Branson Taser teen charged in drive-by shooting

Published Christian County Headliner By: Chris J. Cluck  Published: Wednesday, October 1, 2008 5:10 PM CDT A teenager who prompted a highway patrol investigation after Ozark police used a Taser on him 19 times has been charged by a Taney County Circuit judge for two counts each of felony armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon in a drive-by shooting in Branson. Warrants were issued Sept. 29 for Mace Dominique Hutchinson, 17, Branson, after Taney County Deputy Robert Stirewalt filed a probable cause statement alleging the teenager was involved in a drive-by shooting. Hutchinson was arrested Aug. 29 after he and Matthew Scott Kraus,17, were stopped by Branson police when the red Chevy Camaro they were in was suspected of being involved in firing shots at a residence in the 4000 block of White Oak Road. Stirewalt's statement said he located a spent .380 caliber bullet casing and a box of the same caliber and brand ammunition inside the car Hutchinson and Kraus were stopped in. A witness identified Hutchinson as allegedly purchasing a .380 caliber handgun, court documents state. He was released on his own recognizance to the custody of his mother after his initial arrest Aug. 29 because of a broken back injury he received from a July 19 incident in Ozark. Ozark officers used a Taser on Mace Hutchinson, who was 16 at the time,  up to 19 times after being called to the scene at U.S. Highway 65 at the F Highway overpass. According to information from witnesses, Hutchinson either fell or jumped from the overpass and landed on the edge of the highway. The police report said that officers restrained Hutchinson to prevent him from running into traffic. An internal investigation cleared the officers from any wrong doing, and Hodges maintained that officers used Tasers on Hutchinson in order to prevent him from further injury. Christian County Prosecutor Ron Cleek requested the Missouri State Highway Patrol conduct an investigation into the incident, which he said he was told would be concluded within two weeks. -- http://www.bransonedge.com http://www.bransonmissouri.blogspot.com