TYRONE SPEAR, d/o/b 5-31-1968, formerly of Branson, was sentenced to seven (7) years in prison on Wednesday, January 11, 2017, by Taney County Associate Circuit Judge Eric Eighmy, after Spear pleaded guilty to the class B felony of driving while intoxicated as a chronic offender.

Spear was arrested by Branson Police on the late afternoon of September 4, 2014, for suspicion of driving while intoxicated, after witnesses called police to complain about a possibly-impaired driver nearly striking other vehicles on the roadway. When Spear’s car was stopped by Branson officers, Spear was found to be extremely intoxicated and uncooperative. Spear refused to give a breath sample to police, so a search warrant for Spear’s blood was obtained over two (2) hours after he was first stopped by police. Lab results on Spear’s blood sample showed his blood alcohol level to be falling from 0.232% to 0.218% – indicating Spear’s blood alcohol level was probably higher at the time he was driving.

Spear was charged with the class B felony of D.W.I. because the Taney County Prosecutor’s Office was able to prove he had at least five (5) prior alcohol-related driving offenses. Spear had jumped bail for nearly a year, and had to be extradited back to Taney County from New Mexico. Spear’s range of punishment for this crime was from five (5) years to fifteen (15) years in the Missouri Department of Corrections.