Ava, MO. – What started as a feud between neighbors in rural Douglas County ended with shots fired at a house, and the Springfield Bomb Squad being called in to defuse an explosive device over the course of roughly 11 hours.
This event began on July 17th and ended on the morning of July 18th. At 11:00pm of the 17th, the Multi-Jurisdictional Task Force, comprised of the Ozark and Douglas County Sheriff’s Offices and the Ava PD, were dispatched to the call of shots being fired at a house on CR 529 in Douglas County.
The shots happened due to an ongoing feud between two neighbors, with the one firing a firearm known to law enforcement as a repeat offender, Joshua Bettis, 35 of Ava.
The residence was surrounded, and negotiations began with Bettis and his live-in girlfriend Tabitha Medlock to exit the residence. Eventually, the pair exited and were apprehended, and the house was searched. The search revealed an explosive device inside and the Springfield Bomb Squad was called in to render the device inert.
Bettis is being charged with three Felony counts of 1st Degree Assault, three Felony counts of Armed Criminal Action, one Felony count of Unlawful Use of a Weapon, and one Felony count of Unlawful Possession of a Weapon. Medlock is also facing a Felony charge of Unlawful Possession of a Weapon.
Bettis’ bond is set at $100,000 and Medlock’s is set at $10,000.
