Convicted felon arrested on firearm, drug charges

A Summersville man arrested last week has received multiple charges involving firearm and drug related crimes. Dayton Andre Terrill-Austin, 27, was arrested by Howell County Sheriff's deputies on November 3, 2024, at Snappy Mart 51, near the intersection of MO 14 and US 63 in West Plains.

 

The Sheriff's office began this investigation after he was reported of having a firearm and firing it in a residence on County Road 3140 while two children were inside the home, according to court documents. Terrill-Austin has a criminal history involving drug possession and burglary stretching back to 2017 and was on probation and parole at the time of the incident. Deputies took a report from the reporting person and photographed the bullet hole in the home. 

 

Terrill-Austin was spotted outside of Snappy Mart 51 by Deputy Avery Stolba later that day while Stolba was on patrol. After receiving backup from Deputy Timothy Gordon, the two law enforcement officers entered the store, finding the suspect playing slots and asked to speak with him outside, where he was placed under arrest. The deputies noted that while he was walking outside, Terrill-Austin kept reaching inside of his pockets and the front of his waistband, even after being told by deputies to keep his hands away from his body. A search of the suspect revealed an unloaded handgun and a glass smoking device containing a burned crystalline substance, later field-testing positive for methamphetamine. 

 

In post-Miranda interviews with the suspect, he allegedly said the gun had been handed to him “a little while ago” by a third party. He admitted at this time that he was a convicted felon and that he was on probation and parole. 

 

Dayton Terrill-Austin is charged with unlawful use of a weapon – subsection 11 – possessing a weapon and a felony controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, and unlawful possession of a firearm – dangerous felon/prior conviction. He was released on Nov. 7 on a $25,000 surety bond and is scheduled to return to court on Nov. 18 for a bond appearance hearing and on December 16 for an initial appearance.