Friday, March 29, 2024

Tractor Thief Caught In Bates County

On March 27th, at approximately 7:30 pm, the Bates County Sheriff's office received a call from a subject that advised they had a tractor stolen about 6 months ago.  The calling party stated that they were following a truck that had the tractor on a trailer pulling it south from Amsterdam, Missouri on Y Highway.  They then advised that the driver of the truck had attempted to run them off the roadway.   They were able to identify the driver as Justin Blake Kimbrough of Amoret.  They advised that Kimbrough had pulled over and was attempting to off load the tractor in the middle of the road and then fired a gun toward the victims. 

Kimbrough reportedly unstrapped the tractor and drove his truck out from underneath the tractor leaving the tractor in the middle of Y Highway.   Bates County Deputies and the Missouri State Highway Patrol responded and located Kimbrough at his residence in Amoret. He was taken into custody and interviewed, where he admitted to shooting in the direction of the victims but claimed it was in self defense.   Kimbrough advised Detectives that approximately a quarter of a mile down the road he threw the gun out along the road. Multiple deputies responded to the area to search the roadside for the gun.  Assistance was requested from Cass County Sheriffs Office canine unit, and a canine from the Bates County Sheriff’s Office arrived shortly after and also assisted in the search.  After several hours of searching for the gun in the dark, Deputies terminated the search.  

The search for the weapon resumed on March 28th, and a third canine unit from the Missouri Department of Conservation responded to assist in the attempt to find the gun.      

Kimbrough has been initially charged by the Bates County Prosecutor with 1 count of unlawful use of a weapon and 2 counts of assault 2nd degree.   Additional charges are being reviewed.  Bond was set at $50,000 cash only.



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