West Plains, MO. – A mentally disabled man in West Plains has been arrested again on accusations of assaulting a caretaker, this time damaging property and resisting arrest.
Trampas Dean Reynolds, age 46, is charged with 3rd-degree assault, resisting arrest for a felony, and 1st-degree property damage for an incident on November 29, 2023.
West Plains Police responded to a residence on Lanton Road shortly after 5 p.m. to investigate the assault call. Upon arrival, police made contact with the male caretaker who was not wearing a shirt and had visible neck and chest wounds.
According to the probable cause statement, Reynolds had become upset after the caretaker had opened the refrigerator in the home and a shelf had fallen. While the man attempted to clean the mess, he asked Reynolds to throw away an item of expired food. The man says Reynolds threw the food at him before striking the caretaker in the head multiple times with his fist. The man was able to stand and push Reynolds away when the suspect left the residence and was accused of damaging the caretaker’s vehicle by hitting it multiple times. The officer noted damage to the vehicle in his report and took photographs as evidence.
While the caretaker was calling 911, he stated Reynolds ran at him, ripping off the victim’s shirt and continuing to strike him with his fist.
When officers went to take the suspect into custody, Reynolds fought back, officers saying the suspect attempted to take a Taser from one of them.
While Reynolds was initially arrested and taken to the West Plains Jail on a 24-hour hold, an arrest warrant has yet to be issued by the court.
In August of this year, Reynolds was arrested on accusations of pushing a pregnant caretaker down a set of stairs. The charges related to that incident no longer appear in online court documents.
