Merry Christmas from your friends here at the Rolla Police Department! We hope you had a great holiday and were able to spend good quality time with friends and family. We have had a busy and event filled week here at the department which is quite the norm this time of the year. Before I begin this week’s column I would like to take a moment to thank the citizens, church groups, businesses and service clubs for all your kind offerings to the Rolla Police family during each holiday season. It seems like there is not a day that goes by that someone is not bringing in baked goods, candies and fudge and even complete meals to our men and women working around the clock to keep our community safe. Thank you for your kindness and support!
On Friday, December 18th, 2009 at approximately 9:14 am the Rolla Police Department received a 911 call indicating that there had just been an armed robbery at the Town and Country Bank located at 1804 North Highway 63 in Rolla. Officers from the Rolla Police Department, Phelps County Sheriff's Department, Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Federal Bureau of Investigation responded to the scene. Upon arrival it was determined that a heavy set, white male had robbed the bank at gunpoint then fled on foot with a definitive amount of cash. Fortunately, due to the bank employee’s professionalism and training, no one was injured during the robbery. This case is currently under investigation by our Criminal Investigations Unit and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In the days since the robbery, it is now believed that the suspect in this crime is also suspect in similar robberies that occurred earlier this year in Sedalia and Moberly, Missouri. The suspect not only matches the description of the suspect in the previous cases, but also utilizes the same method of operation. We feel is it just a matter of time before this social predator is brought to justice!
On Thursday, December 3, 2009 we received a report of a residential burglary that had occurred in the Oak Knoll South area of our community. The reporting resident had returned home after a brief absence and discovered their home broken into and several items missing to include jewelry and firearms. Officers from our patrol division responded and were provided with possible suspect vehicle information by the victim and other members of that neighborhood. The investigation was turned over to our Criminal Investigations Unit who continued to follow-up on the leads which led to the arrest of suspect Travis Knife age 25 of Rolla. A search warrant was served on Knife’s residence with most of the stolen property from the burglary located and recovered. Knife was charged with Burglary and Felony Stealing and incarcerated in the Phelps County Jail where he later was released on $25,000.00 bond. I would like to commend the investigators from the Criminal Investigations Unit, our responding patrol officers and last but not least the victims in this case and their alert neighbors who postured up in Neighborhood Watch fashion and assisted law enforcement in solving this case and keeping their community safe. Of course, in regards to Knife, these charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.
The Rolla Police Department is now on Twitter. Twitter is an email notification system that we will be using to keep the public informed of upcoming events or incidents that we feel important to the community.To receive this information you will need to go to www.twitter.com to open a free account. Once you have opened your account, use the search engine provided to locate the Rolla Police Department (RPD) sign in to receive the notifications. The Twitter site follows on the heels of our establishment of a Rolla Police Department Facebook account activated a couple weeks ago. We are using Face Book and Tweeter to keep the community informed of events such as; severe weather conditions, bank robberies, wanted persons, disasters, crime alerts, events and event reminders, missing children and persons, crimes in progress, and many other areas. In addition, we would like to open communication to citizens of the community and receive thoughts and feedback on our day to day operations, so be sure to sign up and be in the know! The City of Rolla Fire and Rescue, the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department and Missouri State Highway Patrol also have Facebook sites up and running so be sure to visit those sites as well!
Have a great New Year’s and please remember to drink responsibly and never drink and drive!
Chief Mark Kearse
Rolla Police Department
On Friday, December 18th, 2009 at approximately 9:14 am the Rolla Police Department received a 911 call indicating that there had just been an armed robbery at the Town and Country Bank located at 1804 North Highway 63 in Rolla. Officers from the Rolla Police Department, Phelps County Sheriff's Department, Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Federal Bureau of Investigation responded to the scene. Upon arrival it was determined that a heavy set, white male had robbed the bank at gunpoint then fled on foot with a definitive amount of cash. Fortunately, due to the bank employee’s professionalism and training, no one was injured during the robbery. This case is currently under investigation by our Criminal Investigations Unit and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In the days since the robbery, it is now believed that the suspect in this crime is also suspect in similar robberies that occurred earlier this year in Sedalia and Moberly, Missouri. The suspect not only matches the description of the suspect in the previous cases, but also utilizes the same method of operation. We feel is it just a matter of time before this social predator is brought to justice!
On Thursday, December 3, 2009 we received a report of a residential burglary that had occurred in the Oak Knoll South area of our community. The reporting resident had returned home after a brief absence and discovered their home broken into and several items missing to include jewelry and firearms. Officers from our patrol division responded and were provided with possible suspect vehicle information by the victim and other members of that neighborhood. The investigation was turned over to our Criminal Investigations Unit who continued to follow-up on the leads which led to the arrest of suspect Travis Knife age 25 of Rolla. A search warrant was served on Knife’s residence with most of the stolen property from the burglary located and recovered. Knife was charged with Burglary and Felony Stealing and incarcerated in the Phelps County Jail where he later was released on $25,000.00 bond. I would like to commend the investigators from the Criminal Investigations Unit, our responding patrol officers and last but not least the victims in this case and their alert neighbors who postured up in Neighborhood Watch fashion and assisted law enforcement in solving this case and keeping their community safe. Of course, in regards to Knife, these charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.
The Rolla Police Department is now on Twitter. Twitter is an email notification system that we will be using to keep the public informed of upcoming events or incidents that we feel important to the community.To receive this information you will need to go to www.twitter.com to open a free account. Once you have opened your account, use the search engine provided to locate the Rolla Police Department (RPD) sign in to receive the notifications. The Twitter site follows on the heels of our establishment of a Rolla Police Department Facebook account activated a couple weeks ago. We are using Face Book and Tweeter to keep the community informed of events such as; severe weather conditions, bank robberies, wanted persons, disasters, crime alerts, events and event reminders, missing children and persons, crimes in progress, and many other areas. In addition, we would like to open communication to citizens of the community and receive thoughts and feedback on our day to day operations, so be sure to sign up and be in the know! The City of Rolla Fire and Rescue, the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department and Missouri State Highway Patrol also have Facebook sites up and running so be sure to visit those sites as well!
Have a great New Year’s and please remember to drink responsibly and never drink and drive!
Chief Mark Kearse
Rolla Police Department
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