A collaborative effort this week in southwest Missouri, including Springfield and Joplin, resulted in 101 individuals being arrested and charged with a variety of crimes. The effort, which officials said could be described as a warrant sweep, March 17-19, led to 85 federal indictments charging the defendants with firearms, narcotics and sex offenses.
More than 100 federal, state and local law enforcement officers from 17 agencies worked together with prosecutors for what is being called “Operation Spring Cleaning.”
“The majority of the arrests stemmed from indictments involving violent crime, federal firearms offenses and narcotics,” said Matt Price, the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri. “But included in the Spring Cleaning totals are nine individuals indicted for federal sex crimes and four convicted sex offenders indicted on other charges.”
During the investigation, law enforcement seized a total of 141 firearms, 11.21 pounds of cocaine, 1.5 pounds of fentanyl, 204.89 pounds of marijuana, 88.14 pounds of methamphetamine and 2.06 pounds of psilocyn. There were 10 arrests on state warrants, including an arrest for a suspect charged with murder in the first degree and a CODIS – or Combined DNA Index System -- hit for an unsolved rape investigation.
The operation was the culmination of months of work, according to Price. He said they conducted a similar operation on a smaller scale in Columbia, Missouri in November to test out “the theory of this joint state, federal and local operation.”
They chose the timing of the operation to coincide with spring break at Missouri State University, he said, “because les students around law enforcement, resources can be freed up a little bit.”
Price said Operation Spring Cleaning is a reminder that “law enforcement officers, not violent criminals, control the streets of Springfield, Joplin, and all surrounding areas. We are playing offense now, and will remain on offense to confront crime and engage violent criminals at the time and place of our choosing.”
He said the mission was to "use existing Missouri and Midwest-based law enforcement resources in a coordinated way to serve warrants across partner agencies, arrest individuals wanted for serious crimes and identify additional evidence that supports successful prosecution."
The operation was conducted by the Violent Crime Abatement Team, a coalition of Missouri-based federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, which works to address violence and gun crimes. Members include the Springfield Police Department; Greene County Sheriff’s Office; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Carthage Police Department; Christian County Sheriff’s Office; Drug Enforcement Administration; Federal Bureau of Investigation; Greene County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office; Homeland Security Investigations; Jasper County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office; Jasper County Sheriff’s Office; Joplin Police Department; Missouri State Highway Patrol; Newton County Sheriff's Office; Nixa Police Department; Ozark Police Department; and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Price said the southwest Missouri collaboration is not new. The groups that are part of VICAT “have been working closely together for many years,” said Price. “They’ve been tremendously successful in combating violent crime in southwest Missouri.”
The U.S. Department of Justice reminded the public that the charges are simply accusations and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a jury trial whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
