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

Troop D Service Center - 5182 South Grand Avenue - Carthage MO 64836


News Release

For further information please contact: Sergeant Mike Watson
(417) 359-1500 ext. 4560
DS2014-11
July 1, 2014

EMPHASIS: New Troopers Assigned To Troop D

Captain Juan Villanueva, commanding officer of Troop D, Springfield, is pleased to announce the assignment of three new troopers to Southwest Missouri. The troopers are members of the Missouri State Highway Patrol's 98th Recruit Class, which graduated on June 27, 2014. They completed 26 weeks of rigorous training at the Patrol's Law Enforcement Academy in Jefferson City, Missouri. Reporting for duty on July 14, 2014, the new troopers will be working with field training officers for approximately three months before working independently. The new troopers assigned to Troop D and their assignments are as follows:

Trooper Ruthanne A. Altaffer, of Springfield, Missouri, has been assigned to Zone 1, which serves the citizens of Greene County. Prior to joining the Patrol, she served in the United States Coast Guard for four years as a maritime enforcement specialist in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Cape May, New Jersey. Trooper Altaffer's field training officer will be Trooper Elan B. Adams.

Trooper David W. Henley Jr., of Nevada, Missouri, has been assigned to Zone 2, which serves the citizens of Greene County. Trooper Henley graduated from Eldorado Christian School in Eldorado Springs, Missouri, and attended college at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, Missouri. Prior to joining the Patrol, he was a police officer with the Nevada (Missouri) Police Department. He is married to Jessica (Widdoes) Henley. Trooper Henley's field training officer will be Trooper Richard L. Anderson.

Trooper Thomas W. Meyer, of West Plains, Missouri, has been assigned to Zone 2, which serves the citizens of Greene County. Trooper Meyer is a graduate of West Plains High School and holds a bachelor's degree in government from Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri. Prior to joining the Patrol, he was a substitute teacher in the West Plains R-7 school district. He is married to Kylie (Collins) Meyer. Trooper Meyer's field training officer will be Sergeant Mark W. Trader.

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