A pair of Poplar Bluff, Mo., brothers remain in jail on assault and weapons charges stemming from an earlier incident in which gunfire was exchanged on the parking lot of a local business.
Jordian Trevon Bell, 18, and his 20-year-old brother, Desean Rene Bell, were arrested at about 10:45 a.m. Friday at a residence in the 5000 block of Nellie Sue Circle on warrants, charging each with the Class B felony of first-degree assault and the unclassified felony of armed criminal action.
Butler County Investigator Brandon Lowe said deputies found the brothers at that residence based on information provided by Desean Bell's probation officer and after finding the bullet-riddled SUV from the earlier incident in the driveway.
The incident occurred at about 6:40 p.m. Tuesday on the parking lot of The Warp Shop (formerly the Cow Shed) on South Westwood Boulevard.
According to earlier reports, witnesses, including business owner, Cody Harris, told deputies Jordian Bell had arrived at his business at about 5 p.m. Tuesday, and he went outside and asked him to leave.
Lowe said the reason for Jordian Bell arriving at the business was because Harris' aunt had seen the teen outside her home and had accused him of being the one who broken into it.
Customers, according to Deputy Travis Huddleston's report, witnessed the verbal exchange, and when deputies arrived the first time, Harris told them he had asked Jordian Bell to leave.
Harris further reported Jordian Bell and his family returned, wanting to fight.
"(Harris) came out as one of them pulled a knife on a customer, and the customer began backing up and fell down over a concrete vehicle barrier," Huddleston said. "Jordian or Desean pulled a pistol and fired at the customer, and the customer returned fire as the vehicle pulled from the parking lot."
The customer, an unidentified white male, fled in a gold SUV, while the Bells fled in a white SUV.
Lt. Charlie Phelps earlier said six of the shell casings were found in a group, while a different caliber casing was found about four to five feet away.
Four of the rounds struck the Bells' SUV, hitting its windshield, back passenger side window and both passenger side doors, Lowe said.
That unidentified customer reportedly contacted the sheriff's department on Wednesday, and he and his girlfriend, who also had been present, came in and gave statements to Lowe.
The man, Lowe said, admitted he was the one who had fired the shots at the SUV.
"(He) stated around 5:30 p.m., there was a black male that showed up at The Warp Zone and started causing a problem," Lowe wrote in his probable-cause affidavit. "(He) stated they got the subject to leave without incident."
As the man was leaving about an hour later, "there was three or four car loads of people that pulled in," Lowe said. "(He) stated there was a black male subject who was acting as if he wanted to fight."
Lowe said the man further reported Desean Bell got out of the SUV, "cussing, getting in his face like he was wanting to fist fight him.
"Then, Desean goes back to the vehicle, gets what he described as an 8- to 10-inch knife, starts walking at him and waving it back and forth."
The man reportedly began "back pedaling and fell over a parking stone," Lowe said. " ... As he was falling back, he's reaching to pull out a gun, thinking he's going to get stabbed."
At that point, the man told Lowe Jordian Bell allegedly fired a shot at him out the SUV's passenger window.
"Then, (the man) returned fire, shooting into Desean and Jordian's vehicle," said Lowe, who indicated the man was "defending himself" when he fired his weapon.
Lowe said six .380-caliber shell casings and one 9mm shell casing were found at the scene, "which again would be consistent with (his) statement."
According to Lowe, he set up two photographic lineups for the man to look at, and "he pointed out Desean as the subject with the knife, and Jordian as the subject with gun."
The man's girlfriend, Lowe said, also provided a similar account as to what had happened, as did Harris.
The charges against the Bells, whose bond was set at $100,000 cash or surety, were filed Thursday and warrants were issued for their arrests.
Lowe said he and Deputy Richard Bruder initially contacted the Bells' mother at the Nellie Sue Circle residence and were let into the home.
Bruder reportedly then contacted Desean Bell, who was found laying on the couch in the living room.
Lowe reported he was told the younger brother was in a bedroom.
Jordian Bell, Lowe said, was found laying in a bed and was allowed to retrieve his shoes.
"When Jordian stood up, I was standing behind him," Lowe said in his report. "I told him he had a warrant for his arrest and to place his hands behind his back."
After being told about the warrant, Lowe said, Jordian Bell "immediately went for the front of his waistband."
Believing the teen possibly was trying to retrieve a weapon, Lowe said, he grabbed him and pushed him against the wall, commanding him "to give me his hands, and he would not comply."
After Lowe drew his weapon, Bruder, he said, attempted to pat down the teen while at the same time "trying to deal with Desean, who was uncooperative."
Lowe said Jordian Bell was taken into the living room, where he "still would not comply with my commands."
The teen subsequently was handcuffed, and both he and his brother were taken to the Butler County jail for lodging.
At the time of Desean Bell's arrest Friday, he was on probation through Stoddard County, having been granted a change of venue there from Butler County.
According to docket entries on Casenet, Desean Bell pleaded guilty on April 5 to the Class D felonies of resisting arrest and first-degree property damage.
The court suspended the imposition of his sentence and placed him on five years' supervised probation.
Since Desean Bell's arrest, a no-bond warrant for probation violation was issued for him.