A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Aug. 16 in Moniteau County Court in the case of Travis L. Clark, 22, of California.
The hearing was set during his appearance June 28 with Public Defender Attorney Thomas John Kirsch representing him. The defendant is currently being held in the Moniteau County Jail pending posting of bond. Bond was set at $500,000 at the preliminary hearing.
Clark was charged June 8 in the Memorial Day weekend shooting death of Robert R. Ashbaugh III, 18, of Tipton. As a result of investigation, Clark was charged with Count I - Class A Felony murder in the second degree; Alternate Count I - Class C Felony involuntary manslaughter; and Count II - Class D Felony unlawful use of a weapon.
The arrest and charges filed were a result of an the incident to which Tipton Police officers responded at a residence on Railroad Avenue at about 11:20 p.m. May 28. Discovering that the report of a person suffering a gunshot wound was accurate, and after determining that Robert Ashbaugh, 18, was deceased, Tipton Police Chief Ed Wiecken immediately requested that the Missouri Highway Patrol Troop F Division of Drug and Crime Control conduct the investigation into the shooting death.
According to the probable cause statement, Ashbaugh died from a single gunshot wound to the chest. Investigators on the scene reported that Ashbaugh was shot by Clark "during horseplay involving firearm." It was later reported that Clark said he was trying to scare Ashbaugh with the rifle. Investigators on the scene located a Savage .243-caliber rifle. The report indicated that no other people were injured in the shooting.
Ashbaugh was a junior at Calvary Lutheran High School in Jefferson City, where he was reported to have been involved in cross country and track. The funeral was held at the high school on June 15. The Robert Richard Ashbaugh III Scholarship Fund has been set up. More information is available through Bowlin Cantriel Funeral Home.