Five area men have been charged in connection with a fight last July in which one person suffered broken bones after he was struck with a baseball bat.
Charges were filed Tuesday, Oct. 27 in Miller County Circuit Court against John Earlywine, James Earlywine, Jesse Lee Jones, Clinton Graves and Joshua Groce.
The charges stem from an incident that occurred in the early morning hours of July 3 on the city’s west side. According to police reports, Jones was in the passenger’s seat of a truck driven by an unnamed witness. The witness claims that he was told by Jones to let him out at a residence on Bourbon Street.
The witness alleged Jones then pushed and gouged the eyes of James Earlywine. Earlywine and Jones fought, and during the fight, Earlywine allegedly asked Joshua Groce and Clinton Graves to help him.
Graves and Groce allegedly held Jones so Earlywine could hit Jones with a baseball bat. Jones suffered a broken nose and a broken eye socket during the altercation.
Also charged in the incident was John Earlywine, who is the father of James Earlywine.
According to the police report, witnesses allege that the elder Earlywine stepped from his house and fired at least two shots at witnesses during the fight.
Police were called to a truck stop at the junction of Route 52 and Highway 54 the night of the incident, and found Jones bleeding from several lacerations on his face.
Jones has had to have plastic surgery as a result of injuries from the incident.
When officers arrived at the residence on Bourbon Street, they allegedly found one live and one spent nine-millimeter round next to the front porch of the residence and upon further inspection, found a Ruger 9-millimeter pistol inside the residence.
John Earlywine is facing an unlawful use of a weapon charge, which is a Class D Felony. James Earlywine is facing one count of felony assault, and one count of felony assault in the second degree, which is a class C felony.
Jones is facing one count of felony assault in the second degree; Graves and Groce are both facing one count of felony assault in the first degree and one count of felony assault in the second degree.
Missouri law provides that a Class A felony is punishable by 10-30 years in prison, and a Class C felony is punishable by up 7 years in prison.
weeklystandard@sbcglobal.net
Eldon, Mo. —
