Man in military uniform allegedly causes disturbance during S-C senior dinner

The Pettis County Sheriff’s Office is attempting to locate a person who allegedly caused a disturbance Saturday evening at Smith-Cotton High School.

According to Sheriff Kevin Bond, a male subject entered the campus through the gym entrance during the senior dinner fundraising event and asked students to direct him to an administrator.

Sedalia School District 200 Assistant Superintendent Brad Pollitt said the subject told him he was dispatched by the Army to notify all schools in the area regarding the escape of six convicts. The subject stated the convicts could be on the way to the school to kidnap or hold students hostage. After questioning from administration, the subject said he had driven 250 miles from either the Lake of the Ozarks or Osage Beach to warn schools.

According to a report from the Missouri Information Analysis Center, the subject appeared to be in a hurry and agitated.

The subject is described as a white male, about 6 feet, 2 inches tall and weighing 180 pounds. He had light brown or red hair with a military-style haircut, and was dressed in a complete Class B Army Combat Uniform with the name “Frederick” on the name plate. The subject carried a black military beret and was described by witnesses as having possible acne scars and a prominent nose.

The subject left the school in a black or dark blue late-model Ford Mustang with silver or white racing stripes on the top and sides. The vehicle also had chrome wheels. The subject left the school and traveled northbound on U.S. Highway 65, the report said.

Bond said his office has been working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Criminal Investigation Division and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.

Bond said a person of interest has been identified and an arrest is expected in the next few days. The Sheriff’s Office plans to seek charges of making a terrorist threat which could be classified as a class C felony, class D felony or a class A misdemeanor.

The Democrat first learned of the incident when Pollitt contacted the newspaper Wednesday morning and said the Sheriff’s Office was preparing to release information. Bond contends the Sheriff’s Office made a report available to media Sunday and placed a copy of the report in a box at the Sheriff’s Office assigned to the Democrat. Democrat staff members check the box daily, and the report was not found there; however, a copy of the report was in a box designated for another local media outlet.