Unlawful Use of Weapon Arrest

On Sunday, April 8, 2018, members of the Lewis County Sheriff's Office and Missouri State Highway Patrol were called to the Benjamin area located in northern Lewis county, for a report of someone shooting at an occupied vehicle.  Also, during this incident, the Sheriff's Office had received a report of a burglary occurring in the same area.  Upon further investigation, law enforcement learned that James F. McGruder, age 74, of rural Canton, Missouri had fired two rounds into a vehicle occupied by two people who were not involved in the burglaries, but merely listening for turkeys.  Mr. McGruder had received a report from a neighbor that her garage had been burglarized and believed he might have been burglarized as well. 

Based on this investigation Mr. McGruder was taken into custody for unlawful use of a weapon.  He was subsequently charged with one count of unlawful use of a weapon, a class B felony. 

He remains lodged in the Lewis County Jail in lieu of a $25,000 cash only bond.