Welcome to our new web site!

To give our readers a chance to experience all that our new website has to offer, we have made all content freely avaiable, through October 1, 2018.

During this time, print and digital subscribers will not need to log in to view our stories or e-editions.

Gevelinger sues Howard County, sheriff, deputy for ‘malicious prosecution’

Editor
Posted 9/30/16

BY KIM THOMPSON STAFF WRITER Ryan Gevelinger, 62, of Branson, Missouri, and Patricia Baldridge, of Arizona, have sued Howard County, Sheriff Mike Neal and Deputy Russell Harrison in federal court …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in

Gevelinger sues Howard County, sheriff, deputy for ‘malicious prosecution’

Posted
Ryan GevelingerBY KIM THOMPSON
STAFF WRITER
Ryan Gevelinger, 62, of Branson, Missouri, and Patricia Baldridge, of Arizona, have sued Howard County, Sheriff Mike Neal and Deputy Russell Harrison in federal court alleging “malicious prosecution” and “false arrest.” They are seeking at least $76,000 in damages.
Gevelinger’s suit claims Harrison developed a close relationship with Gevelinger and Patricia Baldridge, the woman who lived with Gevelinger for a time in the Armstrong Methodist church. At some point in the acquaintance, Harrison was made co-trustee with Gevelinger of Baldridge’s estate. But the relationship deteriorated when Gevelinger and Baldridge would not help Harrison’s church and when Harrison’s sexual advances toward Gevelinger were rejected. So Harrison conducted the investigation of Gevelinger with a vindictive motive out of “personal and religious rejection.”
The suit claims Harrison sought to “destroy plaintiff’s (Gevelinger and Baldridge’s) reputation, church and lives through criminal investigation, prosecution, libel and slander.”
While Gevelinger is suing Howard County, Howard County Prosecuting Attorney Stephen Murrell is asking the judge to revoke Gevelinger’s probation for violating terms of his probation. In August, Gevelinger had moved from Columbia, Missouri to Branson, Missouri. Gevelinger’s attorney, Gerald Lee Cross Jr., of Kansas City, Kansas, claims Gevelinger notified his probation officer but Murrell contends the probation officer was not notified. The facts of the alleged probation violation case will be heard in Howard County Court by Judge Cynthia Suter on Oct. 26.
This is not the first time Gevelinger has failed to appear. In January, he failed to appear in court and was subsequently arrested on Feb. 3. On Feb. 24, he appeared in court and paid outstanding debts he owed to the Howard County Sheriff’s Department for board and medical expenses. He was then released.
In December 2015, Gevelinger pleaded guilty to the felony charge of unlawful possession of a firearm. He is a convicted felon in the state of Wisconsin. For the firearm possession conviction, Gevelinger was sentenced to seven years in the Missouri Department of Corrections. The execution of his sentence was suspended and he was placed on a five-year period of probation to be supervised by the Division of Probation and Parole.
In April 2015 Gevelinger (born Randell Dean Stocks and also known as Ryan Patrick Scott, Brother Damien of St. Ann, and numerous other names) was arrested in Armstrong by the Howard County Sheriff’s Department and charged with three counts of financial exploitation of elderly persons. Those charges, along with a charge of an assault on a law enforcement officer, were later dropped as part of a plea bargain.
Gevelinger claims he is a Traditionalist Catholic priest, although he is not affiliated with the Catholic Church according to the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here