Michael Paul Howard’s first criminal case in Baxter County was opened 21 years ago.
Last week, the 40-year-old Howard, who lists addresses along Buford Road and in the Jefferson County community of Whitehall, was back in Baxter County Circuit Court where he pled guilty to charges against him in four active criminal cases – all opened last year.
He was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Most of the recent charges filed against Howard stemmed from one event that began October 26, 2021 when Howard tried to outrun the law, but failed.
After he was jailed on the chase charges, it was discovered he had violated the requirements placed on him as a registered sex offender.
More charges came when investigators searched the vehicle involved in the chase and located drugs and drug paraphernalia.
The only charges not associated with the 2021 chase involved Howard and others breaking into the home of a dead deceased woman and stealing items.
Those charges were filed in mid-June last year.
Howard has been an inmate in the Baxter County jail since he was booked in last October.
DETAILS ON LATEST CHARGES
His latest run in with the law took place Oct. 26 last year when a Baxter County sheriff’s deputy saw Howard driving a vehicle even though his driver’s license was suspended.
In addition, he had an outstanding arrest warrant issued by the Mountain Home Police department.
As the deputy turned around to make a stop on Howard’s vehicle, Howard – as he has often done – fled.
At one point in the short pursuit, Howard turned onto a trail road and ran through cable fences disabling his vehicle.
Howard has often continued to run from the police on foot when he is forced to abandon vehicles. He stayed true to form during this chase and took to his feet once his car stopped running after the collision with the cable fences.
A woman with Howard, 39-year-old Reba Diane Miller, also bailed out of the disabled Mercury Grand Marquis. She did not make it far before being taken into custody.
FOUND HIDING BEHIND LOG
Howard was eventually found hiding behind a rotted out log by a canine tracking team from the state department of correction.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Howard was armed with a knife and initially refused to follow commands given by law enforcement officers.
He was eventually taken into custody.
The next set of charges stemmed from a search of the vehicle Howard and Miller occupied at the time of their arrests following the chase.
The car was brought to the Baxter County Sheriff’s office and when investigators searched the vehicle, they found a substance testing positive for methamphetamine, suspected marijuana, syringes and pipes commonly used to ingest marijuana.
EARLIER CASE
In the original case filed in June, 2021, Howard and two females were arrested after allegedly breaking into the home of a deceased woman and stealing items.
Just after 7 a.m. June 12 last year, Baxter County sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of what was described as an ongoing burglary at a home along Clay Mountain Lane.
The person making the report said a vehicle was parked at the residence that did not belong there, and that a male had been seen prying open a door to the home with a shovel.
When deputies arrived, they came in contact with Howard, 33-year-old Staci Smith of Corning and 39-year-old Christina Walters of Mountain Home.
The vehicle in the driveway, registered to Howard, was found to be loaded with a number of items believed to have been removed from the home.
A check of the interior of the residence revealed open doors and drawers and boxes that were filled with items. The report on the crime noted that while the home was unoccupied, all of the deceased woman’s property remained inside.
As the three people were being questioned at the scene, Howard took off on foot disappearing into nearby woods. He was captured about a half hour later.
SEX OFFENDER REGISTRATION
At least six of the criminal charges lodged against Howard through the years stem from failures to abide by sex offender registration requirements.
Howard has had a number of excuses for breaking the sex offender registration requirements.
He once told officers that he had not shown up for a required compliance assessment because he “did not have a driver’s license, he was tired, his mother was still sleeping and it was raining.”
Howard was required to register after being convicted of felonious restraint and unlawful use of a weapon in Missouri in 2003.
While there was no sexual component to Howard’s charge, Missouri law at the time required sex offender registration for the offense of felonious restraint.
In his newer cases, Howard is charged with failure to register as a sex offender, possessing drugs and drug paraphernalia, fleeing in a vehicle, aggravated assault, criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, residential burglary and fleeing on foot.
ESCAPE
Howard also faced escape charges in Boone County in mid-2012 after he was able to open the door of a vehicle being driven by a Baxter County deputy at a stoplight in Harrison and run off still handcuffed.
At the time of the escape, Howard was being transported to Baxter County from Fort Smith.
According to a report of the incident, Howard ran to a nearby home improvement store and was able to cut his handcuffs off using a tool he found on the store’s shelves.
He also stole the deputy’s cellphone.
Boone County authorities apprehended him about an hour and a half after he bailed out of the Baxter County deputy’s car.
He was put on probation on charges stemming from the escape.
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