Additional arrest made in Leckie murder
Ozark County Sheriff Darrin Reed confirmed late Wednesday 31-year-old Robert Peat, Jr. was arrested Wednesday afternoon. The arrest follows an Ozark County grand jury indicting Peat and his wife, Rebecca Ruud, Wednesday on charges relating to the murder of Ruud’s 16-year-old biological daughter, Savannah Leckie. Ruud is being held in the Ozark County Jail, and Peat was transferred to the Douglas County Jail in Ava. Both are being held without bond.
The Ozark County Times reports the indictment filed Wednesday in Ozark County court says the grand jury charges that Ruud and Peat “knowingly caused the death of Savannah Leckie by unknown means” on or about July 18 and “knowingly disposed of the corpse of Savannah Leckie…without properly reporting the location of the body to the proper law enforcement officials.”
After convening for what is believed to be the third time since first convening Sept. 5, the grand jury issued indictments for Peat and Ruud. A news release from Sheriff Reed says the two were indicted on the charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, abuse of a child resulting in death, tampering with evidence and abandoning a corpse. Judge Cynthia MacPherson’s docket sheet says that the jurors were unanimous in their decision to issue the indictments.
The 39-year-old Ruud has been in custody since Aug. 21 after Ozark County Prosecuting Attorney John Garrabrant filed a criminal case against her, and Ozark County officers detained her at a Springfield bus station, where she was reportedly attempting to board a bus to leave the area.
Peat had bought a bus ticket and left for Memphis on Aug. 20; however, he has returned to the area. Now that Ruud has been indicted by the grand jury, the original case against her filed by Garrabrant is expected to be dismissed.
Having grand jury indictments means both cases will skip the preliminary hearing phase of the court process and will go straight to Ozark County Circuit Court. Ruud and Peat are scheduled to be arraigned before Judge Craig Carter Monday.
Ruud gave birth to Leckie in 2001 in Minnesota, but the little girl was adopted a few months later by Tamile Leckie-Montague and her then-husband, David Leckie. Savannah Leckie grew up in Minnesota. After her adoptive parents divorce, she continued to live with her adoptive mother until August 2016, when a conflict developed with her mothers boyfriend, and she moved to Ozark County to live with Ruud on her remote, 81-acre farm near Theodosia.
Ruud called the Ozark County Sheriffs office July 20 to report her daughter missing. An extensive search began, and on Aug. 4, investigators found what turned out to be burned human remains on Ruuds property. Later, the remains were identified as Leckies.
______________________________________________________________________
MH man charged after social media posts threaten Norfork Schools
A Baxter County man, 19-year-old Evan Michael Thompson of Mountain Home, was arrested by Baxter County Sheriffs deputies Friday after he posted statements on Facebook concerning the Norfork Public Schools described as “alarming.”
Baxter County Sheriff John Montgomery says the postings were called to the attention of the School Resource Officer at the Norfork Schools. Thompson is alleged to have posted comments on social media saying things such as the Norfork School needs a Columbine and posting an image relating to the Columbine High School Massacre in 1999.
Sheriff Montgomery says comments such as these create significant public alarm and caused his office to take swift action.
Thompson was located at his home and taken into custody. He has been transported to the Baxter County Detention Center and booked on a felony charge of terroristic threatening. His bond has been set at $25,000. Sheriff Montgomery says if Thompson is able to make bond prior to a first appearance in Baxter County Circuit Court next week, he will be required to wear an ankle monitor to track his movements.
Montgomery says the safety of children and others in the public school systems in Baxter County is of paramount importance. The Sheriffs Office takes these kinds of threats very seriously and will respond to them in an appropriate manner.
______________________________________________________________________
McCollum gets 35 years in prison in child abuse case
Zachary McCollum, charged with squeezing his then three-month-old-son with such force that he heard the infant’s ribs crack, appeared in Baxter County Circuit Court Thursday and was sentenced to 35 years in prison after changing his plea to guilty on charges stemming from the incident.
According to the probable cause affidavit, McCollum told investigators he had been high on methamphetamine when the incident took place and estimated he had squeezed the infant for about three minutes after he became upset when the baby would not stop crying.
The 24-year-old McCollum said the incident took place at the residence of the baby’s maternal grandparents in Midway in March of last year just prior to the time his family moved to Royce City, Texas.
An investigation was launched into the incident when Arkansas authorities received reports from Children’s Medical Center in Dallas indicating the infant was brought to the facility April 9th last year and that 18 healing rib fractures as well as a left femur corner fracture were detected.
McCollum was interviewed February 7th by a special agent with the Arkansas State Police regarding the injuries to his infant son. He was arrested and jailed on charges of first-degree battery February 15th and has been in the Baxter County Detention Center since that time with his bond set at $100,000.
At the conclusion of his sentencing, Judge John Putman asked McCollum if he had anything he wanted to say, and he said he did not.
He also faces the revocation of two suspended sentences in Marion County cases filed in 2012 and 2014. Those cases remain active, and Judge Putman has set a tentative hearing date on the revocations for October 25th, according to court records.
______________________________________________________________________
Teconchuk gets 15 years in prison on arson, related charges
Mitchell Teconchuk of rural Mountain Home was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to a long string of charges stemming from allegations he set fire to a residence to cover up the fact he had stolen items from the house.
Teconchuk faced charges including arson, residential burglary, and filing a false report
According to court records, the 21-year-old Teconchuk is reported to have gone to the home situated along U.S. Highway 62/412 East on June 18th knowing the owners — identified as the parents of his wife — were out of town at a church function, set fire to their residence and then returned to his own home.
He is said to have then picked up his wife and returned to her parents’ home in an effort to make it appear the couple had discovered the fire. The wife called 9-1-1 to report the blaze.
According to an incident report prepared by the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office, the daughter of the victims told the 9-1-1 operator Teconchuk had kicked in the door and smoke began “rolling out” of the residence.
The daughter said when the 9-1-1 report was made, the major part of the blaze was concentrated in the front of the house near a living room couch and on a bed in the master bedroom.
Both the fires in the living room and bedroom were extinguished quickly and were basically contained to the point-of-origin. Damage associated with smoke, heat and water was reported throughout the structure.
Teconchuk was reported to have told a number of false stories to investigators regarding the fire in an attempt to cast suspicion on other people and away from himself.
At one point, Teconchuk told investigators he had retrieved a garden hose and was spraying water on the fire through a window of the house. As he was being interviewed by law enforcement officers, it was explained to Teconchuk the story about the hose was untrue because a fireman had said the window had blown out as he arrived and Teconchuk nor a water hose were anywhere near the window at the time.
Investigators said Teconchuk finally admitted that he had set the fire and was also responsible for other crimes associated with the arson, according to a news release put out by Sheriff John Montgomery at the time of the incident.
In addition to the arson, Teconchuk reported that relatives had broken into the house in which he lived along Crystal Creek and stolen items. During the interview with police, he admitted he had been the one who broke a window out of a back door at his residence and falsely accused the relatives. Officers located the items he had reported stolen in various places in Teconchuk’s home.
He also admitted writing three checks on his mother-in-law’s account and depositing two of them into his wife’s account without her knowledge.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, Teconchuk has been booked into the Baxter County jail 12 previous times on a long list of charges including theft of property, felony fleeing and breaking or entering.
Restitution in the case is to be determined.
Fourteenth Judicial District Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Kerry Chism told Judge John Putman the state would not pursue actions to revoke Teconchuck’s suspended sentences in two cases unrelated to the arson.
______________________________________________________________________
Local church seeks donations for hurricane victims
A Mountain Home area church, Hope Center Church, has connected with churches in the Houston, Texas area and in Florida to provide continuing help to hurricane victims in both states as they rebuild after two major hurricanes left millions homeless and displaced in both states.
Hope Center Church, located across from Baxter Healthcare on 201 North in Mountain Home, is collecting building supplies and other items for hurricane victims and will be sending donated items on to those affected.
Hope Center Pastor Jeff Morgan says he’s spoken with pastors of other churches in hurricane damaged areas and they say people are requesting basic needs of water and immediate supplies. Future needs include building supplies, sheetrock, nails, lumber, etc. Morgan says the Hope Center is asking for donations to help. He says Lowes or Home Depot gift cards would be best.
The church is also collecting building materials if donors want to buy it themselves, however Morgan thinks gift cards make the most sense.
The church has a banner out in front of it and will be collecting the items for the hurricane victims for at least the next few weeks.
The plan is to stay in touch with individuals in both states to make sure donations go to people who are displaced and go to real people in need. The church will be taking items and any monetary donations directly to the victims themselves.
To donate, items can be dropped off at the churchs life center from 10:00 in the morning, until 2:00 in the afternoon and from 6:00 in the evening to 8:00 in the evening, every day.
The church is located at 750 Green Valley Drive in Mountain Home. The phone number is 870-425-2612. More information about this donation drive can be found on the churchs Facebook page at facebook.com/hopecentermh.
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI