Lawmen working big cases

The Ozark County Sheriff’s office is continuing its investigation into some big cases that made headlines recently, and charges are expected to be filed later this week, said Sheriff Raymond Pace.
The counterfeiting and identity theft case that was uncovered in Theodosia last month has taken a new turn, according to the department’s chief deputy, Darrin Reed. “When I was looking at the statutes, I found out that counterfeiting is a Class A misdemeanor, but trafficking in stolen identities is a Class B felony, and that charge fits this case to a T.”
Officers executing a search warrant last month in suspects’ Theodosia home found records of dozens of IDs and credit cards, including some that were allegedly stolen by employees at a Branson resort. Reed said Ozark County Prosecuting Attorney Tom Cline is also looking into the possibility of charging the suspects as persistent offenders, “and that bumps it up to a Class A felony that carries life in prison,” Reed said. Names of the suspects are being withheld at the department’s request until charges are finalized.
The sheriff’s department also is continuing to work on a suspected case of embezzlement that may have involved more than $100,000 taken at Cloud 9 Ranch over the last three years. “There’s a stack of papers two feet high that had to be gone through,” Pace said. Arrests are expected soon in that case.
Charges also are pending against a suspected child molester who was arrested over the weekend, Reed said. Details of the case will be released when the charges are filed, he said.