The Reporter covers Miller, Morgan and Camden County in Central Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks and is published once per week on Wednesdays.

Published March 29, 2023

Two charged with hate crime after shooting

MORGAN COUNTY – Four people have been arrested after firing shots into a church.

In the early morning hours of Saturday March 18, the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) responded to a call of Shots Fired at Clearview Church on Highway E in Morgan County.

Arriving deputies located spent 9mm shell casings and obvious damage to the church.

After further investigation it was discovered that not less than 50 rounds from 9mm pistols had been fired into the church. 

During this investigation it was also learned that a church south of Latham, MO, in Moniteau County, was vandalized. 

Four suspects were identified and taken into custody over the course of the day.

During their arrests, three 9mm handguns, with ammunition, and a vehicle were seized. 

Two of the suspects were juveniles, aged 14 and 17. Those two suspects were transferred to the Juvenile Justice Center in Camdenton, MO, where they are currently being held. 

The two adult male suspects, identified as Bryce Martin, 18, of Fortuna, MO and Zachary Stauffer, 18 (Editor’s note: his name is being spelled Zacory in the court files), of Versailles, MO, were charged by the Morgan County Prosecuting Attorney Dustin Dunklee with the following crimes:

Martin

• Unlawful Use Of Weapon - Subsection 9 - Shoot At/From Mv, At Person, Mv, Bldg (Felony)
• Armed Criminal Action (Felony)
• Property Damage 1st Degree (Felony)
• Property Damage Motivated By Discrimination - 2nd Degree (Felony)

Stauffer

• Property Damage 1st Degree (Felony)
• Armed Criminal Action (Felony)
• Property Damage Motivated By Discrimination - 2nd Degree (Felony)

Martin and Stauffer are being held in the Morgan County Jail with No Bond. 

The property damage is charged as a hate crime. 

This is an ongoing investigation and evidence is continuing to be seized. An incident at a second church in Morgan County is still under investigation.

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