On Thursday, May 21, 2015, in the Circuit Court of Taney County, DUSTIN C. COOK, d/o/b 2-15-1979, of Reeds Spring, was sentenced to twelve (12) years in prison for two (2) counts of assault of a law enforcement officer in the second degree and one (1) count of tampering with a motor vehicle in the first degree. Each of those twelve (12) year sentences was ordered to run concurrently with one another, pursuant to a plea agreement between the defendant and the Taney County Prosecutor’s Office.

Late on the evening of December 30, 2013, Branson Police detectives were investigating a stolen pickup that was spotted near the intersection of Main and Michel streets, in Branson. Upon attempting to stop and detain the pickup and its occupants, the driver – identified by detectives as Dustin Cook – drove the stolen truck at officers, nearly striking them. Cook then drove the pickup to another location before fleeing on foot. He was apprehended the same night by Branson Police.

The three (3) counts Cook was sentenced on are class C felonies. A class C felony normally carries a maximum prison term of seven (7) years, but because the Taney County Prosecutor’s Office charged Cook as a prior and persistent felony offender, the maximum possible sentence on each count was enhanced to fifteen (15) years in prison.