A Phelps County jury found a man guilty last week of assaulting a Missouri State Highway Patrol officer in Texas County in March 2008.
Jurors, hearing the case on a charge of venue from Texas County, found Larry Brashears guilty of assault of a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest, stealing, first-degree robbery and armed criminal action. The jury rendered its verdict at about 9:45 p.m. Thursday. The trial began the previous day.
Brashears will be sentenced Feb. 9.
He was charged with an incident near Highway H and U.S. 63 south of Houston that left Cpl. Curtis Haden with moderate injuries.
Court records show Brashears entered a guilty plea on Sept. 26, but changed his mind during an Oct. 3 hearing. It was rescheduled to last week.
Brashears was accused of assaulting Haden following a traffic stop. According to a report, Brashears struck the officer and placed him in a headlock. Haden, fearful that he was about to lose consciousness, removed his service weapon as the two struggled and it fired into the ground.
According to a report, Brashears held Haden at gunpoint as he took the officer’s wallet, a small amount of cash, three credit cards, one debit card, car keys and a flashlight.
A passer-by alerted authorities after seeing Haden’s patrol car door open and his hat on the ground. A manhunt ended with Brashears’ arrest about three hours later near the incident site.
Haden sustained moderate injuries, including problems with an eye.
Brashears also faces numerous charges in Howell County.