Photo: Curtis Dewayne Braden
A man from Viola has been arrested in southern Missouri on a multitude of charges, after he tried to flee during a traffic stop and injured two law enforcement officers in the process. Sixty-four-year-old Curtis Dewayne Braden is being held without bond in the Oregon County Jail after being arrested near Thayer Wednesday.
According to Douglas County Sheriff Chris Degase, Braden was stopped by law enforcement who had been working a large-scale narcotics investigation headed up by the Multi-Jurisdictional Task Force consisting of the Douglas and Ozark County sheriffs’ departments. Degase, a deputy from Ozark County, Oregon County Sheriff Eric King and a deputy and K-9 from Oregon County initiated the traffic stop on Braden on U.S. Highway 63 near Thayer.
The K-9 alerted on the vehicle, and Braden was asked to exit the vehicle, but instead, he tried to flee. In the process, he momentarily drug the Oregon County deputy, injuring him. Sheriff King, who had opened the passenger side door during the stop, was also drug by the vehicle, before he was able to pull himself into the vehicle and persuaded Braden to stop.
When officers inspected the vehicle, they discovered approximately 50 grams of methamphetamine.
Braden is facing eight felony charges in connection with the incident Wednesday, including two counts each of first-degree assault on a law enforcement officer and armed criminal action; and one count each of trafficking drugs, delivery of a controlled substance, methamphetamine; possession of a controlled substance and resisting arrest.
Braden was on probation out of Fulton County for possession of meth/cocaine with purpose to deliver and two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia from cases in 2020 and 2018.
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