JAMESPORT, Mo. -- A small town known for its quaint Amish community and crafts was turned upside down Tuesday night after a robbery suspect held law enforcement officers at bay for hours, authorities said.
Draper Scott Richardson, 26, of Breckenridge, was being held Wednesday at the Livingston County Jail on $1 million bond. Prosecutors charged him with two counts of first-degree robbery, first-degree assault, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon.
Richardson was involved in the robbery of a store Saturday in Chillicothe, Mo., and during the incident, shots were fired at bystanders and Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers, investigators said.
After the robbery, witnesses chased Richardson, but one of the suspects fired shots at them. When the men took off in a car, troopers chased them, and the suspects fired several shots at officers, hitting two patrol cars with bullets.
Authorities used spike strips to end the pursuit, and one of the suspects, David Michael Searcy, 22, of Chillicothe, surrendered after a patrolman fired a shotgun at him, the patrol said.
“Unfortunately, the passenger -- Draper Richardson -- escaped. That's who we've been searching for since Saturday night,” said Sgt. Sheldon Lyon, a spokesman for the highway patrol.
On Tuesday, troopers learned that Richardson was in a trailer in Jamesport – just blocks from the town center. Authorities went to the trailer and evacuated nearby homes, blocked off streets and called for a school lockdown.
Troopers tried to reach Richardson by phone. They fired tear gas into the trailer then eventually found Richardson in a nearby shed.
Daviess County Sheriff Kevin Heldenbrand said, "He never did give up. We had to physically get him."
An Associated Press story reported that Richardson had commandeered an Amish horse and buggy to take him to the trailer, but Heldenbrand said he spoke to the Amish man who drove Richardson.
He willingly gave Richardson a ride, the Amish man told the sheriff.
The Amish man told Heldenbrand that Richardson told him he and his friend had gotten into an argument while they were driving by and his friend and kicked him out of the vehicle.
Before he gave Richardson a ride into town, the Amish man invited him into his home for dinner. They ate biscuits and gravy, casserole and other food, Heldenbrand said.
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