Rural Justice Report

Tracking Local Crime and Court Cases

This is a Crime Page dedicated to keeping our community informed about court cases and legal matters occurring in Cedar County and the surrounding areas. As residents of rural America, it is essential to stay aware of the issues affecting our neighborhoods. Knowledge fosters safety and community engagement.

Through this platform, we aim to shed light on local legal proceedings and empower our readers to stay informed. Please remember that all individuals charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The El Dorado Springs Sun strives to present accurate information, but cannot be held liable for any errors or omissions in our reporting.

Stay updated on local cases by subscribing to The El Dorado Springs Sun. Please send all corrections or typos to sunpub@centurylink.net, including the article information in the subject line.

El Dorado Springs woman jailed again — court records show a long trail of cases

From the El Dorado Springs Newsroom

A 35-year-old El Dorado Springs woman with a history of criminal and civil cases was taken into custody Sunday, Aug. 24, and booked into the Cedar County Jail on a warrant for first-degree trespass.

Court records show Prosecuting Attorney Ty Gaither filed the misdemeanor charge on Aug. 14. Judge Jacob Dawson is scheduled to preside over Rigg’s initial appearance Sept. 24 at the Cedar County Courthouse in Stockton. The warrant, tied to an alleged July 31 trespassing incident, carried a $500 cash-only bond.

This is not the first time Rigg has appeared in Cedar County courts. Her record includes multiple misdemeanor and ordinance violations, ranging from property damage and harassment-related cases to traffic and municipal charges. She has also been involved in civil matters, including a 2022 breach of contract case filed by Sun Loan Company and a 2025 small claims action she filed against S & B Liquor.

More recently, in 2024, she was named in both felony and unlawful detainer cases. Municipal cases filed as recently as June 2025 in El Dorado Springs further reflect an ongoing pattern of legal trouble.

Her criminal history also stretches back more than a decade, including traffic infractions dating to 2010. In 2021, she was charged in Cedar County with a misdemeanor criminal case, followed by additional filings in 2022 and 2023.

As of press time, Rigg remained held at the Cedar County Jail pending her scheduled court appearance.

Riley held in Cedar County Jail following stolen vehicle arrest

From the El Dorado Springs Newsroom

A Lamar woman was taken into custody Saturday, Aug. 23, after deputies say she was connected to a stolen vehicle and later resisted arrest along Interstate 49 in Barton County.

Cassandra Marie Riley, 49, was arrested by the Barton County Sheriff’s Office and booked into the Cedar County Jail on a felony charge of receiving stolen property valued at $150 or more. Court records show her bond was set at $7,500 cash or surety.

According to a probable cause statement, the incident began when a gray Ford Explorer was found abandoned on the shoulder of I-49 near mile marker 72. Dispatch later confirmed the vehicle had been reported stolen. Deputies then encountered Riley walking on the highway. When approached, she allegedly refused commands to stop, ran across traffic, and resisted officers’ attempts to take her into custody.

Additional officers, including Deputy Logan Williams and a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper, assisted in the arrest. Riley later told deputies she had “borrowed the car from her neighbor,” according to the report.

Her case has been assigned to Judge James Vaughn Nichols, with an initial appearance scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 27, at 9 a.m. in Barton County Circuit Court.

As of press time, Riley remained in custody at the Cedar County Jail.

Long history of probation violations ends in jail for Stockton man in assault case

From the El Dorado Springs Newsroom

A Stockton man with a long record of domestic assault and repeated probation violations was booked into the Cedar County Jail last week after a warrant was issued for probation violation.

Tobias J. Mantonya, 45, was arrested Aug. 19 by the Cedar County Sheriff’s Office and formally booked Aug. 22 on a warrant tied to a 2016 domestic assault case. Court records show Mantonya originally pleaded guilty to second-degree domestic assault in June 2017 before Judge Munton. He was sentenced to three years in the Department of Corrections, but the sentence was suspended, and he was placed on five years of supervised probation.

Since then, Mantonya has faced a pattern of probation violations, hearings, and revocations stretching over nearly a decade. In 2019, Judge Munton ordered jail sanctions after repeated violations, and in 2020, the defendant admitted to violations and was placed on GPS monitoring. By August 2022, Mantonya’s probation was revoked after he was found in violation for new arrests, drug use, and alcohol consumption. He served a 120-day callback program before being released again on supervised probation in November 2022.

Court records list at least a dozen violation reports and hearings filed between 2021 and 2025, with multiple continuances and capias warrants issued for failure to appear. Judges James R. Bickel and David R. Munton have both presided over the case at different times, and Prosecuting Attorney Ty Gaither repeatedly filed motions for revocation.

In addition to the 2016 felony assault case, Mantonya’s record in Cedar County includes misdemeanor and felony filings dating back more than a decade, as well as protection orders and civil suits. His most recent probation violation report, filed Aug. 13, 2025, led Judge Munton to issue a capias warrant.

As of press time, Mantonya remained held at the Cedar County Jail with no bond set.

Halcon arrested again after long history of probation violations

From the El Dorado Springs Newsroom

Jonathan Anaya Halcon, 28, of El Dorado Springs, was taken into custody on Aug. 20 by the Cedar County Sheriff’s Office on a warrant tied to a 2018 felony case for aiding the escape of a prisoner confined for a felony. Court records show Halcon has spent years cycling through probation, revocations, and short-term incarceration before being returned to the Department of Corrections.

Halcon first pleaded guilty to the aiding escape charge on Feb. 11, 2019, before Judge Munton. He received a suspended execution of a five-year prison sentence and was placed on supervised probation. The case was prosecuted by Cedar County Prosecuting Attorney Ty Gaither, with Halcon represented at various times by attorneys including J. Christian Sowash, Michael McGuinness, Madison Touchstone, and Keegan Whipple of the Public Defender’s Office.

Since his plea, Halcon’s case history has been marked by repeated probation violations. Court filings from 2021 through 2025 show a steady stream of violation reports, missed hearings, and warrants issued for failure to appear. Judge Munton frequently issued capias warrants after Halcon either failed to appear in court or violated probation terms, including reporting requirements.

In June 2024, Judge Munton revoked Halcon’s probation after determining he had violated conditions of supervision, including residency and reporting directives. The court ordered the original five-year Department of Corrections sentence into effect, with placement in a 120-day program under Missouri statute 559.115. Though Halcon was briefly returned to probation in October 2024, he quickly accumulated more violations.

On June 13, 2025, Prosecutor Gaither filed another motion to revoke probation, citing new violations. By mid-August, Judge Munton issued another capias warrant, and Halcon was arrested Aug. 20. Court records show his probation was revoked again in June 2025. An entry of appearance for defense counsel Keegan Whipple was filed Aug. 25.

Halcon’s criminal record also includes earlier felony and misdemeanor cases dating back to 2014 in Cedar County, alongside civil judgments filed in 2021.

As of press time, Halcon remained held without bond in the Cedar County Jail.

Jamie Gray arrested in Dade County, held on drug possession classification

From the El Dorado Springs Newsroom

A 33-year-old Neola, Missouri, man was arrested Aug. 20 by the Dade County Sheriff’s Office and booked into the Cedar County Jail on suspicion of drug possession and use.

Jamie Gray was taken into custody by Deputy Campbell of the sheriff’s office. Jail records list Gray as classified “Medium 4” for drug possession or use. No bond information was provided in the available records.

Court records show Gray has had previous encounters with the legal system. In past years, he has faced drug-related charges and probation issues in Cedar County Circuit Court. Several of those cases have experienced delays, with prosecutors and judges granting continuances while Gray remained under supervision.

Gray’s new arrest adds to his history of legal troubles. Prosecuting Attorney Ty Gaither has handled prior filings against Gray, and judges in the 28th Judicial Circuit have presided over multiple hearings in his past cases.

As of press time, Gray remained held in the Cedar County Jail pending further court action.

El Dorado Springs man with long legal record jailed on drug warrant

From the El Dorado Springs Newsroom

Karl L. Horning, 43, of El Dorado Springs, was booked into the Cedar County Jail on Aug. 19 after being arrested on a warrant for possession of a controlled substance, excluding 35 grams or less of marijuana or synthetic cannabinoid. The warrant stems from a case filed in 2021, which had remained pending for more than four years. No bond has been set.

Horning’s legal record in Cedar County spans more than two decades. Court filings show felony cases dating back to 2003, including state charges. That case involved controlled substance offenses, with companion misdemeanor charges and a forfeiture action also filed against him in the same period.

Prosecutors first filed the 2021 felony possession charge in Cedar County Circuit Court under Case No. 21CD-CR00229, handled in Circuit Division 28. Delays in the proceedings and subsequent filings, including an amended charge in 2022, kept the case active until the arrest this month. The file reflects prior involvement by the Cedar County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office under Ty Gaither.

In addition to the criminal filings, a civil forfeiture case styled State of Missouri v. Karl Horning was filed in June 2021 under Missouri’s CAFA statutes.

As of press time, Horning remained in custody at the Cedar County Jail.