OZARK, MO – The Christian County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office announces that on February 24, 2015, ROBERT W. BERRY, DOB: 12-28-1965, formerly of Sparta, MO pled guilty to assault in the first degree, armed criminal action, and burglary in the first degree, before the Honorable Senior Judge J. Miles Sweeney. Berry was set for jury trial on March 9, 2015.

On January 9, 2011 Robert Berry entered D.W.’s residence without permission armed with two firearms. Berry was waiting for D.W. inside the residence when she returned home from church and shot her multiple times in the head and upper body. After a struggle, D.W. was able to escape to a neighbor’s house for help. Berry’s prints were located on evidence collected at the scene.

Robert Berry fled the state and was arrested in Arkansas on January 13, 2011, following a brief pursuit by police. Investigators located women’s clothing, a woman’s wig, and an atlas inside the vehicle Berry was driving. In addition, Robert Berry had altered his appearance by shaving his head. Investigators also located a pair of blood stained blue jeans in the vehicle belonging to Berry that were submitted to the Missouri State Highway Patrol Lab in Springfield for DNA analysis. That analysis determined the blood on the jeans to be consistent with the victim.

The defendant is set for a sentencing hearing on May 7, 2015 at 9:00 a.m. The range in punishment for Count I: assault in the first degree is 10 years to 30 years of life in the Missouri Department of Corrections. In addition, the defendant must serve 85% of any sentence before being eligible for parole. The range in punishment for Count II: armed criminal action is a minimum of three years in the Missouri Department of Corrections. Under count III: burglary in the first degree the range of punishment is five to fifteen years in the Missouri Department of Corrections. The maximum sentence the defendant could serve for the maximum term on each count and each count to be run consecutively to one another.

This case was investigated by the Christian County Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution was handled by 1st Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Kristen Tuohy and Prosecuting Attorney Amy Fite.

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POSITION AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY – INVESTIGATOR/SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR

The Christian County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and the Christian County Sheriff’s Office has opening for a full-time Investigator/System Administrator. This position will be housed in the Christian County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. The position will act as a liaison between the two offices. Responsibilities will include serving subpoenas, transporting victim and witnesses, transporting and accompanying Assistant Prosecuting Attorney’s if meeting with victim and witnesses outside the PA office or visiting a crime scene, running criminal histories, ordering certified priors, requesting evidence from the various Christian County law enforcement offices. The IT component will include managing and maintaining a server and network environment (Microsoft Exchange and SQL Server), setting up and maintaining computer workstations, creating merge documents and reports for the PA case management system. Further, responsibilities will include maintaining redundancy for the case management system. The preferred candidate will have a minimum of three years law enforcement experience or previous experience as an investigator in a Prosecuting Attorney’s office, a working knowledge of CODY or ability to learn through training, a working knowledge of PROSECUTORbyKarpel or a similar case management system or ability to learn through training, Microsoft system administrator and networking experience, and experience creating merge documents and reports. The position will require the candidate to obtain regular POST training, be firearm qualified and able to lawfully carry a firearm. The position will require a person who can work independently, work well in a fast paced environment, be time efficient, able to manage numerous projects at one time, be a self-starter as well as team player. The compensation will include salary and benefits. Salary will be commensurate with experience and qualifications.

The Christian County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is a file-less office. The office includes four full-time assistant prosecuting attorneys and one part-time assistant prosecuting attorney, two victim advocate and five legal assistants.

If interested please send a cover letter and resume to:
Amy Fite
Christian County Prosecuting Attorney
110 W. Elm, Room 109
Ozark, MO 65721
afite@christiancountymo.gov

Resumes will be accepted until position is filled.

OZARK, MO – The Christian County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office announced that on February 24, 2015, DUSTY A. STEVENS DOB: 10/16/1992 formerly of Buffalo, MO pled guilty and was sentenced by Special Judge Blankenship. Stevens was set for jury trial on February 25, 2015. On February 24, 2015 Stevens decided instead to plead guilty pursuant to a plea agreement to three counts of statutory sodomy in the first degree.
All three counts involve the defendant having deviate sexual intercourse with a nine- year-old girl. The acts occurred between February 6, 2010 and November 23, 2010. The offense occurred in a residence in Sparta where both the defendant and child were living.
Special Judge Blakenship sentenced Stevens to TWENTY YEARS in the Missouri Department of Corrections on Count I, II and III. All counts run concurrent and concurrently with case number 13CT-CR00751-01. Stevens is currently serving a total of a 20 year sentence in that case for statutory rape 1st degree, child molestation 2nd degree and sexual misconduct of a child.
This case was investigated by Det. Shayne Duryea with the Christian County Sheriff’s Department.

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Cheri K. Cobb joined the Christian County Prosecutor’s Office on February 24, 2015. Cheri received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology in 1996 from Drury College, now Drury University. She received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Missouri School of Law in 1999. She began her law career as an Assistant Prosecutor for the City of Springfield, Missouri. Upon leaving the City of Springfield, she opened her own criminal defense and civil law practice. She joined the Webster County Prosecutor’s Office specializing in criminal and civil child support actions, misdemeanors and traffic offences in September of 2010 and remained serving until December of 2014.

She will be handling a misdemeanor and traffic docket.

The Christian County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is pleased to announce the addition of Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Agnes (Agi) Prevendarcsik as of February 23, 2015. She received her Juris Doctorate equivalent from Utrecht University in The Netherlands, and her Masters in Law from Washington University in St. Louis. Prior to joining the Christian County Prosecutor’s Office, she worked as an Assistant Public Defender for seven years. Agi has also worked at The St. Louis Litigation Group, LC., as an associate. While at Washington University, she served as an intern with the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office Sex Crimes Unit. Additionally, she served several years as a guardian ad litem for abused and neglected children.

Shown in the picture is Judge Bacon swearing her in as Assistant Prosecuting Attorney.