Suspects in assault on Jasper officer arrested in Kansas

John Hacker, The Joplin Globe, Mo.
·2 min read

Oct. 19—JASPER, Mo. — The two suspects in an assault on a Jasper police officer have been arrested in Allen County, Kansas, and formal charges were filed Thursday against them in Jasper County.

Brandon L. David, 45, and Raven C. Gomez, 26, both of Columbia, were arrested near David's parents' home in rural Allen County, according to Allen County Sheriff Bryan Murphy.

He said the two hid in a bus on David's parents' property and initially refused to come out, but they eventually surrendered without incident.

The two are being held in Allen County on charges of felony criminal obstruction by hiding from police when ordered to come out.

Jasper County Prosecutor Theresa Kenney charged both David and Gomez with one count each of first-degree assault on a law enforcement officer. The two face a $50,000 cash-only bond when returned to Missouri.

David also faces a parole violation charge in Missouri.

The assault on Jasper police Sgt. Amber Ashby took place Monday night at the Pete's Convenience Store near the Interstate 49 interchange on the east side of Jasper. The officer was punched in the face multiple times and knocked to the ground, and then her feet were run over by the assailants' vehicle as they fled.

Jasper police Chief Chad Karr said his department put out an area bulletin, and he received word from Fort Scott, Kansas, police that the two had been seen stealing items from a convenience store on the edge of that city.

He said authorities were able to track the suspects via an address in Moran, Kansas, for the male suspect's parents.

Murphy reported that the vehicle's license plate showed up on a fixed license plate reader his office has set up on the east side of Allen County on Tuesday, so authorities knew they were in the area.

Authorities ultimately got the word that the couple were holed up in a bus on David's parents' property and made the arrest without incident Wednesday night.

Ashby, who had responded to call about a couple fighting in a car at the Jasper convenience store, was recovering from her injuries at home, Karr said earlier in the week.