On Thursday, May 18, 2017, in the Circuit Court of Taney County, JAKE M. COMBS, d/o/b 7-18-1995, of Kissee Mills, Missouri, pleaded guilty to the class C felonies of burglary in the second degree and unlawful possession of a firearm, for breaking into the Cedarcreek Fire Station on December 21, 2016. Judge Eric Eighmy accepted Combs’ guilty pleas and scheduled sentencing for July 13, 2017, at 1:00 p.m.

Combs has no plea agreement with the Taney County Prosecutor’s Office regarding what sentence he will receive. One count of felony tampering with a motor vehicle was dismissed at the time Combs entered his guilty pleas. Each of these class C felonies carries a maximum penalty of seven (7) years in the Missouri Department of Corrections and/or a $5,000.00 fine.

In the early morning hours of December 21, 2016, Combs and Grant drove to the Cedarcreek Fire Station on M Highway, where they forced entry into the building. The men stole several items from inside the fire station before Grant drove one of the fire trucks through the fire engine bay’s retractable door. When Grant crashed the truck through the door, the station’s walls were damaged and the door was destroyed. Later that morning, the fire truck was found abandoned and ablaze in a creek bed. Some stolen items from the fire station were recovered in a car Combs and Grant had borrowed from a friend. Surveillance cameras recorded the men committing the break-in. Combs admitted his involvement in the burglary, and was found in possession of a firearm at the time of his arrest – which was illegal due to a past felony conviction on Combs’ record.

On April 18, 2017, Grant was sentenced to thirteen (13) years in prison, and ordered to pay over $18,000.00 in restitution to the Cedarcreek Fire Department, pursuant to a plea agreement with the Taney County Prosecutor’s Office.