A Willow Springs man faces a felony charge of resisting arrest following a four-and-a-half-hour standoff that drew multiple law enforcement agencies and a SWAT team to his home.
Dayton A. Terrill-Austin, 29, was sought Sept. 28 by Howell County Sheriff's Deputy Avery Stolba, additional deputies and Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers. Officers arrived at his residence to execute a no-bond arrest warrant issued after prosecutors moved to revoke his probation.
In August Terrill-Austin pleaded guilty to felony possession of a controlled substance and was sentenced to three years supervised probation, with a suspended three-year prison sentence contingent on compliance with probation terms.
Court records indicate Terrill-Austin admitted to using methamphetamine after leaving a residential treatment facility for a weekend without returning. In a letter to the court, program officials stated that, while he eventually returned and was placed on a 30-day restriction, he was dismissed from the facility Aug. 30 after testing positive for alcohol.
A $7,500 warrant was issued Sept. 15, and Howell County Prosecuting Attorney Mike Hutchings filed a motion to revoke probation the following day.
According to a probable cause statement submitted by Stolba, officers announced their presence at the residence and spoke with an individual who exited the home. The individual confirmed Terrill-Austin was inside and noted a firearm was present.
After knocking and announcing with no response, officers deployed the Howell County SWAT team.
Stolba was granted a search warrant for the property. After a last attempt to get the suspect to surrender, officers broke a window and deployed a drone into the house, but were unable to locate the suspect. Law enforcement tactics also included using a noise-flash diversionary device through the breached front door, using a canine officer to search the house and introducing chemical gas rounds.
About four and a half hours after Stolba arrived, SWAT team members entered with a police K-9 and breached a bedroom door. There, the dog fpimd Terrill-Austin hidden in a sleeping bag.
Court records show Terrill-Austin is held on a $50,000 bond on the probation violation case. A hearing is scheduled for Thursday before 37th Circuit Presiding Judge Steven Privette.
Terill-Austin is represented by defense attorney Rickey Farrow and Special Public Defender Elizabeth Satchell.
The case is being prosecuted by Hutchings and Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Benjamin Simpson.
