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Deputy Injured in assault

05/24/2010

A Lawrence County Deputy received minor injuries from an assault while investigating suspicious activity.  Saturday evening around 11:00 p.m. A Lawrence County Deputy was patrolling county roads south of Miller when he observed a subject in a hooded shirt walking down a county road.

As the deputy went to identify the subject, they fled on foot.  The deputy ordered the subject to stop but he continued to run.  As the deputy approached an abandoned building in a field he temporarily lost sight of the subject.  As the deputy approached the building, a subject grabbed him from behind and a struggle ensued.

Another subject then confronted the deputy with a knife and struck the deputy in the face and arm with the knife.  The struggle went to the ground and in the process the deputy was able to fire shots at the suspects.  It is unknown if any of the shots struck the suspects.  After the shots were fired the suspects took off again from the area.  The deputy returned to his vehicle to summon help.

Deputies from Lawrence County, Jasper County, Miller Police Department, Mt. Vernon Police Department, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol responded to the area for assistance.  K-9 units and the Patrol helicopter also assisted in an extensive search of the area.  After several hours of searching, the suspects were unable to be located.

It is beleived the deputy interupted a meth cook because several materials were located at the abandonded building.  These items were collected as evidence and are being sent to a lab for processing in hopes of identifying the suspects behind the attack.

The deputy received minor cuts and was treated and released at the scene by medical personnel.  The Lawrence County Sheriff's Office is requesting that anyone who might have seen two subjects walking in the area during the late hours of Saturday night or early morning hours of Sunday, or perhaps a vehicle parked along the road way south of Miller to contact the Sheriff's Office with that information.