Christian County Prosecuting Attorney

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: PROSECUTING ATTORNEY’S OFFICE

                       Amy Fite: 417-581-7915

DATE: November 10, 2022

OZARK, MO – The Christian County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office announces that Jenson Wayne Faught (W/M), age 34, previously of Berryville, Arkansas, Missouri, on November 9, 2022, in front of the Honorable Jessica Kruse pled guilty to all twelve counts charged, including four counts of the class A felony of Assault in the First Degree – special victim, four counts of the unclassified felony of Armed Criminal Action, one count of the class B felony of Burglary in the First Degree, one count of the class E felony of Unlawful Use of a Weapon, one count of the class E felony of Resisting Arrest, and one count of the class E felony of Property Damage in the First Degree.

The facts supporting the plea included that members of the Christian County Sheriff’s Office responded to check a person with a weapon call.  The Defendant, Jenson Faught, had unlawfully entered a shop building on a residence. The Defendant, armed with a gun, told the homeowner to come inside the shop building with him. The homeowner said “No” and ran down the driveway and waved down detectives.  Over the next two hours, the Defendant refused law enforcement commands to come outside. The Defendant fired over 100 rounds at law enforcement officers, and one officer was struck and evacuated from the scene.  Various law enforcement agencies responded to assist.  The Defendant was taken into custody after a tactical team was able to approach the building in armored vehicles and deployed chemical munitions inside the shop building.

The plea was entered pursuant to a plea agreement and immediately proceeded to sentencing.  Pursuant to the terms of the plea agreement the Honorable Judge Jessica Kruse sentenced the Defendant as follows. As to:

Ct. I – Assault in the First Degree – special victim – LIFE sentence in the Missouri Department of Corrections.

Ct. II – Armed Criminal Action – FIVE (5) YEARS in the Missouri Department of Corrections

Ct. III – Assault in the First Degree – special victim – TWENTY-FIVE (25) YEARS in the Missouri Department of Corrections

 Ct. IV – Armed Criminal Action – FIVE (5) YEARS in the Missouri Department of Corrections

Ct. V – Assault in the First Degree – special victim – TWENTY-FIVE (25) YEARS in the Missouri Department of Corrections

Ct. VI – Armed Criminal Action – FIVE (5) YEARS in the Missouri Department of Corrections

Ct. VII – Assault in the First Degree – special victim – TWENTY-FIVE (25) YEARS in the Missouri Department of Corrections

Ct. VIII – Armed Criminal Action – FIVE (5) YEARS in the Missouri Department of Corrections

Ct. IX – Burglary in the First Degree – FIFTEEN (15) YEARS in the Missouri Department of Corrections

Ct. X – Unlawful Use of a Weapon – FOUR (4) YEARS in the Missouri Department of Corrections

Ct. XI – Resisting Arrest – FOUR (4) YEARS in the Missouri Department of Corrections

Ct. XII – Property Damage in the First Degree – FOUR (4) YEARS in the Missouri Department of Corrections

The sentences are structured so some run concurrently and some run consecutively.  The total sentence the defendant received was a LIFE sentence plus FIVE (5) years in the Missouri Department of Corrections.  By statute, the defendant must serve 85% of each of the sentences before becoming eligible for parole.

The class A felonies carry a range of punishment of 10 years to 30 years or life in the Missouri Department of Corrections.  A defendant must serve 85% of any sentence imposed before becoming eligible for parole.

The unclassified felonies as charged carry a minimum term of three (3) years to a maximum term of fifteen (15) years in the Missouri Department of Corrections.  The defendant must serve 85% of any sentence imposed before becoming eligible for parole.

The class B felony carries a range of punishment of five (5) to fifteen (15) years in the Missouri Department of Corrections.

The class E felony carries a range of punishment of incarceration up to one (1) year in the County Jail or up to four (4) years in the Missouri Department of Corrections and/or a fine up to $10,000.

This case was investigated by the Christian County Sheriff’s Office.  Multiple agencies responded to assist during the incident. These agencies included:  The Greene County Sheriff’s Office, the Missouri Highway Patrol, the Webster County Sheriff’s Office, the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office, ATF, Springfield Police Department, and the Ozark Fire Department.  The plea and sentencing was handled by Prosecuting Attorney Amy Fite.

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Please congratulate Dale Tavares on being recognized as employee of the quarter.  Presiding Commissioner Phillips, who presented Dale with the award, highlighted that Dale serves as a mentor to all the new employees coming into our office. That she has a great attitude.  That you will hear her name often as part of the fabric that makes our office run.

CONGRATULATIONS TO DALE! 

On September 15th, 2022 Judge Bacon administered the Oath of Admission as a new attorney with Tarek Masri, as he had previously been a Rule 13 intern with our office. Judge Bacon then confirmed him as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney.  Prior to receiving his badge of office he was administered the Prosecutor Code of Ethics by Prosecuting Attorney Amy Fite.

Tarek joined the Christian County Prosecutor’s Office in June of 2014. He was born and raised in Southwest Missouri and received a B.A. in Politics from the University of Dallas, Irving TX, in 2019. He received his Juris Doctorate from Saint Louis University School of Law in 2022. And he has previous experience as a Rule 13 intern at St. Charles County Prosecutor’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Missouri.

On September 15th, 2022 Judge Bacon administered the Oath of Admission as a new attorney with Chris Aiken, as he had previously been a Rule 13 intern with our office. Judge Bacon then confirmed him as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney.  Prior to receiving his badge of office he was administered the Prosecutor Code of Ethics by Prosecuting Attorney Amy Fite.

Chris joined the Christian County Prosecutor’s Office in June of 2022. He received his bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience from Emory University in 2014, and his law degree from University of Alabama School of Law in 2022. Chris interned for the Greene County Prosecutor’s Office in 2021, and before entering the legal field he worked as a teacher, coach, and news reporter.

In February, members of the Christian County Multidisciplinary Team were selected from applications from across Missouri to participate in a three-day training program called “Train the Trainer: Crime Scene to Trial.” Kristen Tuohy, Shana Mara, and Cathryn Ables represented the Christian County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.  The team from Christian County also included members from Children’s Division, the Child Advocacy Center, and Nixa Police Department.   There were four multidisciplinary teams (MDT) who were selected to receive the training through the “Zero Abuse Project.”

In Missouri, every county has a local MDT and the members are responsible for the investigation and prosecution of cases of child physical and sexual abuse in their community. The MDT includes the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Child Advocacy Center, Children’s Division, law enforcement, medical professionals, the Juvenile Office, and victim advocates. This specific “Crime Scene to Trial” specifically trained MDTs on how to complete a case, beginning with a crime scene and ending with a trial.

For a typical “Child Scene to Trial” training, the event would occur at a mock house in St. Louis. However, this year participants had a virtual tour of that mock house. The mock house appears as if a fight happened, with damage to the walls or floors and evidence of injury with imitation blood on the walls. When real-life child abuse happens, officers will often be involved and make a hotline to the Children Division. This training allows each member of the MDT to be involved from the beginning of the investigation and encourages communication between local agencies to make the best decisions for the investigation and, more importantly, the safety of any children involved.

A typical training with this program will give the participants a fact pattern, including a made-up 911 call. In this virtual training, the participants used virtual breakout calls where they interacted with suspects and witnesses. Many of these MDT members have had previous training on how best to interact with witnesses, specifically children, in these situations and how to ask questions so they are able to best communicate with children and gain the most information on the child’s current safety in the home.

Members of the MDT, like law enforcement and Children’s Division, interview suspects and witnesses to gather information. The Child Advocacy Center conducts forensic interviews of child victims and provides the opportunity for the child victim to be seen by a medical professional. The team members routinely reach out to the local prosecutor for legal guidance on issues that may arise in the case and for assistance with things like obtaining search warrants for homes, cell phones, phone records, etc. This training includes other necessary people in child abuse investigations like judges, doctors, neighbors, and even family members (all these roles were played by various presenters and volunteer actors). This training is beneficial for local MDT members to learn the best practices in handling child abuse investigations.

At the end of the training, each group had to give a presentation on their investigation. The presentation included:

• Their initial response. 
• Detention of any possible suspects.
• The investigation.
• The placement of the children; and
• Any potential charges to be filed

Each of the four teams presented their findings and received feedback from the presenters and the other teams. Although many of the teams had similar charges, there was variety in the types of charges and number of suspects charged with criminal offenses.

Completing this course was the beginning step. Upon graduation from the program, the teams now get to train other teams created from local and regional MDTs in the “Crime Scene to Trial”. This type of training provides and reinforces valuable information on best practices for member of the MDTs to utilize to better investigate and prosecute cases of child abuse in their area.  All of this is done with the focus on putting the safety and well-being of the child first.  All with the goal to hold offenders accountable and keep children safe. 

The Christian County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, along with other MDT members (Child Advocacy Center, Children’s Division, Nixa Police Department), will be conducting its first “Crime Scene to Trial” training in Ozark, MO between September 14-16, 2022.