David D. Vernon faces 11 felony charges after a nearly four-hour shootout with Morgan County Sheriff's deputies that started late Tuesday night in Gravois Mills.
Three deputies were struck with bullets during the incident, according to Morgan County Tony Wheatley, however, he said none of them received injuries. He also said Vernon, 38, Gravois Mills, had no injuries from the incident but was taken to the hospital for treatment of breathing issues allegedly from the CS gas deployed in hopes to draw him out of his residence during the incident.
Vernon, 38, Gravois Mills, has been charged with three felony counts of assault in the first degree, three felony counts of armed criminal action, two felony counts of unlawful possession of a firearm, one felony count of unlawful use of a weapon, one felony count of resisting/interfering with an arrest for a felony and one felony count of receiving stolen property.
According to a June 1 probable cause statement from Morgan County Sheriff's Office Detective Mark McLaughlin, Morgan County deputies were dispatched to a domestic disturbance between Vernon and a female at approximately 11:47 p.m. May 31 at Zwanzig Trailer Park off Missouri 5 in Gravois Mills.
The female was able to exit the residence and the person reporting the call advised law enforcement Vernon was allegedly intoxicated and had firearms inside his home, McLaughlin said in the statement.
Morgan County Deputies Clayton Judd and Jacob Judd arrived at the residence, approaching the trailer home. Both Judds were walking toward the trailer when Vernon allegedly fired shots from inside the home towards the deputies, McLaughlin said. Deputy David Lobaugh arrived in his patrol car and pulled into the park near the trailer. Lobaugh exited his patrol car and was struck with bullets from Vernon, McLaughlin said.
"Both Deputies Clayton and Jacob Judd, and Deputy Lobaugh were the ones struck with rounds during the incident. They did not have injuries," Wheatley later said.
McLaughlin said Vernon began to shoot at both deputies Clayton and Jacob Judd again and they returned fire. A perimeter was established and more deputies were contacted and responded to the scene. While deputies were on the scene more gunshots came towards the deputies from the trailer home, he said.
McLaughlin said the Morgan County Sheriff's Special Weapons and Tactics team arrived and negations began. After allegedly receiving no response from Vernon, chemical agents, a CS gas, were deployed into the residence at separate intervals. At about 3:25 a.m., Vernon opened a door at the trailer and let a dog out while he remained inside. Two minutes later, McLaughlin said a shotgun was thrown out of a window, and 10 minutes after that a gunshot allegedly came from the home toward deputies.
At approximately 3:41 a.m., a second gun was thrown out of the same window, with Vernon still being the only person inside the home, McLaughlin said.
Between 3:41-3:44 a.m., Vernon exited the residence and walked out with his hands in the air. Deputies asked him to walk backwards toward them, in which Vernon complied. McLaughlin said the deputies then asked Vernon to drop to his knees and put his hands behind his back, in which Vernon allegedly did not comply and forced deputies to approach him. After a short struggle with Vernon, deputies restrained him and placed him in handcuffs.
McLaughlin said he was later checked out by ambulance personnel and transported by ambulance to a local hospital. He was then released Wednesday and taken to the Morgan County Jail where he is being held without bond.
McLaughlin said the guns later seized and placed into evidence were a Winchester Model 12-gauge shotgun and a Mossberg 20-gauge shotgun. The Winchester shotgun was later confirmed stolen out of Laclede County from Lebanon.
McLaughlin also said in the statement Vernon was found guilty of unlawful use of a weapon on Aug. 19, 2002 out of Miller County, and found guilty of burglary in the second degree on Feb. 19, 2009, also out of Miller County.
Wheatley said due to the close proximity of the trailer park to Missouri 5, the highway was shut down for about four hours and two Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers assisted with traffic control.