Man evades police after stealing truck in Willow Springs

Last week, a Cabool man evaded a 24-hour, multi-agency manhunt after allegedly stealing a truck in Willow Springs. Surveillance video of the parking lot at MUNCH food pantry and thrift store shows a woman, later identified to be Stephanie Johnson of Cabool, arriving in a green Ford Explorer with a male passenger, later identified as Beau Burton, 32, of Cabool. According to police records, Burton can be seen exiting the vehicle and traveling on foot to the Willow Villa Apartments on East Main St.

At approximately 5:00 p.m., Assistant Chief Al Lewis responded to the apartment complex for a report of a stolen Dodge Dakota. The surveillance footage placed Burton and Johnson, who are husband and wife, nearby at the time of the theft. Johnson can be seen driving away alone at 4:51 p.m., and a white male matching Burton's description can be seen driving the stolen pick-up truck away shortly afterward.

Cooperating with the Texas County Sheriff's Department, Asst. Chief Cross obtained a Cabool address for the suspects. Upon arrival, officers saw Burton exiting the stolen vehicle, now painted black. When officers challenged him, Burton jumped a gate and fled through the woods. 

Law enforcement made contact with Johnson inside the residence and began to question her about the presence of the stolen truck. 

A multi-agency search for Burton included use of a drone with infrared capabilities, a K9 Unit from the Howell County Sheriff's Office, and personnel from the Texas County Sheriff's Office and Willow Springs Police Department. Officers contacted Burton several times over the next 24-hours without capturing him until Texas County Sherriff's Deputies took him into custody at the Cabool address.

Asst. Chief Lewis interviewed Burton at the Texas County Jail. The accused confessed, providing timelines, facts, and circumstances of the vehicle theft. He said he was solely responsible. He further confessed to disposing of a phone that belonged to the truck's owner by throwing it out the window on the highway. Johnson is alleged to have burned several of the other items that might link them to the crime.

Police were seeking charges of first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle for both parties. On October 5, the Texas County Prosecuting Attorney filed one count of resisting arrest for a felony against Burton. These charges have a bond of $300,000. As of press time, there have been no charges filed against Johnson.