MISSOURI STATE HIGHWAY PATROL
a division of the
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

Troop F Headquarters - 2920 North Shamrock Road - Jefferson City, MO 65102


NEWS RELEASE

For further information please contact: Sergeant Scott B. White
573-751-1000
F160101
January 11, 2016

EMPHASIS: Patrol Troopers, Helicopter Assist In Montgomery County Search


On the morning of January 7, 2016, the Missouri State Highway Patrol responded to assist the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department as requested. Troopers from the Montgomery County and the Patrol’s helicopter, equipped with a FLIR (forward looking infrared) thermal imaging device responded. The agencies searched for a male subject after he fled on foot while deputies were attempting to serve an arrest warrant in Bellflower, Missouri.

The officers formed a perimeter on the west end of Bellflower, near where the subject was last seen running through a field. Coordinating with the officers on the ground, the Patrol Bell 407 helicopter assisted with a search of the area. The troopers in the aircraft noted that the FLIR indicated the presence of a heat source in a wooded area. As the crew continued to monitor this heat source while circling, they observed what appeared to be a person moving. The subject got up and began walking briskly to the south, away from the officers on the ground. The flight crew directed officers toward the subject’s location where he was kneeling behind a tree. After a few moments, the subject stood up, walked into a field, waived at the officers, and held his hands in the air. The subject was taken into custody without incident.

The helicopter pilot and the tactical flight officer then directed an officer to the location where the subject had knelt down behind the tree. That officer located drugs and drug paraphernalia.

The arrest was made by the Montgomery County Sheriff's Department. For further information, contact the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department.



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