Detention motion: Oronogo man kidnapped, terrorized, sexually assaulted Webb CIty woman

An Oronogo man who allegedly kidnapped and terrorized his ex-girlfriend to make her recant her statements to the Jasper County Sheriff's Office about him should remain behind bars while awaiting trial, according to a detention motion filed today in U. S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri.

Jeffrey Marsh, 34, has been held in the Greene County Jail in Springfield since Christian County authorities arrested him in August. The federal charges against Marsh were filed in March 2020.

The motion filed by the U. S. Attorney's office claims Marsh and a codefendant Zaquori Traves Archer, 33, Joplin, "kidnapped, physically assaulted, and sexually assaulted" the Webb City woman.

Archer pleaded guilty July 21 and is awaiting sentencing.

The motion also notes Marsh's lengthy criminal history, including Jasper County convictions for burglary, tampering with a motor vehicle, resisting arrest, possession of a controlled substance and theft, as well as convictions for burglary and theft charges from Newton County.

The allegations against Marsh and Archer are detailed in the probable cause affidavit filed in 2020:

On February 3, 2020, at approximately 7:51 a.m., Oronogo, Missouri, Police Department (OPD) Corporal Patrick Tuttle received a call for service from Teresa Marsh (hereinafter “Teresa”). 

Cpl. Tuttle made contact with Teresa who stated that Jane Doe, a 31-year-old female, had left her a voice message stating that Jane Doe was going to let the police know that a stolen firearm located by law enforcement in Jeffrey Marsh’s (hereinafter “Marsh”) bedroom on January 26, 2020, had been placed there by Jane Doe, not Marsh. 

Teresa claimed that Jane Doe was on her way to the OPD to “turn herself in.” Cpl. Tuttle was familiar with Jane Doe and the incident described by Teresa, as the OPD had executed a search warrant at Marsh’s residence on January 26, 2020, and seized a stolen firearm from Marsh’s bedroom. 

Cpl. Tuttle was also aware that Marsh and Jane Doe had previously been in a romantic relationship. 

At approximately 7:59 a.m., Cpl. Tuttle responded to the OPD and met with Jane Doe. Jane Doe appeared to be visibly upset and was crying. Jane Doe told Cpl. Tuttle she wanted to recant a statement she made earlier about Marsh possessing a stolen handgun. 

Cpl. Tuttle asked Jane Doe if she had been threatened. Jane Doe reported that Marsh and Zaqouri Archer (hereinafter “Archer”) had held her at gunpoint since the previous night, February 2, 2020. Jane Doe stated she had been forced into her vehicle at gunpoint by Marsh and Archer. After she was forced into the vehicle, she was driven to a location in Jasper County, Missouri, where she was held for most of the night. 

Marsh told her to recant her earlier statement or her, her kids, and her whole family would die. Marsh told Jane Doe that she needed to make his weapon charges go away or her kids would die. 

Cpl. Tuttle contacted the Jasper County, Missouri, Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) to respond for further investigation. JCSO Corporal Clint Harper arrived at the OPD and conducted an interview of Jane Doe. 

After getting an initial statement, Cpl. Harper asked Jane Doe if she would be willing to go to the JCSO to give a more detailed statement to JCSO Detective Paul Ayres, which she agreed to do and did. Jane Doe explained she had been staying with two friends, J.S. and K.S., at their residence in Cherokee County, Kansas, because she was trying to hide from Marsh. 

Jane Doe stated she was hiding from Marsh because he had become angry with her after she had reported him as a suspect when her gun was stolen. OPD had located her stolen firearm in Marsh’s bedroom and returned it to her. Jane Doe stated that the night before, February 2, 2020, she was watching the Super Bowl at J.S. and K.S.’s residence in Cherokee County. 

When the game ended, she walked outside to her vehicle to go to work. Jane Doe thought this was around 9:20 p.m. When she got to her vehicle, she opened the front passenger door and placed her purse on the passenger seat. 

At that time, she observed a male in all black run around the front of the vehicle to her. The male grabbed her and told her to get into the vehicle. Jane Doe began screaming and fell to the ground in an attempt to grab her firearm out of her purse. 

Jane Doe then felt the barrel of a firearm placed against the back of her head. The male told her she needed to stop screaming or he was going to shoot her in the head. 

During the altercation, another male dressed in all black had arrived. Jane Doe was pushed into the front passenger seat. The first male, who Jane Doe could identify by his voice, was Marsh. Jane Doe identified the second male as Archer. 

Marsh got into the driver’s seat and Archer got into the back passenger seat. Jane Doe stated that Archer had a taser with him. Marsh started to drive, while Archer placed duct tape over Jane Doe’s eyes. Jane Doe said she could see under the tape with her right eye. 

After driving for a bit, Marsh stopped the vehicle and Archer exited the vehicle. When Archer got out of the vehicle, Jane Doe could see the vehicle’s dashboard showed that her phone, which had been in her purse, was disconnected from Bluetooth. 

Jane Doe’s phone automatically paired with her car when it was turned on. Jane Doe assumed this meant Archer took her purse when he got out and her purse also contained her firearm, Ruger SR40C, serial number 345-00810. 11. 

Marsh began driving again and told Jane Doe she was going to do what he said, or she and her family would die. 

Approximately 20 minutes later, Marsh stopped the vehicle and had her exit the vehicle. Marsh told her not to move or make a sound, or he was going to “blow [her] brains out.” Once out of the vehicle, Jane Doe heard Marsh tell someone to “blow her brains out” if she moved. Jane Doe could only see dirt from beneath the tape on her right eye. 

Marsh then had Jane Doe get back into the vehicle, and after a few minutes, they stopped again. Marsh took the duct tape off Jane Doe’s eyes, and she recognized the area to be under the Center Creek Bridge in Jasper County, Missouri. 

Sometime after she and March arrived under the bridge, Archer arrived as well. Archer stood outside Jane Doe’s vehicle. Marsh put a pistol in Jane Doe’s face and told her to give him her cellular phone’s unlock passcode. Marsh became upset after reading some of Jane Doe’s messages and called Jane Doe a “whore.” 

At that time, Marsh squeezed Jane Doe’s mouth open and shoved the barrel of the gun he had in Jane Doe’s mouth. Marsh pulled the trigger. The gun made a click but did not fire. 

After the click, Marsh chambered a round and shot it towards the water under the bridge. Jane Doe described the firearm as a black semi-automatic .45-caliber handgun. Jane Doe believed it was a .45 caliber because Marsh had previously told her he had a 1911 style Kimber pistol. Marsh then continued to go through Jane Doe’s phone. 

Once he was finished, Marsh began striking Jane Doe in her left jaw and telling Jane Doe, she was going to recant her statements to OPD. Marsh put a black hood, or mask, over Jane Doe’s head, but she was able to see through it. Marsh placed Jane Doe into the front passenger side of his vehicle, a white Jeep Cherokee. 

Marsh drove his vehicle, while Archer drove Jane Doe’s vehicle. Marsh stopped near a “Joplin Construction Trailer.” Jane Doe recalled seeing tires stacked in the area and a possible shooting range. Archer was still with them in Jane Doe’s vehicle. 

Marsh began going through Jane Doe’s cellular phone again. Marsh deleted voice recordings and pictures that were incriminating in nature regarding the prior stolen firearm case OPD was investigating with Marsh. Marsh told Archer to leave in Jane Doe’s vehicle. 

Archer removed Jane Doe’s purse from her vehicle and looked through it. Marsh took Jane Doe’s purse from Archer and then looked through it himself, and he located Jane Doe’s Ruger and extended magazine in a zippered off compartment. Marsh took the gun and laid it on the floor of his vehicle. Marsh kept his own gun in his lap. 

Marsh placed Jane Doe back into the front passenger seat of his Jeep and eventually drove to Jane Doe’s apartment in Webb City, Missouri. Marsh took his gun with them into the apartment and left Jane Doe’s Ruger on his vehicle floorboard. 

During the night, each time Jane Doe would attempt to get up and leave, Marsh would wake up. At approximately 6:50 a.m., on February 3, 2020, Jane Doe saw that Archer had called her phone from Marsh’s phone multiple times. Marsh had kept her phone and given his to Archer. Marsh spoke with Archer and then made Jane Doe get back into Marsh’s vehicle. They drove to where Jane Doe’s vehicle had been left, a location in Jasper County. 

While on the drive to Jane Doe’s vehicle, Marsh made Jane Doe call his mother, Teresa, and tell her that she had lied to OPD about the stolen gun. Marsh then made Jane Doe call his probation officer. 

Once they arrived at Jane Doe’s vehicle, Marsh told her to go straight to the OPD to recant her statements. Marsh kept Jane Doe’s Ruger handgun and told her she could have it back after the charges against him were dropped. Jane Doe stated this is when she drove to OPD and spoke with Cpl. Tuttle. 16. 

On February 3, 2020, JCSO Detective Ryan Mercer arrested Archer from an apartment in Jasper County for outstanding warrants. Detective Mercer responded back to the apartment after Detective Harper received information regarding the location of Jane Doe’s firearm. The renter of the apartment, K.V., gave consent to search her apartment. Detective Mercer located a roll of gray duct tape and two firearms taped to the bottom of a dresser. The first firearm was a Kimber 1911 .45 caliber pistol. The second firearm was Jane Doe’s Ruger 40c. Detective Mercer also located Doe’s spare magazine.