July 14, 2020
By: Dwayne Page
After allegedly stealing two trucks a month ago and trying to take another one Friday, 35 year old Edward Lee Judkins, Jr. was captured while fleeing from a home he had just broken into on Old Blue Springs Road.
Judkins, who resides on Keltonburg Road, Smithville, is charged with aggravated burglary; evading arrest; resist stop frisk halt search; three counts of burglary, three counts of theft, and two counts of vandalism. His bond totals $67,500 and he will be in court July 23.
Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on Friday, July 10 a deputy was called to a residence on Old Blue Springs Road to investigate the possible theft of a brown two tone Chevrolet truck. Judkins had just broken into the truck, destroying the steering column to gain access to the ignition, before driving away in reverse as the deputy and a detective arrived on the scene. In trying to make his getaway, Judkins ran into a maroon Ford truck parked at the residence, and then went through a row of hedges onto the property of a neighbor causing $239 worth of damage to some landscaping there. After the truck stalled Judkins jumped out and fled on foot. Later a call came in that Judkins had returned to the same home on Old Blue Springs Road and entered by kicking in a door. As officers arrived back on the scene, they captured Judkins after spotting him climbing out a front window.
In the earlier crimes, Judkins is charged with breaking into and stealing a 1998 Nissan Frontier truck valued at $1,000 on June 9 and then burglarizing and taking a 2006 GMC truck valued at $4,500 on June 16.
40 year old John Adrian Williams of Orthodox Way, Liberty is charged with being a fugitive from justice. His bond is $5,000. Sheriff Ray said that on July 10 a deputy was called to Williams’ home due to a fire. Upon arrival he spoke with Williams and contacted central dispatch for a computer check which revealed that Williams was wanted in Jackson County, Missouri for a failure to appear with a bond of $1,000.
29 year old Michael James Edmiston of Crest Drive, Smithville is charged with domestic assault. His bond is $1,500 and he will be in court July 30. Sheriff Ray said that on July 6 a deputy was dispatched to Crest Drive due to a physical domestic where a woman was found bleeding from her arm. Upon arrival the officer spoke with the woman who said that she and her son, Edmiston had gotten into an argument and that he grabbed her by both arms which caused the skin to tear in two places on her left arm making it bleed.