Matthew Rash (Photo courtesy of Boone County Sheriff’s Office)
A man is accused of breaking into a Boone County residence and taking items, including cash, from a home-based day care last summer. Forty-two-year-old Matthew Rash has been in the Boone County Jail and Detention Center since April 17.
According to the probable cause affidavit, a female contacted the Boone County Sheriff’s Office July 23 and stated her residence on Chestnut Lane, west of Bergman, had been broken into. She said she had left her residence around noon and returned nearly eight hours later to discover someone had entered her house through the garage. A cash drawer containing between $10,000 and $15,000, containers of change and numerous pieces of jewelry were missing. The female also stated her shed had been broken into and rummaged through, but nothing appeared to be missing.
The victim reportedly suspected her former daughter-in-law of breaking into her residence. She said the daughter-in-law was believed to be staying at an RV park between Harrison and Omaha or another in Branson.
A neighbor claimed to have seen a small pickup truck arriving around 2 that afternoon with a male riding in the bed and another in the passenger seat. The truck was parked at a residence under construction next to his. The male in the passenger seat reportedly matched the description of the daughter-in-law’s boyfriend.
A month later, a Boone County investigator received photos of Rash’s truck from the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The witness observed the photos and said the truck appeared to be the same color as the one he saw during the time of the incident.
On Aug. 6, Boone County Central Dispatch received a call from another male claiming Rash and the previously mentioned female suspect had burglarized a residence within the previous two weeks and stole cash and jewelry. The caller’s wife reportedly works at a hotel in Branson and overheard Rash telling another employee he and the victim’s former daughter-in-law stole jewelry and nearly $14,000 in cash from the residence.
On Aug. 21, the investigator went to the Branson hotel and made contact with the person Rash was reportedly talking to. The person claimed to have overheard that Rash, the female suspect and her boyfriend were going to “hit the house” and use Rash’s pickup truck during the process. The witness also stated Rash had recently wrecked the truck and was hospitalized at Cox Medical Center South in Springfield at the time. In addition, Rash had reportedly called in sick on the day of the break-in. The witness stated the female suspect was staying at the RV park in Boone County, and Rash was residing in a camper at an RV park in Branson.
Two days later, the Boone County Sheriff’s Office worked with the Taney County Sheriff’s Office and executed search warrants at both RV parks. At Rash’s residence, cellphones reportedly belonging to the female suspect and her boyfriend were seized. The phones were later taken to a Harrison police detective to extract their contents. The boyfriend’s phone showed he reportedly viewed an article from the Springfield News-Leader on July 20 titled “Springfield man with 30 felony convictions charged in burglaries,” and the man the article was identified as Rash. The phone also showed a text conversation between Rash and the boyfriend. The female suspect’s phone showed a text conversation between her and her boyfriend.
On Sept. 14, the investigator drafted another search warrant for Rash’s cellphone provider and received information nearly two weeks later. The investigator contacted an Arkansas State Police special agent Oct. 17 to assist in analyzing the digital information. On the afternoon of the burglary, Rash’s phone first pinged in the Branson West area, moved south along U.S. Highway 65 in the Branson/Ridgedale area, continued down to the center of Harrison and pinged near Bergman around 2:15. The phone reportedly remained in the Bergman/Harrison area until nearly 4:30 with multiple pings. That showed to be consistent with the phone being in the vicinity of the victim’s residence during the incident.
Rash is facing felony counts of residential burglary, breaking or entering and theft of property and misdemeanor counts of first-degree criminal mischief and criminal trespass. He is also facing a penalty enhancement as a habitual offender, and his bond is set at $20,000. Rash is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.
Court records currently do not show any charges against the female suspect or her boyfriend.
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