveillance footage, Lieutenant Sharp confirmed that Boyer had rented the room. Lieutenant
Sharp was also able to review surveillance video that captured room 216. Lieutenant Sharp
observed S.T. arriving at room 216 and entering the room. After a few minutes, the video
showed S.T. attempting to exit the room on her hands and knees. 

Approximately three minutes later, Officer Honeyfield arrived at room 216 and knocked on the door. Shortly thereafter, S.T. exits the room with visible injuries. 

Lieutenant Sharp also reviewed video surveillance footage that showed a male subject exiting a second story window of the Boonslick Lodge, which is consistent with where the exterior window for room 216 is located. The male attempted to climb down a vertical rain gutter but fell to the ground as the guttering broke. Surveillance cameras last captured the male subject running east towards a Super 8 Motel. 

After obtaining a search warrant from the Newton County, Missouri, Circuit Courts for Boonslick Lodge room 216, Lieutenant Sharp, along with other NPD officers, executed the search warrant. 

Lieutenant Sharp found numerous indications that a violent, physical struggle had taken place inside the room. In addition to blood on the room floor and door, Lieutenant Sharp found the following items inside the room: a. one (1) black guitar case; b. two (2) rolls of duct tape; c. numerous sections of duct tape that had been pre-cut to various lengths; d. a section of green nylon rope; e. one (1) butane torch; f. one (1) propane bottle; g. one (1) bottle of lighter fluid; h. three (3) zip ties; i. one (1) pair of pliers; j. one (1) Kimber .223 rifle; k. one (1) Taurus 9mm handgun; l. drop cloths; m. rubber gloves; and n. a room chair that had rope and zip ties attached. 

After completing the search of the room, Lieutenant Sharp met with S.T. at Mercy Hospital in Joplin, Missouri. S.T. informed Lieutenant Sharp that she was supposed to meet Boyer at Boonslick Lodge room 216. S.T. stated had spoken with Boyer, through the use of a cellular phone, prior to arriving at the hotel and he had instructed her to bring him food. Boyer informed S.T. that the room would be open and for her to come straight inside. 

After arriving at the hotel, S.T. went to room 216 and entered. After entering the room, S.T. was grabbed by Tilton, and she dropped the food she was carrying (note, Lieutenant Sharp located a McDonald's bag full of food behind the room door). 

During the struggle, a handgun that S.T. was carrying in her waistband, a Walther 9mm handgun, was dislodged and fell to the floor. Tilton picked up the handgun and began striking S.T. with the weapon. 

While assaulting S.T., Tilton kept telling S.T. that he was going to kill her. At one point, S.T. made it to the door but was dragged back inside by Tilton. A few minutes later, S.T. heard a knock on the door and an officer announced his presence. 

At that time, Tilton, still in possession of S.T.’s handgun, pushed out the window screen and went out the window. 

Lieutenant Sharp confirmed that S.T. received multiple stiches above her left eye, multiple staples for three lacerations to her head, and treatment for a broken index finger on her left hand. 

Lieutenant Sharp also observed defensive wounds on S.T.’s wrists and her face was swollen. After speaking with S.T., Lieutenant Sharp was able to review additional surveillance footage obtained from the Boonslick Lodge with time stamps. The video shows that at approximately 8:50 p.m., Boyer rented room 216 at the Boonslick Lodge. At approximately 11:10 p.m., Tilton was observed walking to the Boonslick Lodge carrying a black guitar case. 

At approximately 11:13 p.m., Tilton is seen using a room key to enter room 216 carrying the black guitar case. At approximately 11:50 p.m., S.T. enters room 216, and after approximately one minute, the video depicted S.T. attempting to crawl out of the room before being drug back inside.