(The following is an official statement from the Howell County Sheriff’s Department.)
West Plains, MO. – On June 3, 2025, Deputies Gordon and Barnes were dispatched to two separate residences in the Hutton Valley area. These calls were regarding an ongoing issue involving a convicted felon, who called the Sheriff’s Office and reported that he had attempted to purchase a firearm from an individual. Upon learning he was a convicted felon (A turn of events, the would-be purchaser claimed he did not know), the other party refused to sell him the firearm. The would-be seller also called the Sheriff’s Office and requested to speak with deputies about this incident.
While Deputies Gordon and Barnes were attempting to locate one of the addresses, they observed the original caller drive past them in an unregistered SUV. The deputies knew this male was on felony probation for a prior DWI and had a revoked driving status. Due to this knowledge, the deputies made contact with Kimbell. An investigation ensued, which resulted in the driver’s arrest for driving on his revoked status and driving intoxicated. The driver, identified as Justin Kimbell, was extremely intoxicated and very hostile toward the deputies during this interaction. Deputies Gordon and Barnes observed that the SUV Kimbell was driving had multiple fresh bullet holes down the driver’s side and a busted window, as if it had been involved in a gunfight. Kimbell was not forthcoming on this issue, and made multiple statements that he had the money to bond out and that he would “get out of these charges like all the others”.
While Deputy Gordon was completing the DWI process with Kimbell, Deputy Barnes was able to make contact with the other party in the original call. The second party wanted to report an additional incident concerning Kimbell. The second party stated that approximately two months prior, while providing Kimbell a ride back from town, he had grown increasingly angry and began acting erratically. They further stated Kimbell suddenly pulled out a revolver, stuck the muzzle to the side of their head as they were driving, and cocked the hammer. When the victim observed this, they swept the barrel away from their head right as Kimbell fired the weapon, blowing out the driver’s window of the victim’s vehicle. The victim had further information concerning Kimbell and firearms and stated that they had not reported the incident because they were extremely scared of Kimbell and afraid he would kill them. The victim provided photos of powder burns to their body along with other information, which corroborated their statement.
After learning of this additional incident, an investigation was completed into the matter. After concluding the investigation, Kimbell placed on a 24-hour hold pending formal charges. A Probable Cause Statement was forwarded to the Howell County Prosecutor’s Office.
On June 4, 2025 an arrest warrant was issued for Kimbell on the following charges: Assault 1st Degree, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, Armed Criminal Action, DWI – Persistent with a $25,000.00 cash or surety bond.
