Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a Fulton, Mo., man and a Boonville, Mo., woman have been charged in federal court with illegally possessing a firearm following a police chase in the Columbia, Mo., area yesterday in which they fired upon pursuing officers.

Russell Deane Moore, Jr., 25, of Fulton, and Victoria Ann Buol, 24, of Boonville, were charged in separate but related criminal complaints filed in the U.S. District Court in Jefferson City, Mo., on Thursday, April 7, 2016. Moore and Buol, who were arrested at the conclusion of the law enforcement pursuit yesterday, will appear in court for a detention hearing this afternoon.

The federal criminal complaints charge Moore with being a felon in possession of a firearm and Buol with possessing a stolen firearm. They allegedly were in possession of a stolen Smith & Wesson 9mm semi-automatic pistol on Thursday, April 7, 2016.

According to affidavits filed in support of the criminal complaints, a Columbia, Mo., resident reported on Wednesday, April 6, 2016, that her Jeep had been stolen from her residence. Firearms and other items were also stolen from the residence, including the Smith & Wesson pistol. At approximately 2:44 a.m. on Thursday, April 7, 2016, a Boone County deputy sheriff saw the stolen Jeep pull into the Midway Travel Center, 6401 E. Hwy. 40, Columbia. The Jeep appeared to be unoccupied, the affidavit says, but as the deputy approached, he saw Buol move from the front passenger seat into the driver’s seat. She drove away from the deputy, the affidavit says, stopping in the parking lot to pick up Moore, who got into the front passenger’s seat.

The deputy pursued the Jeep with his emergency lights activated. The Jeep turned onto Highway 40 and, as it was crossing Interstate 70, Moore allegedly shot at the deputy multiple times. The Jeep turned onto Highway UU and stopped at the intersection of Sugar Creek Road. Moore got out of the Jeep and started shooting at the deputy, the affidavit says, then got back into the Jeep and the pursuit continued.

The deputy’s patrol vehicle was struck by gunfire and disabled. Other officers continued their pursuit of the stolen Jeep into the southern part of Columbia. The chase eventually moved onto Interstate 70 East, where officers continued to pursue the stolen Jeep into Callaway County, Mo. Throughout the pursuit, the affidavit says, multiple shots were fired from the Jeep at various officers. Shots were also fired from the Jeep at four semi-trailer trucks traveling on Interstate 70, nearly striking one of the drivers.

According to the affidavit, Moore and Buol later told investigators that they fired at the semi-trailer trucks in an effort to cause a serious accident, which would terminate officers’ pursuit of them and aid in their escape.

The pursuit ended when the Jeep ran out of gas on County Road 172 in Callaway County. Buol threw out the pistol from the front passenger seat, the affidavit says, and Moore and Buol were arrested.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Moore has two prior felony convictions for burglary.

Dickinson cautioned that the charges contained in these complaints are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Larry Miller. It was investigated by the Boone County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

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This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, is available on-line at

http://www.justice.gov/wdmo

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