Photo of damage caused by the fire. (Courtesy of Ed Doiron)
Six volunteer fire departments from two states spent most of their early morning hours Saturday battling a house fire in Ozark County. One person was taken to the hospital and the Missouri State Fire Marshal has been called in to investigate the cause of the blaze.
The fire was reported around 12:30 Saturday morning off Ozark County Road 609 in Pontiac.
According to information from Facebook posts from the different fire departments and from the Ozark County Sheriff’s Office, one person, a female, was taken from the scene by ambulance to Baxter Health in Mountain Home for what was believed to be smoke inhalation.
Firefighters from Pontiac-Price Place, Gainesville, Theodosia, Timber Knob, Oakland-Promise Land and Midway all battled the blaze for many hours which involved one house that was destroyed and a second structure which also received damage. Several vehicles were also damaged.
Ozark County Sheriff Cass Martin tells KTLO, Classic Hits and The Boot News the house that was destroyed belonged to Brandon Corey Mills. Mills is a man well known by law enforcement in Ozark County, having been arrested multiple times this year. He was out on bond at the time of the fire.
MILLS’ ARRESTS IN OZARK COUNTY
According to court documents, the 43-year-old Mills was arrested in January for felony driving while his license was revoked.
In March, deputies were called out for someone breaking into a cabin in Pontiac and living in it. The owner was attempting to sell the cabin to a neighbor. The neighbor went to look at the cabin and discovered someone was living in it when it should have been empty.
Mills, who lived a couple of houses down, had written his name on the mailbox and posted a paper note on a tree saying the property was under surveillance. Three large dogs were inside that appeared to be malnourished. One of them had wounds consistent with dog fighting. There was no food or water in the house for the dogs and a large amount of dog feces was in the house. The carpet and wood paneling had been destroyed.
The deputies removed the signs and secured the house.
The next day, deputies were called back after the signs were put back up. They met with Mills’ girlfriend and later with him. They both argued they took the house under “adverse possession” and were now squatting on the property. When Mills was told he was under arrest, he argued the house was his and he knew the law and he had 10 days to get his stuff out.
In that instance, he was charged with second degree burglary, first degree property damage and animal neglect – second offense.
Mills was arrested again in April when he broke into another residence in Pontiac. The caller told the deputy a car was parked in the drive way of the house and no one was supposed to be there. He recognized the man because he lives in one of the cabins but he didn’t know his name, but he described the car and the deputy thought it could be Mills.
When the deputy arrived, the man had left. The next day, the deputy came by with some pictures to see if the man could recognize the person who was at the house. He couldn’t pick the man out, but as the deputy was leaving, Mills drove by and the man said “that’s him right there in that car.”
For that incident, Mills is charged with second degree burglary, first degree trespass, and driving while his license is revoked.
ARKANSAS ARRESTS
Mills also has an extensive arrest history in Arkansas with seven felony arrests in Baxter and Marion counties between 2001 and 2020.
His charges include commercial burglary, residential burglary, theft of property greater than $25,000, theft of property, intimidating a witness, terroristic threatening, criminal mischief, third degree battery, theft of a firearm, possession of a firearm by certain persons and possession of a controlled substance.
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