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; however, we 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 on child endangerment warrant

From the El Dorado Springs Newsroom

An El Dorado Springs woman was taken into custody on April 20 on an outstanding warrant alleging child endangerment.

Kayleen Varner, 31, was arrested by the Cedar County Sheriff’s Office and booked into the Cedar County Jail at 10:08 a.m. Court records show Varner is charged with endangering the welfare of a child in the second degree. The alleged offense date is listed as March 10, 2026.

Bond in the case was set at $500 cash only.

Publicly available court records reviewed did not list additional pending charges or past offenses beyond the charge associated with this warrant.

As of press time, the individual was still being held at the Cedar County Jail.

Bronaugh man jailed on drug possession and domestic assault charges

From the El Dorado Springs Newsroom

A Bronaugh man was taken into custody on April 18 on multiple warrants alleging drug possession and domestic assault.

Joseph Terry, 27, was arrested by the Cedar County Sheriff’s Office and booked into the Cedar County Jail at 5:45 p.m. Court records show Terry is charged with possession of a controlled substance, a felony offense, and domestic assault in the third degree. Both charges list an alleged offense date of April 18, 2026.

Bond was set at $25,000 cash only on the possession charge. No bond amount was listed for the domestic assault charge at the time of booking.

Publicly available court records reviewed did not list additional pending charges or past offenses beyond those associated with the current warrants.

As of press time, the individual was still being held at the Cedar County Jail.

El Dorado Springs woman jailed on suspended license warrant

From the El Dorado Springs Newsroom

An El Dorado Springs woman was taken into custody on April 17 on a municipal warrant alleging she drove while revoked or suspended.

Melissa Coonts, 59, was arrested by the El Dorado Springs Police Department and booked into the Cedar County Jail at 10:48 a.m. on April 18. Court records show Coonts is charged with driving while revoked or driving while suspended under a city ordinance. The alleged offense date is listed as Aug. 20, 2025.

Bond in the case was set at $431.50, cash only.

Publicly available court records reviewed did not list additional pending charges or past offenses beyond the charge associated with this warrant.

As of press time, the individual was still being held at the Cedar County Jail.

Dezmind Johnson

El Dorado Springs man jailed on felony firearm theft charge

From the El Dorado Springs Newsroom

An El Dorado Springs man was taken into custody on April 17 on a felony warrant alleging theft of a firearm or other prohibited weapon-related property.

Dezmind Johnson, 19, was arrested by the Cedar County Sheriff’s Office and booked into the Cedar County Jail at 10:50 p.m. Court records show Johnson is charged with stealing a firearm, explosive weapon, or ammonium nitrate, a felony offense. The alleged offense date is listed as March 30, 2026.

Bond in the case was set at $20,000 cash or surety.

Publicly available court records reviewed did not list additional pending charges or past offenses beyond the charge associated with this warrant.

As of press time, the individual was still being held at the Cedar County Jail.

El Dorado Springs woman jailed on felony drug possession warrant

From the El Dorado Springs Newsroom

An El Dorado Springs woman was taken into custody on April 17 on an outstanding felony warrant related to a drug case dating back to 2023.

Darla Chandler, 62, was arrested by the Dade County Sheriff’s Office and booked into the Cedar County Jail at 4:42 p.m. Court records show Chandler is charged with possession of a controlled substance, a felony offense. The alleged offense date is listed as Dec. 4, 2023.

At the time of booking, no bond had been set.

Publicly available court records reviewed did not list additional pending charges or past offenses beyond the possession charge associated with this warrant.

As of press time, the individual was still being held at the Cedar County Jail.

El Dorado Springs woman jailed on property damage warrant

From the El Dorado Springs Newsroom

An El Dorado Springs woman was taken into custody on April 16 on a warrant alleging property damage.

Bailey Keith, 33, was arrested and booked into the Cedar County Jail at 5:25 p.m. Court records show Keith is charged with property damage in a case identified as a Windsor municipal matter. The alleged offense date is listed as Nov. 19, 2025.

Bond in the case was set at $131.50, cash only.

Publicly available court records reviewed did not list additional pending charges or past offenses beyond the charge associated with this warrant.

As of press time, the individual was still being held at the Cedar County Jail.

Aurora Man jailed on first-degree child molestation charge

From the El Dorado Springs Newsroom

An Aurora man was taken into custody on April 15 on a felony charge of first-degree child molestation.

Shane Portrey, 41, was arrested by the Dade County Sheriff’s Office and booked into the Cedar County Jail at 5:28 p.m. Court records show Portrey is charged with child molestation in the first degree, a felony offense. The alleged offense date is listed as April 16, 2026.

Records indicate the case status was listed as serving time at the time of booking. No bond had been set.

A court date was listed for June 10, 2026, at 2 a.m. in publicly available records.

Publicly available court records reviewed did not list additional pending charges or past offenses beyond the child molestation charge associated with this case.

As of press time, the individual was still being held at the Cedar County Jail.

Schell City man jailed on aggravated DWI warrant

From the El Dorado Springs Newsroom

A Scheel City man was taken into custody on April 14 on an outstanding warrant alleging aggravated driving while intoxicated.

Jeremy Maus, 47, was arrested by the Cedar County Sheriff’s Office and booked into the Cedar County Jail at 2:11 p.m. Court records show Maus is charged with aggravated DWI, a felony. The alleged offense date is listed as Nov. 10, 2025.

Bond in the case was set at $15,000 cash only.

Publicly available court records reviewed did not list additional pending charges or past offenses beyond the DWI charge associated with this warrant.

As of press time, the individual was still being held at the Cedar County Jail.

Dadeville man jailed on failure-to-appear warrants in felony assault case

From the El Dorado Springs Newsroom

A Dadeville man was taken into custody on April 13 on outstanding warrants issued after he allegedly failed to appear in court on felony charges stemming from a 2022 case.

Steven Righter, 39, was arrested by the Dade County Sheriff’s Office and booked into the Cedar County Jail at 2:42 p.m. Court records show Righter is charged with domestic assault in the second degree and resisting or interfering with arrest for a felony. Both charges list an alleged offense date of Oct. 23, 2022.

Records indicate the warrants were issued as failure-to-appear warrants, with one listed as a capias warrant. No bond amounts were listed at the time of booking.

Publicly available court records reviewed did not list additional pending charges or past offenses beyond those associated with the current warrants.

As of press time, the individual was still being held at the Cedar County Jail.

Hermitage man jailed on repeat driving-without-license charge

From the El Dorado Springs Newsroom

A Hermitage man was taken into custody on April 13 on an outstanding warrant related to a repeat driving without a license offense.

William Joseph Mueller, 43, was arrested by the Hickory County Sheriff’s Office and booked into the Cedar County Jail at 10:52 a.m. Court records show Mueller is charged with operating a vehicle on a highway without a valid license, third or subsequent offense. The alleged offense date is listed as April 23, 2024.

Bond in the case was set at $50,000 cash or surety.

Publicly available court records reviewed did not list additional pending charges or past offenses beyond the charge associated with this warrant.

As of press time, the individual was still being held at the Cedar County Jail.