Murder trial for mother of Ozark County teen moved
The Ozark County mother accused of murder in the death and abandonment of the corpse of her 16-year-old daughter will face trial in Taney County, after a change of venue was granted Thursday.
Springfield’s KOLR 10 reports Rebecca Ruuds attorneys sought the change in a motion filed last month on the heels of another motion granted for a change of judge, according to online court records.
The date for a trial for 39-year-old Ruud has not been set, but Ozark County Circuit Judge David Paulo Evans, agreed to the defendants request to move it out of the county where the crime is alleged to have occurred. Attorneys for both defense and prosecution agreed to hear motions in the case in Ozark County, but whether to accede to that agreement will be made by the trial judge.
Ruud is charged with first and second-degree murder, abuse of a child resulting in death, tampering with physical evidence and abandoning a corpse in connection with the death of her daughter Savannah Leckie, who went missing in July.
The Ozark County Sheriff’s Office asked for the publics help in locating Leckie and on August 4, burned human remains later identified to be those of the teen were found in a field about 400 yards from the home where Leckie lived with her mother and her mothers then-boyfriend, Robert Peat, Jr.
An affidavit in the case states Ruud gave Savannah up for adoption when she was born, and a family in Minnesota adopted her. The adoptive mother later contacted Ruud, who agreed to take Leckie back last November.
Ruud has admitted to punishing her daughter by forcing her to crawl through an open hog pen, bathe in a pond on the property. She also admitted to rubbing salt and alcohol into a “suicidal” cut on Leckie’s arm.
Items listed as taken by law enforcement for evidence from the home and near where the remains were found included the remains, a meat grinder, a knife, hair, girls clothing, fibrous materials, soil samples, and 26 bottles of lye, which can be used to accelerate the breakdown of bodily tissue.
Along with the burned remains found on Ruud’s property, the returned search warrant says deputies found 20 “boxes” of bone fragments on the farm.
Sheriff Reed told KOLR 10 earlier this year that investigators saw “red flags” early in this investigation after Savannah went missing and that’s when they obtained a search warrant for this property.
Peat is charged with the same five charges as Ruud. He is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 8 in Ozark County.
Both Ruud and Peat are being held without bond in the Ozark County Jail.
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Knife-wielding man surrenders after glass of water offered
A Harrison man, 33-year-old Justin James Lewis, has been arrested after a standoff in Marion County when the Boone County man wielded a large knife and hammer and claimed unidentified people were trying to kill him.
According to the arrest affidavit filed Wednesday, officers from the Marion and Boone County Sheriff’s Departments, along with the Lead Hill Police Department, responded to the scene along Marion County Road 2048 on the afternoon of September 23rd.
Corporal John Spence with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office reported when he arrived at the residence, he found the homeowners’ lawn worker holding a pistol outside the closed door to a room where Lewis had barricaded himself.
The homeowner advised Lewis had entered the residence by breaking through the outside door of the home leading to an office area. The lawn worker said he had retrieved his pistol from his vehicle for the protection of the homeowners until law enforcement arrived. He told the Marion Colunty law enforcement officer Lewis pushed over two filing cabinets to block the exit door. He then picked up a claw hammer, broke a paper cutter and made it into a knife.
Corporal Spence reported Lewis was talking irrationally, saying “they were outside, and if he moves, they will kill him.” As he continued to negotiate with Lewis, Spence said the Harrison man made numerous aggressive movements, as if he was going to lunge toward the officer’s location.
As negotiations continued, Lewis told officers he was thirsty, with a deputy retrieving a glass of water. Spence reported he entered the room where Lewis was, offered him the water, and set the glass in front of him. A few minutes later, Lewis laid the knife and hammer down. He was arrested without further incident.
Lewis was charged with felony counts of residential burglary and criminal mischief, along with two misdemeanor counts. His bond was set at $20,000.
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Four separate thefts from boat docks reported last weekend
Four separate thefts from boat docks on Lake Norfork were reported last weekend, according to incident reports made available Tuesday from the Baxter County Sheriff’s Department. Three of the thefts occurred in the Henderson area and one in the Pigeon Creek area at the end of Kingswood Boulevard. The thefts took place between the evening and early morning hours. The estimated value of the items stolen is just over $6,000.
According to the reports, suspects in all the cases are unknown.
Baxter County Sheriff John Montgomery says although we live in an area with a low crime rate, property crimes continue to occur. He says while a portion of those crimes may be attributed to the unemployment rate or the economy, the argument could be made a percentage of theft crimes may occur due to the reduced punishment for theft offenses. The days of simply being able to leave items of value unsecured are gone.
Montgomery reminds the public the majority of boat thefts are because the owners leave valuables in plain sight instead taking them with them or locking them away.
He says don’t “volunteer to be a victim” and take the appropriate means to secure items of value, whether they are in a boat or an automobile. Thieves are looking for an easy score.
To report suspicious activity call the Baxter COunty Sheriff’s Office at 870-425-7000 or submit an anonymous tip at baxtercountysheriff.com/crime-tips.
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Baxter County Jail inspection report confirms needs
This year’s inspection of the Baxter County Detention Center, conducted one week prior to the sales tax election for funding the jail’s expansion, summarizes the needs the facility has and shows at least seven areas needing to be addressed.
Baxter County Sheriff John Montgomery says the inspection report confirms what he’s been saying all along.
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The Coordinator of the Arkansas Jail Standards Office, Sterling Penix, says the review committee is excited for Baxter County as the community moves forward.
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Montgomery says a great deal of work will be completed prior to the sales tax collections for the approved jail expansion and improvements beginning on April 1, 2018.
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The inspection report cites the need for additional storage for on-site health care, the need for repair of plumbing, fixtures and general cell features, and the need for additional observational cell areas. It also addresses the problems the facility has with overpopulation, making it hard to classify inmates.
Montgomery says one of the toughest problems is being understaffed.
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The maintenance and operation tax Montgomery refers to doesn’t begin until January 1, 2019. Part of that year’s budget considerations will include the amount of additional personnel needed to meet standards.
Jail Standards indicate the Baxter County Jail is short roughly four jail staff members. When beds are added to the newer facility, it is likely the Sheriff’s Department will look to increase the amount of staff up to six.
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Local resident to appear in God’s Not Dead 3 movie
Although Mountain Home resident Anita Bruffet Karr doesn’t have the star role, she is excited to be making an appearance in the God’s Not Dead 3 movie. The movie stars David A.R. White, Tatum O’Neal and Married with Children’s Ted McGinly. The God’s Not Dead series are Christian drama films which challenge atheistic beliefs, that assert God doesn’t exist, with evidence of faith, miracles and apologetics which say God is real.
God’s Not Dead 2 was filmed in Little Rock and features cameos from former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and KARK’s Mallory Brooks and Victoria Price.
A least part of God’s Not Dead 3 will be shot in Arkansas as well.
Karr says she spent 12 hours on the set last week.
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Karr started her acting career at Twin Lakes Theater in Mountain Home. Her resume includes commercials, music videos and low-budget horror movies.
She jokingly says in the horror films she was killed so her husband Timothy Karr, who is with the local Arkansas Army National Guard, is glad she gets to stay alive in this one.
She came across the role in Facebook.
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Karr says filming will continue in Little Rock for another four weeks.
While the complete plot has not been revealed, Karr says she is able to us a glimpse.
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To view the Trailer for God’s Not Dead 3 go to YouTube.
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